‘Good Neighbor Week’ to Kick Off Saturday With Art, Food, Volunteer Events Across SF

The second annual Good Neighbor Week will feature dozens of neighborhood events across the city, including art, live music, food trucks, and beautification projects, with an emphasis on community service.

Good Neighbor Week gets underway Saturday with an opening celebration at Civic Center Plaza from noon to 2 pm, launching a slate of events organized by more than 40 groups around San Francisco. As SF Examiner reports, the week coincides with National Good Neighbor Day on September 28 and runs through October 3, with a closing ceremony scheduled for Oct. 4 at Lakeside Landing.

According to the event’s website, Mayor Daniel Lurie proclaimed San Francisco Good Neighbor Week in 2025 after Supervisor Myrna Melgar introduced a Board of Supervisors resolution establishing the observance, which was unanimously approved.

Julia Gitis, the founder of Good Neighbor Lab, which sponsors the event, tells the Examiner that community service is a bigger part of this year’s programming. The nonprofit is reportedly working with three other organizations to coordinate service projects, including volunteer opportunities listed through Hands On Bay Area and neighborhood cleanup projects led by Refuse Refuse San Francisco.

As part of the event, the Saint Vincent de Paul Society of San Francisco will be placing donation bins at various Good Neighbor Week events. Gitis said the bins will accept gently used clothing and unused hygiene products, which will be redistributed directly to San Francisco residents in need.

The Examiner reports that the volunteer opportunity will take place Tuesday at the Treasure Island food pantry, where participants can help unload food pallets, organize supplies, pack bags for clients, and break down boxes with Hands On Bay Area.

Other events throughout the week include farmers markets, neighborhood art and beautification projects, movie nights, donation drives, coffee meetups, dance lessons, and disaster-preparedness courses.

SF Civic Tech will also host a Civic Tech Hackathon Wednesday, drawing on the organization’s weekly programming dating back to 2013, with projects focused on community needs and partnerships among government, nonprofits, and community organizations.

According to the Examiner, KALW Public Media and the Community Arts Stabilization Trust will host a grand opening for Warfield Commons, a new downtown arts and culture hub Sunday.

In Balboa Terrace, the Gregangelo Museum will reportedly offer several recreational events, including access to its haunted dollhouse, enchanted fairy garden, immersive art installations, and private tours of the venue. The museum will also reportedly provide entertainment at the opening and closing celebrations.

“Getting different generations to play together and be aware of each other in magical moments is what we do best,” said Gregangelo Herrera, the museum’s artistic director, speaking to the Examiner.

Gitis told the paper the official calendar is meant to give people an excuse to meet their neighbors, but she also hopes it encourages smaller, informal gatherings.

“For the same reason that Mother’s Day is your excuse to call your mom, Good Neighbor Week is your excuse to hang out with your neighbor,” she said.

Gitis said the idea was inspired in part by the observance President Jimmy Carter first proclaimed in the 1970s as an effort to address social isolation. She told the Examiner the response to Good Neighbor Week reflects a desire among San Franciscans for more meaningful, in-person connections.

“The success of the holiday speaks to something that people in San Francisco are feeling and craving and responding to, which is this desire to connect with each other in a more deep and meaningful and in-person way,” Gitis said.

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