Golden Gate Bandshell Concerts

Golden Gate Bandshell Welcomes Back More Live Performances in 2023

Live music returns for its third season at the Golden Gate Bandshell’s iconic stage with another series of free outdoor concerts in Golden Gate Park. 

The series, Illuminate Live, which kicks off March 1, will bring 100+ free concerts to the GGP Music Concourse in 2023. The lineup of performers returning to the stage is diverse and local as it was in its first two seasons—the 2023 concerts will feature R&B, soul, jazz, funk, big band musicians, string ensembles, indie and psychedelic rock bands, and many diverse singer-songwriters. In addition, the series will include reggae, salsa, and some EDM and electronic music. 

In honor of International Women’s Day March 8, all concerts throughout March will feature women or women-fronted bands. The series begins March 1 with “Market to Bandshell” featuring three female singer-songwriters: Common De Nomi, Frances Ancheta Becker and Nikki Nash. Friday, March 3 features R&B and soul with Nate' SoulSanger, and Saturday, March 4 from noon to 4 p.m. it’s Women of the World Day - a Musical Journey showcasing female artists Ants, Monica Maria, and Free Press Music. Sunday, March 5 will present up-and-coming reggae artist Estrella and her band alongside house DJs Irie Dole and DJ Guid8nce for Crucial Reggae Sundays’ 2023 kick-off.

The free, all-ages concerts will run through mid-November of 2023, and echo the past two seasons schedule with Singer-Songwriter/Folk/Rock Wednesday; Jazz, Soul, R&B and Funk Friday Happy Hours; Cultural and Community performances on Saturdays; and Reggae Sundays, as well as many special events, including a special performance for St. Patrick’s Day on March 17 with celebrated Bay Area artist Shana Morrison and her band Caledonia performing two sets from 4:30 to 7 pm.

The free concert series was originally launched as part of Golden Gate Park’s 150^th anniversary in 2020, a yearlong celebration put on by the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department and the San Francisco Parks Alliance. While the series kickoff was delayed by the pandemic, the Golden Gate Bandshell was upgraded with a new stage, built-in theatrical lighting and state-of-the-art Meyer sound system. The Golden Gate Bandshell has since hosted nearly 200 free shows.

The 122-year-old Golden Gate Bandshell is the oldest structure in Golden Gate Park’s Music Concourse, an open-air plaza built for the California Midwinter International Exposition of 1894. Also called the Spreckels Temple of Music, the Bandshell was a gift to San Franciscans from sugar magnate Claus Spreckels. 

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To learn more about how you can support free programming at the bandshell from SF Parks Alliance and Illuminate please click here.