KAWS HOLIDAY: SAN FRANCISCO ANNOUNCED
KAWS HOLIDAY Arrives in San Francisco This Winter
KAWS and AllRightsReserved have announced the fourteenth stop of the ongoing KAWS : HOLIDAY tour. This winter, the installation lands atop the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA), debuting November 13, 2025. Known for transforming skylines into playgrounds for his iconic COMPANION figures, KAWS brings both monumentality and approachability to the city’s skyline. This HOLIDAY installation features a 36’ tall Companion sitting atop the rooftop of SFMOMA, in a contemplative and still state.
Photo by Mogli Maureal
A Solo West Coast Debut
The launch coincides with KAWS : FAMILY, the artist’s first major solo exhibition on the West Coast, running November 15, 2025 through May 3, 2026. FAMILY traces over three decades of KAWS’s evolution, featuring paintings, sculptures, and commercial collaborations ranging from cereal boxes to sneakers. The exhibition emphasizes both his recurring motifs; COMPANION, BFF, CHUM, and his ability to move seamlessly between commercial and fine art arenas, creating a body of work that resonates on multiple levels.
The HOLIDAY Legacy
Since its inception in 2018, KAWS : HOLIDAY has transformed public spaces across the globe. Previous stops have spanned Tokyo, Seoul, Taipei, Hong Kong, and beyond, each installation inviting audiences to experience urban landscapes in unexpected ways. San Francisco marks the fourteenth city to host the project, turning the museum’s rooftop into a stage where KAWS’s signature figures sits above the city, monumental yet familiar. This particular Companion structure is reflective of the KAWS HOLIDAY Le Brassus from 2024, in which Companion sat atop the Audemars Piguet HQ Building.
Photo from AllRightsReserved
Experiencing KAWS in Two Dimensions
Together, HOLIDAY : San Francisco and FAMILY offer two complementary perspectives on the artist’s work. Outdoors, the rooftop installation is immediate, communal, and visually arresting. Indoors, the exhibition invites deeper engagement, contextualizing the figures within KAWS’s broader career—from graffiti beginnings to commercial collaborations that challenge traditional boundaries between art and consumer culture.
Photo by Mogli Maureal
What to Expect
KAWS : HOLIDAY : San Francisco
Opening: November 13, 2025
Location: Rooftop, SFMOMA
Free to view from museum terraces; visible from select city vantage points
KAWS : FAMILY
Dates: November 15, 2025 – May 3, 2026
Location: SFMOMA, various galleries
Features over 100 works spanning paintings, sculptures, and commercial collaborations
Tickets: Available via SFMOMA website
