San Francisco Festivals
You really don't need an excuse to visit San Francisco since there is already plenty to see and do here, but San Francisco hosts a number of festivals and special events throughout the year that lure hundreds of thousands of tourists. Every February Chinatown goes all out for the celebration of the Chinese New Year. The Parade is the highlight, but there are special events brimming with oriental for several weeks before the spectacular, block-long, golden dragon makes his appearance downtown. The San Francisco Orchid Society has hosted the Pacific Orchids Exposition every spring for more than 50 years. That's about as long at Contemporary Art has been celebrated at the Sausalito Art Festival - a great Oceanside vista for some incredible works of art.

There's some kind of a Jazz festival going on almost every month the year here. In fact, the San Francisco Jazz Season runs throughout the spring months with concerts at venues all over the city. The San Francisco Blues Festival is the oldest of its kind. The Fillmore Street Jazz Festival may be the best known in San Francisco. 3 stages provide continuous Jazz while artists and artisans display their wares in over 300 booths. Add the best flavors from the top restaurants in the city to International Food Court, and you'll understand why this one is the biggest music festival on the bay.

We can't leave out the San Francisco International Film Festival - 200 features representing 45 countries. And of course San Francisco knows how to party. Aside from several huge gay and lesbian celebrations, the city is transformed into its own version of Mardi Gras for the annual Carnaval each spring. Has enough? Well, we can't forget desert, can we? The Ghirardelli Square Chocolate Festival celebrates of chocolate in more ways than you can imagine, and can satisfy even the most demanding sweet tooth.