Vogue World, the now four-year-old, one-day fashion and culture extravaganza, will be coming to San Francisco in 2027 after earlier iterations in New York, London, Paris, and Los Angeles.
It's been rumored for a couple of months that after Conde Nast Global Chief Content Officer Anna Wintour had met with Mayor Daniel Lurie, that Vogue World's next stop after this year's event in Milan might be San Francisco. And Vogue confirmed the news Thursday, referring to SF as "another booming West Coast metropolis" — words that haven't exactly been associated with our fair city in recent years.
Lurie's office also put out a press release with the news, with the mayor saying, "Creativity and free expression have been the engine of San Francisco for generations, and that spirit will be on full display at Vogue World 2027."
"This creativity drives our arts and culture, and our arts and culture are driving our city’s comeback," Lurie added. "Thanks to our ecosystem of talented designers, musicians, and small businesses — and the artists and workers behind them — visitors are coming to our city, and our economy is recovering. Vogue World will support San Francisco’s creative minds and strengthen the entire ecosystem."
The Chronicle reported on Lurie's most recent meeting with Wintour and Vogue staff, along with his wife Becca Prowda, and Chief of Protocol Penny Coulter, on June 25, but the mayor declined to comment on it at the time. Wintour was also spotted walking on Grant Avenue in North Beach the day before.
The event is certainly a boon for Lurie and for the city, particularly in light of recent headlines about the city losing some large professional conferences that represent major sources of economic activity and hotel-stay tax revenue for the city. Just last week we learned that Semicon West, which had been having its annual conference in the Bay Area for 50 years, would be moving to Phoenix next year, as much of the semiconductor industry has shifted there.
Google and Oracle have moved annaul conferences to Las Vegas, and Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff uses Dreamforce as a bargaining chip every year, vaguely threatening to move it elsewhere as well — which culiminated last year in his tone-deaf blunder encouraging Donald Trump to send national guard troops here, and then taking credit for getting Trump to call off his threat.
But, Lurie had another conference win earlier this year with Microsoft moving its Build 2026 event here, which happened back in June.
Vogue, and the respected arbiter of taste Anna Wintour, blessing San Francisco with the next Vogue World certainly helps Lurie make his case for the city being on the rise — especially putting it next in line after the more bona fide fashion capitals of New York, Paris, London, LA, and Milan.
In Wintour's own words: "Vogue believes in celebrating cities, and San Francisco is a city like none other. It’s a place of diverse communities living side by side, a place that loves the arts, loves creativity, and isn’t afraid of change. There’s a history of rebelliousness here, as well as incredible innovation. I love that San Francisco has always stood up for its values, and the things it believes in. We think it’s the perfect setting for Vogue World 2027."
The "isn't afraid of change" part might be a point of debate in NIMBY/YIMBY circles, but I digress.
Vogue World, which launched in 2022 to celebrate the magazine's 130th anniversary, brings together runway shows, celebrities, lavish spectacles, and music performances — and it sounds like the Castro Theatre could be one venue getting use for next year's event, after Wintour and her staff were seen touring the newly renovated venue.
Last year's Hollywood iteration of the event featured a star-studded, Old Hollywood-themed costume runway show on the Paramount Studios lot, a performance by Doja Cat, and more.
The date for Vogue World 2027 does not appear to have been set. While this year's Vogue World is happening in September, coinciding with Milan Fashion Week, the Hollywood event in 2025 was in late October.
