Every year, San Francisco’s Botanical Garden welcomes musicians, setting up pianos nestled in the sprawling gardens. Over 10 days, musicians turn the gardens into outdoor concert halls, performing in different locations throughout the gardens. Then, when there are no scheduled performances, the public is invited to play on the pianos. The festival is one of the garden’s most popular events yearly, celebrating 10 years of bringing music to the gardens. The beloved event returned last weekend and is now nearing the end of its 2025 run. Flower Piano will continue through this Sunday, September 21st, at the SF Botanical Garden, so this weekend is your last chance to see the 2025 series.
Many of the performances will be free, as the garden is open to San Francisco residents. Guests can bring blankets and food to picnic in the gardens during the performances, so be sure to bring a blanket and your favorite snacks. The Flower Piano Lounge is an area in the gardens with a bar, lounge seating, food from local vendors, and special headliners during the festival. Lounge tickets typically start at $40 for adults, and you can also buy a weekend pass.
Flower Piano Lounge schedule:
- Friday, September 19
- 5 pm: Los Tangueros del Oeste
- Saturday, September 20
- 1 pm: The Kevin Gerzevitz Trio
- 3 pm: Kash Killion, Killion’s Trillions
- 5 pm: Lavay Smith and the Red Hot Skillet LIckers
- Sunday, September 21
- 1 pm: Alon Nechushtan Trio
- 3 pm: Robert Dehlinger’s Alpha Rhythm Kings
- 5 pm: Kev Choice Chamber Ensemble
The festival has added a new event for this year, with an exciting fashion show on September 20th, inviting people to dress in a Flower Piano-themed outfit and walk a runway to compete for a prize. The whimsical fashion show will take place in the great meadow starting at 2 pm this Saturday. You can also watch a film screening about pianist Doug Goodkin in the Helen Crocker Library of Horticulture at 2 pm on Satruday,
If you would like to play on a garden piano, they are open from 10 am to 6 pm each day of the event. If there isn’t a scheduled performance the pianos are open on a first-come-first-serve basis, and organizers ask that people to limit playing time to 15 minutes.
Remember, while the lounge performances are ticketed, you can still see many wonderful live performances for free if you’re a San Francisco resident. Organizers encourage people to reserve tickets in advance to help them know how many people to expect, but it is not necessary for admittance. The festival ends on September 21.
🌐 Learn more: Flower Piano tickets and more information