The blockbuster combination of both the NBA All-Star Game and the Lunar New Year Parade in SF this weekend has SFMTA making Muni free on Saturday and Sunday to limit traffic gridlock, and the little-used Chinatown Subway and T-Third will be in the spotlight.

We now stand on the verge of the most epic San Francisco weekend in years, with the NBA All-Star Game and Chinese New Year Parade on the same weekend. It is not an exaggeration to expect hundreds of thousands of visitors converging on Chinatown, Union Square, and the Chase Center area this weekend, even if a large percentage of those visitors are San Francisco residents eager to take in the action.

And for those of you locals who want to take in said action, the Chronicle reports that Muni will be free systemwide on Saturday and Sunday, as the SF Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) is doing anything they can to limit the inevitable traffic gridlock in the neighborhoods hosting these events.


This idea is not novel — the SFMTA did the exact same thing last year on Lunar New Year Parade weekend. And like last year, the cable cars are not included in this free Muni deal, as there will likely be a bevy of tourists lining up to pay the $8 for a cable car ride.


But it’s going to be nuts on the T-Third line and often sparsely ridden Central Subway, as that is the main line serving both the Chase Center and Chinatown. While probably only a portion of riders will bounce directly between All-Star Game festivities — which include three nights of concerts on Pier 48 — and Chinese New Year celebrations, many people attending either of these will use the T-Third. And it will be free, so don’t tap your Clipper Card!  


Another good reason to avoid driving is that there will be so  many street closures this weekend. The above maps detail the Lunar New Year Muni reroutes, largely starting at 2 pm on Saturday. We’ll also see full street closures on parts of Market, Geary, Powell, Post, Pacific, and Second streets, and do realize that there will also be a slew of Chinatown streets closed on Sunday too because of the Lunar New Year Community Street Fair.

Image: SFMTA

Plenty of NBA All-Star Game street closures and Muni reroutes will also affect the Chase Center and Moscone Center areas both Saturday and Sunday, which we explained in detail earlier this week.

While it’s true that the Chinese New Year Parade is Saturday and the NBA All-Star Game is not until Sunday, there is still massive overlap on both days. We noted that the Lunar New Year Community Street Fair is both Saturday and Sunday in Chinatown. And on Saturday night, literally during the Chinese New Year Parade, the Chase Center will be hosting the Three-point Shooting Contest and Slam Dunk Contest. Plus, those All-Star Weekend concerts at Pier 48 happen Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights.

Image: Joe Kukura, SFist

The Chronicle adds that the first two hours of parking at Chinatown’s Portsmouth Square Garage will be free, though that’s in effect for the entire month of February.

While Muni is free Saturday and Sunday, there is no such free BART service this weekend, even though there are a handful of NBA All-Star Weekend events at the Oakland Arena.


So it’s going to be a monumental weekend for Muni, and the rides will be free. We’ll just hope things aren't as rough for Muni as they were Thursday morning.

Related: Free Muni Rides and Multiple Streets Closed For Chinese New Year Parade [SFist]

Image: Joe Kukura, SFist