Stern Grove Festival
The Stern Grove Festival returns for its 82nd season having presented free concerts in the park every summer since 1938.
If you don’t mind arriving early to spread out your blanket to stake your spot, it’s an excellent way to spend a relaxing Sunday in a beautiful park setting watching free performances from top touring acts and local institutions like the San Francisco Ballet.
2019 Stern Grove Festival
June 16 – August 18, 2019 | 2 pm
Stern Grove, 19th Avenue and Sloat Blvd., SF
FREEStern Grove Festival’s 82nd season of admission-free concerts kicks off on Sunday, June 16, 2019. Concerts will take place every Sunday at 2 pm from June 17 to August 18.
2019 Concert Schedule
- June 16 – Digable Planets and Bang Data
- June 23 – Los Van Van and Banda Sin Nombre
- June 30 – Galactic and Baby & The Luvies
- July 7 – San Francisco Symphony, Edwin Outwater, Conductor
- July 14 – Mitski And Madeline Kenney
- July 21 – Toots and The Maytals, Lee Fields and The Expressions
- July 28 – San Francisco Ballet, Helgi Tomasson, Artistic Director
- August 4 – The Psychedelic Furs, James
- August 11 – Pink Martini, Barrio Manouche
- August 18 – The Big Picnic starring The Isley Brothers
Seating
Concerts begin Sunday at 2 pm. Bench seating is limited and generally full by 1:30 pm, and on some days, the benches can reach capacity earlier.
What if the Concert Meadow is full? Festival staff will begin hand stamping at the entrances at approximately 10 a.m. If the Concert Meadow closes, only patrons with hand stamps will be allowed into the Concert Meadow. Patrons with hand stamps can pass in and out of the Concert Meadow throughout the day.
Picnic Table Lottery:
- Reserved Picnic Tables: Reserved picnic table seating is available with a donation of $500 or more.
- A limited number of picnic tables may be available through the Festival’s Free Picnic Table Lottery.
- Seating for Seniors and People with Disabilities: Seating for seniors, people with disabilities, and patrons using wheelchairs is available on a first come, first served basis.
Volunteering for 2019 – More than 800 volunteers help make the Festival possible each year. As a member of our volunteer team, you can meet new friends, enjoy the beautiful setting of Stern Grove, and experience amazing concerts. Sign up to volunteer
Public Transportation
MUNI
- Take a K or M train to the St. Francis Circle stop. Walk west down Sloat one block to 19th Avenue.
- Muni Bus: lines 23-Monterey and 28-19th Avenue stop at 19th Avenue and Sloat Boulevard.
BART
- BART to Glen Park Station and transfer to MUNI bus 23-Monterey to stop at 19th Avenue and Sloat Boulevard
- BART to Daly City and transfer to MUNI bus 28-19th Avenue to stop at 19th Avenue and Sloat Boulevard
- BART to Balboa Station take a K train towards St. Francis Circle. Get off at the St Francis Circle stop. Walk west down Sloat one block to 19th Avenue.
- Coming from the Peninsula or East Bay, take BART to Balboa Park and transfer to a K train towards St. Francis Circle. Get off at the St Francis Circle stop. Walk west down Sloat one block to 19th Avenue.
Bike Valet Service
- Store your bike at the Festival’s free bike valet at the main entrance to the park at 19th and Sloat Boulevard.
- Bike valet opens at 10:00 a.m. and closes one hour after the concert ends.
- Bikes are not allowed in the Concert Meadow or Esplanade area of Stern Grove.
Parking
A limited number of handicapped permit parking spaces will be available on a first come, first served basis along Sloat Boulevard, just past the main entrance to Stern Grove at 19th Avenue and Sloat. There is no other designated parking area.There is no public parking area at Stern Grove on concert Sundays. Parking in the area is extremely limited.
Volunteer
As a benefit of completing your shift, volunteers are given snacks, drinks, onsite parking and reserved seats during the concert. Volunteers are required to work a minimum 4 hour shift. All volunteers are encouraged to enjoy the concert’s headliner, but please note that some jobs require at least one volunteer to be present and volunteers may take turns watching the performance. Sign up to volunteer.
2019 Kids Days
Stern Grove Festival’s Kids Days are free interactive arts education programs for children ages 4-11. Kids Days are free and open to the public. Advance registration is required. Children must be accompanied by an adult guardian (no drop-offs).
Kids Days with Arenas Dance Company
Learn about Cuban folkloric dance and music with Arenas Dance Company.
July 9-11 from 11 am-2 pmKids Days with Afro-Urban Society
Explore modern African dance with Afro-Urban Society.
July 16-18 from 11 am-2 pmKids Days with San Francisco Ballet
Explore global dance styles with instructors from San Francisco Ballet.
July 23-25 from 11 am-2 pm2019 Kids Camp
In 2019, Stern Grove Festival will present three Kids Camps in Residence.
- June 17 – June 21, 2019 at Gene Friend Recreation Center, in collaboration with SFRPD and SoMA Youth Collaborative
- June 24 – June 28, 2019 at Joseph Lee Recreation Center
- July 22 – 26, 2019 at Minnie & Lovie Ward Recreation Center
Kids Camps are provided free to children participating in the summer programs at these locations.
Local teaching artists will present hands-on, interactive workshops exploring music, dance, and spoken word.
2019 Kidstage
From noon – 1:30 pm before every Sunday concert, kids of all ages can experience hands-on art projects, a musical instrument exploration station, and dance workshops with local teaching artists at KidStage in the West Meadow.
- June 16 – Hip-hop dance with Jessica Recinos
- June 23 – Cuban dance with Jessica Recinos
- June 30 – Hip-hop dance with Paula Plessas-Hall
- July 7 – Percussion demo/workshop with Rising Rhythm
- July 14 – Vogue dance with Jocquese Whitfield
- July 21 – Reggae/dancehall dance with Shemica Johnson, printmaking with Youth Art Exchange
- July 28 – Ballet with San Francisco Ballet
- August 4 – Youth dance demo/workshop with Rising Rhythm, printmaking with Youth Art Exchange
- August 11 – West Coast Swing dance with Mission Swing, printmaking with Youth Art Exchange
