Summer in The City: San Francisco's Free Concert and Film Series

By Editorial Staff, 

Summertime and the livin' is easy - and thanks to a dozen al fresco concert and film series in San Francisco, it's free. Good news for all when gasoline is creeping toward $5 per gallon. So stretch that dollar as far as it will go and enjoy some good times along the way.

From now until early October visitors to San Francisco can listen to the San Francisco Symphony, hum along to a libretto with the San Francisco Opera, Lindy Hop through Union Square, watch classic San Francisco movies under the stars or glide along to a jazz classic - all for free.

Visitors are encouraged to walk, bike or take public transit to all events. For regional transit information, telephone 510-893-8729, call 511 within the nine San Francisco Bay Area counties or visit www.511.org. For information on public transit within San Francisco, telephone 311or visit www.sfmta.org.

There are more than 300 free concerts and film screenings. Among them are:

Del Monte Square Film Festival - This August watch free movies made in and about San Francisco through the decades. Films will be screened Sunday evenings, Aug. 3-24, under the stars in the courtyard of The Cannery at Del Monte Square, 2801 Leavenworth St. Open seating begins at 7:30 p.m. and show time is 8 p.m. Hot beverages, dessert treats and more will be available for purchase from The Cannery's restaurants, cafes and ice cream parlor. If the weather is inclement, movie night will be postponed. For more information, telephone 415-771-3112 or visit www.delmontesquare.com.

Film Night in the Park - Park perks in San Francisco include fresh-air flicks. Every summer Film Night in the Park draws more than 15,000 filmgoers to parks throughout San Francisco. Films are presented free of charge on a giant outdoor screen. Attendees are encouraged to picnic before screenings and discouraged from blocking views with chairs. All screenings begin at dusk. This year's flick picks run through Oct. 4 and include All About Eve, Union Square (June 28); The Breakfast Club, Dolores Park (July 26); Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid, Union Square (Aug. 9); Il Postino, Washington Square Park (Sept. 6); O Brother, Where Art Thou, Dolores Park (Sept. 20); Vertigo, Union Square (Oct. 4). Full details are posted on www.sfneighborhoodtheater.org or telephone 415-465-FILM (3456).

Golden Gate Park Band - Regular band concerts began in Golden Gate Park in 1882. The Golden Gate Park Band performs every Sunday and the occasional holiday at 1 p.m. in the Spreckles Temple of Music, Music Concourse, Golden Gate Park. History comes alive at the many performances that feature music from specific nationalities and cultures; on these occasions there are dancers, singers, speakers, etc. in attendance who "enlighten and entertain," according to the band's Web site. The grand finale on Oct. 12 is an all-request concert. For information telephone 510-530-0814 or visit www.goldengateparkband.org.

Jewels in the Square - Jewels in the Square presents entertainment on the main stage of Union Square ranging from Diego's Umbrella, the "original Spanish Surf Mexican Gypsy Pirate Pop Band" to Moonalice, a band of seasoned players that includes G.E. Smith, Barry Sless, Pete Sears, Ann and Roger McNamee and Jim Sanchez. The Swing Dancers return for Lindy in the Square from 6-8 pm on June 25, July 23, Aug. 27 and Sept. 24. New this year is the Picklewater Free Circus Festival on the first Sunday of every month showcasing diverse performances from the best circus arts performers in the Bay Area. The season ends Oct. 31 with the second annual Halloween ShadowLight Productions show, which combines the mystery of shadows with the scale of film and the immediacy of a live performance. For performance times and more information visit www.unionsquarepark.us.

People in Plazas - The 31st season of People in Plazas is just like all the other seasons: delightful. The perfect pick-me-up at lunchtime, the series presents 100 free concerts featuring all local performers, July 1-Sept. 1, 2008. Locations are in 12 downtown plazas on or near San Francisco's main stem, Market Street: 101 California St.; 303 Second St.; 333 Market St.; 425 Market St.; 525 Market St.; Boeddeker Park (Jones and Eddy streets); Crocker Galleria, 50 Post St.; Two Embarcadero Center; One Bush Plaza; 50 Fremont St.; Mint Plaza (Jessie Street off Fifth Street between Market and Mission), and Union Square. Performances begin at noon except for Union Square which start at 12:30 pm. For a complete schedule visit www.peopleinplazas.org.

San Francisco Mime Troupe (SFMT) - That's mime as in "the exaggeration of everyday life in story and song." This group has a lot to say and they've been doing so since 1959. Winners of a special Tony Award in 1987 for Excellence in Regional Theater, the San Francisco Mime Troupe specializes in shows that "debunk the official story." SFMT's new play, "Red State," posits that perhaps one little town in America, due to an Electoral College tie, could decide the outcome of the presidential election. Suddenly the citizens of Bluebird, KS are being pressured to vote the "right way." Shows begin on July 4 in San Francisco and travel to parks (and a few indoor locations) all over the Bay Area, Central Valley, Santa Cruz and as far north as Ft. Bragg until Sept. 28; most performances are free. For information and show locations, telephone 415-285-1717 or visit www.sfmt.org.

