Stern Grove Festival, a FREE outdoor concert series featuring a wide variety of genres, has officially announced its 2023 summer concert lineup from June 18-Aug. 20. The concerts will happen every Sunday at 2pm in SF’s Stern Grove. This beloved event is the oldest outdoor music festival in the Bay Area and its 86th season is going to be a banger.
Free tickets are released on a first-come, first-served basis one month before the event. If you miss the first release, keep checking back leading up to the event as the festival releases limited amounts of additional tickets up until the show day.
Here’s the lineup for Stern Grove Festival 2023:
- June 18: Snarky Puppy, Isaiah Sharkey (Reservations open May 18 at 2pm)
- June 25: Indigo Girls (with Full Band), Neko Case (Reservations open May 25 at 2pm)
- July 2: Santigold, Ogi (Reservations open June 2 at 2pm)
- July 9: Lyle Lovett and His Large Band, Andrew St. James (Reservations open June 9 at 2pm)
- July 16: Angelique Kidjo, Jupiter & Okwess (Reservations open June 16 at 2pm)
- July 23: SF Symphony with Special Guest Lettuce (Reservations open June 23 at 2pm)
- July 30: Bob Moses, Neil Frances (Reservations open June 30 at 2pm)
- August 6: Buddy Guy Damn Right Farewell Tour, Eric Gales (Reservations open July 6 at 2pm)
- August 13: Patti Smith, Bob Mould (Reservations open July 13 at 2pm)
- August 20: The Big Picnic Featuring The Flaming Lips, Alan Palomo (Neon Indian DJ Set) (Reservations open July 20 at 2pm)
The 86th season lineup brings an exciting blend of artists and groups for 2023. Events will kick off in June with jazz collective Snarky Puppy and folk rock duo Indigo Girls. July concerts will highlight singer Santigold in support of her new album Spirituals, Grammy-winning country singer Lyle Lovett, Afrobeat/jazz singer Angélique Kidjo, Stern Grove favorite SF Symphony, and electronic DJs Bob Moses. Finally, August will bring Grammy-winning blues guitarist and singer Buddy Guy, punk rocker Patti Smith, and psychedelic rock band The Flaming Lips.
The latter will perform at the festival’s annual Big Picnic fundraiser, which helps to support future local admission-free concerts and arts education programs.
After 8 decades at this beloved venue space, Stern Grove concerts are the stuff of legends. Past headliners have included everyone from Grammy winners to rising stars, including names like Mitski, The Doobie Brothers, Carlos Santana, Pink Martini, Janelle Monae, and more.
After Stern Grove suffered extensive water damage in summer of 2021, the festival was forced to cancel its grand finale event. The grove was damaged once again in the winter storms of this year and continues to undergo ongoing repairs, but the work is not expected to affect festival events.
“Our Grove has been put through the wringer the past few seasons, but I couldn’t be more proud of the resolve and determination our team has shown as our Festival has not only persevered but grown and ultimately thrived in the face of such adversity. Being able to bring back this annual summer reunion with no delays is a cause for real celebration among music lovers across the Bay Area, and we look forward to hosting each of you at what I truly believe will be our best season yet,” said Stern Grove Festival’s Executive Director Bob Fiedler.
Sigmund Stern Recreation Grove, known to locals as Stern Grove, is located at 19th Avenue and Sloat Boulevard in Pine Lake Park.
Featured image: Paige K Parsons / Stern Grove Festival