From 20 to 26 October 2018, the festival "Zurich meets San Francisco – A Festival of Two Cities" took place. Zurich's performance in San Francisco was very well received: Around 2500 participants attended the cultural, culinary, economic and scientific events. The feedback from the audience was numerous and very positive. In addition, the official delegation held a wide range of discussions with local start-ups, leading US companies and political representatives of San Francisco. In this way, the economic, scientific and cultural exchange between the two metropolises could be expanded and strengthened. 

2018 marks the fifteenth anniversary of the establishment of the city partnership with San Francisco. On a political level, an exchange and reception took place at the Mayor of San Francisco, London N. Breed, on the occasion of this anniversary. A new "Memorandum of Understanding" between the two cities has been signed and lays the foundation for further exchange and cooperation between the two cities. At Swissnex, Switzerland's official science hub, various events took place on topics such as "Digital Democracy" or an "Urban Tech Summit" at which experts, business representatives and academics discussed the influence of new technologies on the future of urban mobility. Culinary delights were offered by the "Chef meets Chef" series. Five top chefs from Zurich and Rapperswil met five top chefs from San Francisco and created creative masterpieces of fusion cuisine together on several evenings.

With its website and social media, the festival also reached over 7 million people. The Californian media dedicated several articles to the various events.