By Thomas K. Pendergast
Another Planet Entertainment (APE) is working to expand its presence in Golden Gate Park next summer.
A resolution to extend APE’s contract with the Recreation & Parks Department for three more years, with an option of extending it out further to 2035, was approved by the Budget and Appropriations Committee in June and will go before the full Board on July 14.
If passed, APE may be allowed to host a concert series at the polo field in Golden Gate Park on the last weekend of July 2027 – directly in between the weekends of the San Francisco Marathon and Outside Lands Music Festival (OSL).
The resolution authorizes the department to issue a permit allowing APE to hold concerts at the polo field “on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday either following or preceding the Outside Lands Festivals … in exchange for a minimum permit fee of $1,530,000 per year for two-day events and $2,295,000 per year for three-day events through 2029, with options to extend the permit until 2035.”
Up until now, the polo field concerts have been a one-day event the weekend following Outside Lands, however, last year the addition of the Dead & Company three-day concert, during the weekend between the marathon and Outside Lands, shows insight for how this change might impact west side residents.
“Another Planet can opt to (hold the event on the weekend before or after Outside Lands) which provides more flexibility while keeping some of the efficiencies,” said Hank Heckel of the department at the committee meeting. “The events are really feasible because they occur close in time, which reduces costs and park impacts. It allows the reuse of significant infrastructure, such as the polo field stage itself, which would remain on site for Outside Lands.”
The Department has concluded that whether the concert is held the weekend prior to or after the OSL Festival is “immaterial” because APE “will explicitly have the option to in order to provide flexibility in determining a weekend that works best for the parties and the community at large.”
Some local residents are concerned about the impact to the communities living on either side of the park, like the Planning Association for the Richmond (PAR).
In a letter to the department, Jean Barish of PAR noted that the marathon route includes 26th and 27th avenues in the Richmond District, between El Camino del Mar and Fulton Street, “essentially cutting off the western half of the Richmond west of 27th Avenue for a good part of Sunday. If the second APE concert is scheduled on the weekend between the SF Marathon and Outside Lands, Richmond District residents would be unfairly impacted for three consecutive weekends. These concerts are a big inconvenience to the residents of Richmond. Scheduling the second concert after Outside Lands – instead of between the marathon and Outside Lands – would be much less disruptive to the residents of the Richmond District.”
Four policy adjustments were requested by PAR to help lessen the impact: keep Chain of Lakes Drive open for both weekends as well as the Middle Lake parking lot, vigilantly monitor illegal parking, post SFPD officers along Fulton Street and Lincoln Way to control traffic for safer driving and create a plan to reduce cars coming into the Richmond and Sunset Districts, including more shuttle buses from other parts of the City and the Bay Area.
There is, however, a huge financial incentive to hold these concerts, both for the department and small business owners.
The department says the combined permit fees to the City for the polo field concerts from both 2024 and 2025 totaled $2.84 million.
A recent report by the Bay Area Council Economic Institute found that the concerts in Golden Gate Park last summer alone – which included Outside Lands as well as the Dead & Company shows, in addition to the Zach Bryan concert – generated $245 million in economic benefits to the Bay Area. $37.8 million of that came from the Bryan’s polo field concert alone.
Perhaps the biggest supporters of the contract extension are some of the small business owners.
“These events are more than just entertainment. They are an important economic driver for small businesses like ours,” Binita Pradhan, owner of Bini’s Kitchen, which offers Nepalis cuisine, told the committee. “These events bring thousands of visitors into our City. The revenues earned during these weekends help sustain us through the months when sales decline significantly.
“Continue these music events at the polo field,” she continued. “They bring visitors, create jobs, generate revenue and help small businesses like ours remain open and continue serving our communities.”
MaryMar Keenan, a small business owner and resident of the Outer Richmond, also told the committee she supported the contract extension.
“San Francisco has long been known as a city of music creativity and innovation. Another Planet helps keep San Francisco a destination for world-class arts and entertainment, bringing tens of thousands of visitors into SF, who spend money at local businesses,” Keenan said. “Having lived in the Outer Richmond for over 20 years, I personally believe that the Outer Sunset and Outer Richmond business districts have been economically increased dramatically and actually put on a map due to all the concert events in Golden Gate Park.
“San Francisco doesn’t succeed by becoming quieter or less creative. We succeed when we embrace the arts, support local businesses, welcome visitors and create memorable experiences for the residents,” she said. “These events and the proposed extended events in the polo fields are not just concerts, they’re economic engines, cultural assets and a reflection of what makes San Francisco special.”
Another Outer Richmond resident, Sasha Diedrich, mentioned the benefit to local schools, which in recent years have started renting out blacktop and parking spaces during these concerts.
“It’s been a boom, really, to a lot of the schools in the district to be able to provide the parking opportunities that have helped us to raise thousands of dollars that we would not otherwise be able to raise,” she said.
The resolution will go before the Board of Supervisors on July 14.
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‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source richmondsunsetnews.com ’
