After nearly a year of negotiations, Santa Rosa businesses and entertainment groups are taking a page from the successes of other cities to test a long-planned downtown block party dubbed Ross Street Live.
Starting Aug. 14 through Oct. 31, a portion of Ross Street will be closed to traffic for live music and local food, to test a larger effort to improve the downtown area’s walkable options and vibrancy.
It’s an ambitious plan that grew out of the city’s original proposal to block off a portion of Fourth Street, which drew some complaints from local establishments that worried about the impacts on their business. Local business owners and stakeholders say the Ross Street program will be a smaller pilot focused on live entertainment, with bands including The Lost Church, California Theater and the School of Rock performing on different days.
The three-month pilot will close off a section of the block behind The Corner Store Collective to Mendocino Avenue, with a stage, food trucks, cornhole and ping-pong and seating along with public restrooms. Throughout the week different food trucks will park at the block, with live music on Friday and Saturday nights and markets and family activities on Sundays,
Five local businesses, SoCo Market, the city of Santa Rosa and the Downtown Action Organization (DAO) — the nonprofit organization that manages the Downtown Santa Rosa Community Benefit District — lent their efforts to make the program happen.
“We haven’t really done anything of this scale, and it’s really exciting to be bringing together so many of the local organizations that focus on entertainment, and drinking and dining establishments,” said Cadance Hinkle Allison, executive director of the DAO.
Santa Rosa city spokesperson Misti Wood said the pilot program grew out of an activation effort beginning in 2024, when the City Council directed staff to explore opportunities for pedestrian-oriented spaces closed to vehicle traffic to create more business development.
In early 2025, city staff gathered extensive community input including from downtown businesses, a community survey and a City Council study session, looking at success stories with similar programs in cities like San Mateo, San Jose and San Diego. However, following some opposition to testing the idea on Fourth Street, the city in late 2025 shifted to exploring a smaller-scale pilot project on Ross Street. The Downtown Action Organization established an ad hoc committee in November 2025, and reached an agreement with the city on June 4.
Wood said the program will serve “as a test of expanded pedestrian space and community programming in the downtown core, while allowing the city and its partners to gather feedback and assess impacts.”
Backers say the event will create new opportunities for the area. The California Theater’s Argo Thompson said the theater will lead entertainment on Friday nights while The Lost Church will host every fourth Friday. Cooperage Brewing will lead entertainment on Saturdays. Local eateries will also pop up on some nights with food options, such as Galvan’s Eatery.
Josh Walden, owner and general manager of School of Rock Santa Rosa, said the program will encourage student bands to perform, including the new bands The Okay Ultras and 945.
He said Ross Street Live creates more accessibility for live music and community events, and added “I ultimately hope it could lead to a stage downtown in the works, (as) that will really help with community events featuring entertainment.”
Thompson agreed, saying “Entertainment is at the core.”
“It’s wonderful to have some in the budget to pay the musicians, and the ability to showcase different local bands on each weekend and night,” he said. “When we moved in four years ago, we were primarily a theater company and thought comedy was going to take off, but it was clear there were no other music venues downtown. It’s perfect for local bands to cut their teeth.”
Leeanna Ausiello-Kane, whose family co-owns Ausiello’s 5th Street Bar and Grill, said after nearly 26 years in the downtown location, the business supports finding new ways to increase the area’s vibrancy. Ausiello’s will pop up at Ross Street on select weekends and some weekdays with a limited menu, including fried food options and smash burgers, she said.
“I feel like this pilot program could help change the perception of downtown,” Ausiello-Kane said. “We want to get more movement downtown.”
Ryan Woodard of Ryan Woodard Band said the group will open the first night of the program, Aug. 14. He said Ross Street is the ideal location for the pilot as it is within walking distance of different restaurants.
“Establishing a dedicated spot on Ross Street for 13 dates of music is an excellent starting point and a great opportunity for local bands,” Woodard said.
Chris Grantano of the Metallica cover band Immortallica agreed, saying local musicians need more places to play gigs besides bars and brewpubs, which may have limited capacity and inadequate sound systems. He said a “street fair” program offers a free, communal musical experience for all ages, drawing in people who may come for something new to do and stay for the live music.
“One may not care about the live music, or even the market, but would still love to enjoy the vast array of street food,” Grantano said. “Chances are, the electricity of having it all around you will make you want to just be part of it. And then suddenly, local bands that pop up in other venues get the buzz.” His band will play Aug. 15 alongside San Fran Halen and Tribute – The Tenacious D Experience.
Vice Mayor Jeff Okrepkie, who chairs the Economic Development Subcommittee, told The Press Democrat that while there’s no clear timeline for when the city will revisit possible other locations for pedestrianization, the pilot presents a real-life example to draw from.
“You never know until it’s done,” Okrepkie said. “It gives people an opportunity to see what it could look like, and what it could possibly turn into.”
Staff Writer Natalie Hanson reports on business and agriculture for The Press Democrat. She can be reached at [email protected] or at 619-665-5887.
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