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San Francisco's Cultural Districts

Running east-west from Second Street to 11th Street and north-south from Market Street to Brannan Street, the SoMA Pilipinas Cultural District is tucked right into the heart of downtown San Francisco. This bustling area, more famous for its tech start-ups and late-night dance clubs, is also the historic home of San Francisco’s Filipino community. Local shops, restaurants, and community centers still serve local families and offer visitors a chance to experience a unique part of the city’s legacy.

The SoMa Pilipinas Cultural District was created in 2016 to both celebrate the culture and community of the area as well as to protect it the historical and cultural institutions that are located here.

The Sentro Filipino, located just a block west of Yerba Buena Gardens and the SFMOMA, hosts culturally relevant art exhibits and events like book readings and film screenings on a regular basis. Nearby on Sixth Street, Bindelstiff Studio is the only permanent community-based performing arts venue in the United States dedicated to showcasing emerging Filipino American and Pilipino (Tagalog-speaking) artists.

• Getting There: The SoMa Pilipinas Cultural District is located just blocks from Union Square.

Anyone who has been to the Folsom Street Fair in San Francisco knows just how seriously the city takes its leather scene. In 2018, the LEATHER & LGBTQ Cultural District was created around Folsom and much of the surrounding area, home to many leather-themed bars and nightclubs. It encompasses 22 square blocks and is bounded by Howard Street to the north and Interstate 80 to the south. It begins around Seventh Street to the east and ends at Division Street to the west.

The mission of the LEATHER & LGBTQ Cultural District is to preserve, enhance, and advocate for the continuity and vitality of the Kinky and Queer communities. It’s the first cultural district of its kind in the world.

The organization hosts a variety of events throughout the year, including a monthly “Play on the Plaza” street party on the second Saturday of the month. They also offer a kinky/queer walking tour periodically that visits the sites of current and bars, bathhouses, and other fetish-friendly establishments that make the area famous.

• Getting There: Catch the 9 Muni bus along Market Street and hop off at 11th and Harrison streets.

Containing the entire Bayview-Hunters Point neighborhood and centering on Third Street, the African American Arts and Cultural District was founded in 2018. The neighborhood juts out into the bay and once housed a Navy Yard, which attracted African American workers in the 1940s and 50s. The area is now a center of African American culture in the city.

The African American Arts and Cultural District aims to strengthen and promote the cultural assets and diverse communities that call the neighborhood home, and to advocate for African American equity, cultural stability, vibrancy, and economic vitality.

Besides the annual Kwanza celebration, the district also hosts a number of outdoor concerts and community-oriented events throughout the year. The area is also home to some of the city’s best soul food; try Cafe Envy or JJ Chicken and Fish.

• Getting There: Take the T Muni Metro line to Third and Kirkwood/La Salle.

Covering nearly 30 city blocks in the Mission District—including Dolores Park, which was once a Ramaytush Ohlone ceremonial site—San Francisco's American Indian Cultural District was established in 2020. It is the first cultural district of its size in the United States dedicated to honoring, recognizing, and celebrating American Indian culture, people, and contributions.

The Mission District itself has strong ties to San Francisco’s American Indian history. It was at Mission Dolores itself where much of the initial contact and exchange between Europeans and Native Americans occurred. 

The organization is also behind the Indigenize SF campaign, which is creating murals, street signs, banners, maps, and walking tours that will commemorate and honor California and American Indians. They also host a variety of events, from Earth Day celebrations to film screenings, throughout the year. Check their Instagram to stay in the loop.

• Getting There: Take the J Church Muni Metro to Dolores Park.

Considered by some to be San Francisco’s “real” Chinatown, the Sunset District is a residential neighborhood that is home to a high number of Chinese and Chinese American residents, businesses, and culture.

The Sunset Chinese Cultural District was designated in 2022 and is one of the largest in the city. Its mission is to preserve, enhance, and promote the contributions of the Chinese and Chinese-American people in the Sunset by elevating their voices and socioeconomic needs.

The organization also hosts events throughout the year, including the Autumn Moon Festival, held every fall. The Sunset District offers visitors some of the most authentic Chinese restaurants in the city.

• Getting There: Take the L Taraval Muni Metro train, which makes many stops throughout the neighborhood.

The Pacific Islander Cultural District is the newest cultural district in the city and the first of its kind in the U.S. After WWII, large numbers of Pacific Islanders moved to San Francisco and the Visitacion Valley and Sunnydale neighborhoods became their official enclave in the city.

The district will help strengthen and preserve the historic Pacific Islander community by supporting existing organizations like the Samoan Community Development Center. Stop by the Asian Pacific Islander Cultural Center, currently in downtown San Francisco, to learn more about the Pacific Islander history of the city and the Bay Area.

• Getting There: Take the T Muni Metro to the Sunnydale station.