Ghirardelli Square will host the 17th Annual Chocolate Festival attracting about 40,000 visitors from the Bay Area and around the world. This family-friendly event features prominent local chefs creating chocolate inventions during cooking demonstrations, live musical entertainment, children’s activities and the popular “Earthquake” Ice Cream Sundae Eating Contest. Over 30 different booths from local restaurants, bakeries and chocolate companies will provide dessert samples during the two-day event.

Ghirardelli Square hosts several signature events throughout the year to attract both local and tourist business.

Ghirardelli Square is one of the most well-known and best-loved icons of San Francisco. The enormous illuminated Ghirardelli sign and the smell of chocolate beckons over 4 million visitors per year to Ghirardelli Square.

All proceeds from the event are donated to Project Open Hand, a non-profit organization that provides food and compassion to people living HIV/AIDS, homebound and critically ill people, as well as seniors in San Francisco. For more information on Project Open Hand, visit www.openhand.org.  In 2010 we raised over $60,000 for Project Open Hand.

For more information visit: http://www.ghirardellisq.com/events/chocolate-festival/chocolate-festival

To request accommodations for persons with disabilities or if you have communication needs such as large print, braille or sign language interpreters, please call 1-800-310-6563 or fax us at 415-456-6436 at least three weeks prior to the event.

For all your public transportation options, visit www.511.org.