Free concerts will return to downtown San Francisco in June for second year

Fans attend at Outside Lands in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Aug. 6, 2022. Another Planet Entertainment, the festival’s producer, is partnering with the city to host a free event with local label Dirtybird at Embarcadero Plaza on June 14. (Alive Coverage/Outside Lands via Bay City News)

FREE CONCERTS WILL RETURN to downtown San Francisco this summer for a second year as part of an agreement with a company seeking to produce a show in Golden Gate Park.

The partnership with promoter Another Planet Entertainment is part of an effort to bring more foot traffic and economic activity to downtown after the COVID-19 pandemic, which depleted the city’s core of commuters and diminished its nightlife.

In exchange for the free shows, Another Planet will be allowed to host a ticketed concert the weekend after the Outside Lands Festival in Golden Gate Park. The deal runs through 2027.

The 2024 concert series brought out stars like DJs represented by local label Dirtybird to Embarcadero Plaza, the rock band “Portugal. The Man” to Civic Center Plaza and country musicians Don Louis and Sophia Scott in Union Square, which drew tens of thousands of attendees, according to Mayor Daniel Lurie’s office.

Dirtybird will kick off the 2025 series with a new rendition of its “Back 2 Baysics” set at Embarcadero Plaza on June 14.

“We’re excited to be running it back with our partners at Another Planet Entertainment this year with three more free concerts,” Lurie said in a statement. “Last year’s shows brought thousands of people to our downtown, and we’re building on that momentum. Our arts and culture are helping to drive San Francisco’s comeback, and this is a perfect example of that energy.”

The concerts are held in partnership with the city’s Recreation and Parks Department.

The department’s general manager, Phil Ginsburg, said the concerts brought people together and showcased the best of San Franciscans’ spirit.

“Our downtown plazas are vibrant, joyful places where people can dance, connect, and experience the magic of live music together,” Ginsburg said. “Events like these remind us that our public spaces are for everyone — places to celebrate, to build community, and to feel the energy of San Francisco at its best.”

The concerts are one of the tools Lurie is leaning on to revitalize downtown’s foot traffic. He has also championed state legislation that would allow more liquor licenses to be granted to restaurants in the area, focused on public safety by creating police task forces, and backed expanding the city’s entertainment zones to include areas downtown. The zones allow for more nightlife activity and to-go alcohol sales.

The post Free concerts will return to downtown San Francisco in June for second year appeared first on Local News Matters.

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