Summer in the Bay Area is a time of musical abundance: Every week, there are free concerts with musical heavy-hitters and up-and-coming local acts alike, plus music festivals worth the splurge. So text your group chat, pack a picnic and add these shows to your summer bucket list.
Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays through November Golden Gate Park, San Francisco
Free
For all the valid complaints about the lack of third spaces in San Francisco, one we shouldn’t take for granted is Golden Gate Park — the perfect scenic spot to picnic, roller skate and stroll among the flowers on these longer days and (ever so slightly) warmer nights. San Francisco’s Recreation and Parks Department and event producer Illuminate have teamed up to bring bands and DJs to Golden Gate Park’s Bandshell three times a week: Singer-Songwriter Wednesdays, Friday Happy Hour and Crucial Reggae Sundays with an ever-changing lineup of local artists. Up next on May 16, Dumpster Love and Lazer Beam take the stage on the 125-year-old “Temple of Music” located between the de Young Museum and the California Academy of Sciences.
E-40 performs onstage during the 2024 BET Hip Hop Awards at Drai’s Beach Club Nightclub at The Cromwell Las Vegas on October 8, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images)
May 23–25
Napa Valley Expo, Napa
Single-day tickets start at $233
Sponsored
Music lovers and wine aficionados flock to BottleRock each May for the best of both worlds. This year’s lineup kicks off on Friday with East Bay punk legends Green Day headlining, plus a set from the Counselor of Bay Area rap himself, E-40. BottleRock caters to a wide variety of tastes and draws an intergenerational crowd; Justin Timberlake headlines Saturday, and singer-songwriter Noah Kahan tops the bill on Sunday. Other lineup highlights include Sublime, Public Enemy, Ice Cube and 4 Non Blondes.
Thousands of people gather at the Verizon Stage as Fuerza Regida performs at La Onda festival on Sunday, June 2, 2024. (Estefany Gonzalez for KQED)
May 31–June 1
Napa Valley Expo, Napa
Single-day tickets start at $199
A week after BottleRock, the same festival grounds welcome Festival La Onda — hands down the Bay Area’s biggest event for música mexicana y más, with genres like corridos, banda, rock en español and cumbia. Superstar vocalists Marco Antonio Solis and Pepe Aguilar join Banda MS as headliners on Saturday, which also features Peso Pluma collaborator Tito Double P and fellow corrido tumbado artist Chino Pacas. Norteña singer Carin León and Sinaloan band Grupo Firme headline Sunday, plus next-generation singers Oscar Maydón and Ángela Aguilar and others.
June 14, 1-5 p.m. Embarcadero Plaza at Market Street, San Francisco Free
Dirtybird Records follows up last year’s massive free dance party at Embarcadero Plaza with another Back 2 Baysics event, sponsored by the city and Another Planet Entertainment, the organizers of Outside Lands. The San Francisco-born label hasn’t announced this year’s lineup yet, but expect bass-heavy, booty-shaking beats.
The crowd at Stern Grove Festival on Sunday, June 12, 2022. (Estefany Gonzalez)
Sundays, June 15–Aug. 17
Stern Grove, San Francisco
Free
Stern Grove returns for its 88th year of free Sunday concerts in the park, kicking off with soul band The California Honeydrops. Hip-hop-meets-house act Channel Tres, riot grrrls Sleater-Kinney, country singer Orville Peck and the SF Symphony will fill the grove with music throughout the summer. The Queen of Motown herself, Diana Ross, will close out the series at its Big Picnic fundraiser in August.
Few details have been announced so far for this year’s LakeFest, but if last year’s event is any indication, we can expect a celebration of Oakland’s Black excellence as well as its cultural melting pot: good BBQ (plus other cuisines), soulful live music, vendors, kids’ activities and a tech pavilion.
Kehlani performs onstage at Chase Center on November 02, 2024 in San Francisco, California. (Dana Jacobs/Getty Images)
Oakland R&B hitmaker (and lesbian heartthrob) Kehlani is headlining SoSF, a new music festival in honor of Pride that also stars German pop star Kim Petras and “Nasty” singer Tinashe, plus reality-star-turned-vocalist Heidi Montag and rapper FineAss Lenicia. It all goes down at Pier 80, the industrial, waterfront location with the vibe of a warehouse rave, with a portion of proceeds going to Lyric Center for LGBTQQ+ Youth.
July 12, 5 p.m.
Frost Amphitheater, Stanford
$50-$95
Raja Kumari headlines Tamasha, an arts and music festival celebrating the Bay Area’s unique Desi culture. The California-born singer blends classical Indian music with hip-hop and electronic pop, and has collaborated with major U.S. artists like John Legend as well as Indian rapper Divine. Joining Kumari will be DJ Vani Dewan, Duniya Dance & Drum Company, and drag performances from The Masala Mahal featuring Bindi Masala, Chai Auntea and Shaidy Bee.
Gerald Casale, Josh Hager, Mark Mothersbaugh and Bob Mothersbaugh of Devo perform live on stage during Ohana Festival at Doheny State Beach on September 27, 2024 in Dana Point, California. (Jim Bennett/WireImage)
July 19 and 20
Mosswood Park, Oakland
Saturday GA $119, Sunday GA $65
Art pop legends Devo headline day one of Mosswood Meltdown, Oakland’s annual celebration of punk and other underground subcultures. The always-morphing rock band Osees, which transformed the San Francisco scene when they formed there almost 30 years ago, also perform Saturday. Headlining Sunday are original riot grrrls Bratmobile, garage rock-meets punk and country band Shannon & the Clams, indie rock band La Luz and more.
Doja Cat performs during weekend one of Austin City Limits Music Festival at Zilker Park on October 02, 2021 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Erika Goldring/WireImage)
Outside Lands is one of the Bay Area’s most popular music festivals, and for good reason. With this year’s headliners Doja Cat, Tyler, The Creator and Hozier, it caters to a variety of genres, and offers tons of options for a well-rounded festival experience. In addition to four main music stages, there’s the outdoor electronic music club SoMa, queer nightclub experience Dolores’, a cannabis area, endless culinary options and even a wedding chapel. Other lineup highlights include rappers Doechii and Vallejo’s own LaRussell, South African DJ and producer Black Coffee, British R&B star Jorja Smith and more.
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