SFJAZZ Summerfest - SFJAZZ's annual series of free outdoor concerts runs through Oct. 8, 2008. The series launches in June at the Stanford Shopping Center in Palo Alto and arrives in San Francisco on July 31. Every Thursday evening in Union Square through Aug. 28 from 6-7:30 p.m. enjoy live jazz and, exclusively on concert evenings, a wine garden. Entertainers range from Linda Tillery and the Cultural Heritage Choir to Le Jazz Hot & Friends. In September and October Levi's Plaza reverberates with jazz riffs and Latin rhythms every Wednesday from noon-1:30 p.m. Among those performing Sept. 3-Oct. 8 are the San Francisco Guitar Quartet, Cory Combs Quintet and the Nice Guys Trio. For performance details and other locations, telephone 415-398-5655 or visit www.sfjazz.org.

Shakespeare in the Park - After a circuit through Bay Area parks in Pleasanton, Cupertino and San Mateo, Shakespeare in the Park will present Pericles Aug. 30-Sept. 21, 2008 on Saturdays at 7:30 pm and Sundays and Labor Day at 2:30 pm at the parade grounds at the Presidio of San Francisco. Shakespeare's grand tale of heroic adventure stars Michael Craig Storm as Pericles and Emily Jordan as his wife, Thaisa. One of the major free Shakespeare programs in the U.S., Free Shakespeare in the Park began in 1983 and is in its 26th season. For information telephone 415-558-0888 or 800-978-PLAY (7529) outside 415 area code or visit www.sfshakes.org.

Stern Grove Festival - Humming, thrumming, even hip-hopping along in its 71st season of world-class, admission-free outdoor performances, the Stern Grove Festival is a beloved San Francisco tradition that began in 1938. From June 15-Aug. 17 for 10 consecutive Sundays at 2 p.m., a wide range of artists including the San Francisco Symphony (June 29) and San Francisco Opera (Aug. 17) will perform. The season opens on June 15 with an afternoon of soul featuring Bay Area R&B icon Booker T. Jones and Detroit's "Great Lady of Soul" Bettye LaVette. Also appearing this season are New Orleans legend and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Allen Toussaint (July 6) and Alonzo King's Lines Ballet featuring Pharoah Sanders (July 20). Weekday Kids' Days program at various locations throughout the Bay Area invite children to explore music and more; registration is required for these admission free programs. Hands-on art programs also precede every concert in the KidStage in the West Meadow from noon-1 p.m. Informative pre-concert "Troc Talks" begin at noon in the Grove's Trocadero Clubhouse. For the complete schedule telephone 415-252-6252 or visit www.sterngrove.org.

Woman's Will - This all-female Shakespeare company often turns the tables on the male-only casts of Shakespeare's time with their versions of the Bard's best. This season they do Bertolt Brecht's The Good Person of Szechuan. Although most of their performances are in the East Bay beginning July 12, Woman's Will does schedule several performances in San Francisco's Dolores Park Aug. 9-10 and Aug. 17 and Yerba Buena Gardens on Aug. 15-16. In the fall they will produce Macbeth, Oct. 16-Nov. 23. For additional locations and times, telephone 510-420-0813 or visit www.womanswill.org.

Yerba Buena Gardens Festival - A splendid array of 100 events unfolds from May 3-Oct. 26 in Yerba Buena Gardens, Fourth and Mission streets. Opera, performance art, international music concerts, dance performances, children's programs, theatre, visual arts, puppet shows, cultural festivals, special events, classical and jazz concerts - hardly a day passes without something scheduled. This hothouse of culture also includes the San Francisco Theater Festival (www.sftheaterfestival.org) July 27; 100 professional theater groups perform on 14 stages 11 am to 5 pm and there is also a special children's theater festival throughout the day. For information, telephone 415-543-1718 or visit www.ybgf.org.

Quick Picks - Note that the San Francisco Symphony performs at 2 p.m. in Stern Grove Sunday, June 29; at 2 p.m. at Dolores Park July 20 and at noon in Justin Herman Plaza Oct. 3. On June 20, the San Francisco Opera and San Francisco Giants will bring opera to AT&T Park at 8 p.m. with a live simulcast of Donizetti's bel canto masterpiece Lucia di Lammermoor. Nearly 15,000 music lovers turned out last year for the first Opera at the Ballpark event. Fans must have a ticket to enter the ballpark. Specific information on ticketing is posted on www.sfopera.com. The San Francisco Opera performs at the annual San Francisco LGBT Pride Celebration and Parade on the main stage, June 28 at 12:45 p.m.; at Stern Grove Aug. 17, and in Sharon Meadow, Golden Gate Park Sept. 7 at 1:30 p.m. The annual San Francisco Chronicle Presents San Francisco Opera in the Park concert will feature artists from the 2008-09 season as well as members of the San Francisco Opera Orchestra. Other free events include the annual Merola in the Gardens July 6, featuring singers from the Merola Opera Program at Yerba Buena Gardens.

Because of weekend road closures to enhance pedestrian and bicycle safety in certain areas of Golden Gate Park, tram vehicles are available to individuals with special needs from the Recreation and Park Department's designated ADA parking areas. Look for distinctive "Tram Stop" signs along the route. Identified with signs indicating "Accessible Service to the Park for Seniors & People with Disabilities," the free trams run approximately every 20 minutes. More information on routes and stops is posted at http://www.sfgov.org/site/recpark_page.asp?id=78495.

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