SAN FRANCISCO, CA – Illuminate and the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department will present more than 125 free concerts at the historic Golden Gate Bandshell in Golden Gate Park in 2025, starting with women-fronted bands on March 1. The 2025 season will run through mid-November, featuring shows most Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays, and select Saturdays.
Over the past four years, the Bandshell has become a hub for diverse musical genres and legendary performances, including Kronos Quartet's 50th Anniversary, Victor Wooten, Pato Banton, DJs like Doc Martin and Justin Martin, annual events like Surf Fest, Children's Day, and St. Patrick's Day with Shana Morrison, and weekly reggae celebration Crucial Reggae Sundays. In total, more than 600 free shows have been held as part of the series, called Illuminate LIVE, attracting nearly 1 million music lovers to the park’s Music Concourse.
The Bandshell, renovated by Illuminate in 2020 with world-class sound and lighting systems, continues to be the center of independent music in one of America’s premier parks, with over 23 million annual visits.
Season Five of Illuminate’s free music series continues a tradition of rich history at the historic Bandshell. Nestled in Golden Gate Park, the Bandshell stands as a grand neoclassical stage for San Francisco’s public musical life. The structure was a gift from Claus Spreckels, a sugar magnate, to the City in 1900, meant to inspire and elevate civic culture through free outdoor concerts.
The Opening Concert will also feature a tribute to Paul McCartney, a nod to the new exhibit “Paul McCartney Photographs 1963–64: Eyes of the Storm,” which will be on display at San Francisco’s de Young Museum from March 1 through July 6.
Illuminate LIVE 2025 Season Details:
The free, all-ages concerts begin March 1 and continue through mid-November:
- Singer/Songwriter Wednesdays 4 - 7 p.m.
- Friday Happy Hour 4:30 - 7:30 p.m.
- Crucial Reggae Sundays 4:20 - 7:30 p.m.
- Select Saturdays
The free concerts attract more than 250,000 music lovers annually. The entire month of March will honor and feature women or women-fronted musical groups. In total, 14 women-focused shows are planned during the month. The March 1 show is in collaboration with SF Music Week, produced in part by the San Francisco Office of Economic and Workforce Development (OEWD) to celebrate the city’s rich music legacy. A full schedule can be found here and will be updated regularly, including special events.
March 1 Opening Concert Schedule:
Noon to 12:15 p.m. - Welcome Remarks Phil Ginsburg, Rec & Park GM, Kat Anderson, President of the Rec/Park Commission, and Ben Davis, Founder of Illuminate.
12:15 to 1 p.m. - Local Singer Songwriters: A Nod to Sir Paul Stephanie Woodward Duo, Ben Lang and Anna Karney
1 to 2 p.m. - The Free Press Music
2:30 to 3:35 p.m. - Batuki
The full lineup of performers is as diverse and local as it was in its first four seasons. The 2025 concerts will feature R&B, soul, jazz, funk, big bands, string ensembles, punk, indie and psychedelic rock bands, and many singer-songwriters. In addition, the series will include lots of reggae, Latin, and EDM.
The Illuminate LIVE free concert series was initially launched as part of Golden Gate Park’s 150th anniversary in 2020, a yearlong celebration put on by the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department. The Illuminate Live series is funded through private support and grants.
The Golden Gate Bandshell turns 125
- The temple’s Beaux-Arts design, modeled after European bandstands and complete with soaring Corinthian columns and an arched proscenium, reflects the elegance of the era. It was one of the many architectural gems that emerged in the early 20th century as San Francisco sought to position itself as a cultural capital.
- On September 9, 1900, the Spreckels Temple of Music hosted its grand opening concert, featuring none other than John Philip Sousa and his band. The legendary composer, known as the “March King,” led a rousing program of patriotic and classical selections, setting the tone for the decades of performances to come. The inaugural event drew thousands of San Franciscans, cementing the bandshell as a vital public gathering space.
- Through the years, the temple has survived earthquakes, changing musical tastes, and even periods of neglect, only to be revived time and again. It has hosted everything from military bands to jazz ensembles, symphonies, and civic celebrations. The Golden Gate Bandshell continues to be a vital cultural hub, carrying on its legacy of bringing free music to the people.
About the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department
The San Francisco Recreation and Park Department currently manages more than 235 parks, playgrounds, and open spaces throughout San Francisco, including two outside city limits—Sharp Park in Pacifica and Camp Mather in the High Sierras. The system includes full-complex recreation centers, swimming pools, golf courses, sports fields, and numerous small-to-medium-sized clubhouses that offer a variety of sports- and arts-related recreation programs for people of all ages. Included in the Department’s responsibilities are Golden Gate Park, Coit Tower, the Marina Yacht Harbor, the San Francisco Zoo, and Lake Merced. In 2017, San Francisco became the first city in the nation where all residents have access to a park within a 10-minute walk, a direct result of the Department’s commitment to increasing and improving parkland in the city.
About Illuminate
Illuminate’s mission is to rally large groups of people together to create impossible works of public art that, through awe, free humanity’s better nature. The San Francisco-based nonprofit’s large-scale and radically accessible installations are experienced by more than 20 million people annually. Iconic works include The Bay Lights on the Bay Bridge, Photosynthesis on the Conservatory of Flowers, Grace Light in Grace Cathedral, Hope Will Never Be Silent in the Castro, Monumental Reckoning in Golden Gate Park, and the revival of the Golden Gate Bandshell. In 2021, Illuminate and partner Steffen Franz began producing free live music events that now exceed 400 performances annually at venues throughout the city. In 2022, Illuminate created a new immersive and whimsical art experience “The Golden Mile,” a former busy street turned promenade that runs through San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. In 2023, Illuminate, in partnership with Nu-Salt Laser, began a series of temporary large-scale art activations using laser space cannons on some of San Francisco's most iconic landmarks, including Coit Tower, Sutro Tower, Grace Cathedral, and Market Street. In 2024, Illuminate began an inspirational and transformative series of art installations and live music at Fulton Plaza. After a successful $11M fundraising effort, Illuminate expects to officially return The Bay Lights to the San Francisco waterfront in the fall of 2025. For more information, visit Illuminate.org.