14+ Hours of Sunshine: First Day of Summer 2025 (June 20)

Friday, June 20, 2025, is the Summer Solstice—aka the official first day of summer and the day with the most daylight all year. Technically, summer begins at 7:42 PM PST, but with nearly 15 hours of sun, you’ll have plenty of time to soak it in.

In San Francisco, the sun rises at 5:47 AM and sets at 8:34 PM, giving us a glorious 14 hours, 46 minutes, and 55 seconds of daylight. That’s the longest stretch of sun you’ll get all year—so make the most of it!

Fun Facts for Sun Chasers:

☀️ It’s not the hottest day of the year. The solstice marks the start of summer, not its peak. Thanks to the ocean’s cool influence, SF’s hottest days usually don’t arrive until late August or September.

🌉 Golden Hour lasts longer. With such a late sunset, expect extended golden light—perfect for evening picnics in Dolores Park, rooftop cocktails, or catching that golden hue on the Golden Gate Bridge.

🌕 Full moon bonus: This year’s solstice is just a day before the Strawberry Full Moon on June 21, meaning the moon will rise shortly after the sun sets, creating a gorgeous twilight overlap.

🎉 Free & Cheap Events: Expect plenty of outdoor events, solstice celebrations, and evening music series around the Bay. (We’ll update our calendar with the best picks soon.)

💡 Fun Tip: Head to Twin Peaks or Lands End around sunset. You’ll catch panoramic views of the longest twilight of the year—with fewer layers than usual.

🌞 Extra Solar Nerdy Facts for 2025:

📏 This year’s Summer Solstice gives us 5 hours and 14 minutes more daylight than the Winter Solstice in December, when the shortest day clocks in at just about 9 hours and 32 minutes.

⏰ Earliest Sunrise of the Year:
San Francisco hits its earliest sunrise at 5:47 AM on June 12–15, 2025.

🌇 Latest Sunset of the Year:
The sun sets at 8:35 PM from June 26–July 1, 2025—a few days after the solstice.

📅 Sunset After 8PM:
San Francisco enjoys 107 straight days of sunsets after 8 PM in 2025, from May 1 to August 15.