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San Francisco shines brightest during the holiday season when Illuminate SF™'s Festival of Light covers the city in epic outdoor installations of brilliant light art.

With San Francisco's typically clear and mild winter weather, you can visit many installations in one evening. Explore what's on display this year and plan your next visit to experience Illuminate SF™'s Festival of Light!

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Looking for more astounding artworks? Visit San Francisco's many museums and galleries that feature artworks that span time, cultures, and disciplines.

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From the day after Thanksgiving until the end of January, dozens of site-specific artworks by acclaimed creators from all over the world will be on display across San Francisco's many neighborhoods. Some are permanent fixtures that have become familiar icons of the city. Others are fleeting, one-time-only creations that dazzle visitors with their complexity. Best of all, most of these artworks are free to experience.

Home to luxurious hotels and inspiring museums, SoMa also contains some of San Francisco's largest and most ambitious light art.

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ILLUMINATE SF™ shines a light on San Francisco's ever-expanding light art scene and celebrates the city's culture of creativity and innovation. The initiative is presented by the San Francisco Travel Association in collaboration with local civic and cultural partners, and showcases the city's public light art installations, most of which are accessible by public transportation and free to view.

Experience GLOW this season on the Embarcadero at Pier 15. Described as a mad scientist's penny arcade, a scientific funhouse, and an experimental laboratory all rolled into one, the Exploratorium is regarded as the world’s foremost interactive science museum. With more than 650 hands-on exhibits that ignite curiosity and transform the way people learn, visitors of all ages can play, observe, and discover.

Home to luxurious hotels and inspiring museums, SoMa also contains some of San Francisco's largest and most ambitious light art.

Explore art by some of the Bay Area’s finest artists that’s eclectic and a little sexy on your visit to these boutique and classic hotels.