Fleet Week + Giants/Dodgers + Warriors = Millions of dollars for San Francisco
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- After a pandemic pause, Fleet Week is back, joined by a Giants playoff game, and Warriors game this weekend. The parties have already started and the money is rolling in.
"It's just really fun to hear people celebrating again," said San Francisco resident, Karen Chew.
According to the San Francisco Fleet Week Association, Fleet Week alone generates more than $10 million in revenue for the City.
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"San Franciscans and visitors are ready to rock so let's do it," said Ben Bleiman, a bar owner and founder of the San Francisco Bar Owner Alliance.
"It's gonna be huge for us. It's a really important weekend. We are finally getting back to normal, this is traditionally one of the busiest weekends of the year, every single year, and I think it's going to be a real blow out this weekend because people have a lot of pent up energy that they want to expend."
Based on the Thursday night pre-party Polk Street crowd, Bleiman is on the money.
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"I'm definitely excited to check out the nightlife here," said Seatt Laura Lieser, who's visiting from Salt Lake City.
"It's great to be back out, it's exciting to be part of the bar scene," said San Francisco resident, Kevin McKeever.
"If the Giants win, we'll be out celebrating. We're not going to the game, but we'll be here celebrating in the City," said Sugam Arora, who lives in San Francisco.
But because of the labor shortage, bars and restaurants are woefully under-staffed and running on skeleton crews, so a word of advice from Bleiman: "If I have one thing to say, when you look at the bartender, imagine what they just went through in the last year and half, and give them the largest tip you've ever given anybody in your entire life."
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Hotels, which have sorely missed guests this past year, are quickly booking rooms.
"We've seen a huge increase in reservations for this weekend," said Aaron Feeney works for the Viceroy Hotel Group. They have three San Francisco hotels, which have gone from about 50% occupancy to 70-80% occupancy this weekend, thanks mostly to baseball.
"Giants fans and we know the Dodgers also bring in quite a lot of fans in the city to watch them play as well," explained Feeney.
Remember, when you head out to celebrate, don't forget proof of vaccination, so you can get in the door.
