After launching its 81st season on Father's Day, the Stern Grove Festival is down to its last four performances.
Each week's free concert starts at 2 p.m., but arrive early for other attractions in the grove's West Meadow, including food trucks, a recurring picnic contest with prizes from Anchor Brewing, and a free yoga class at noon.
July 29: San Francisco Ballet
On stage this Sunday, the San Francisco Ballet will perform multiple selections, but other activities around the grove will give attendees opportunities to explore the world of dance and interact with performers.
At noon, choreographer Justin Peck will offer an artist talk in the Trocadero Clubhouse; tomorrow and on Friday, kids can register for KidStage workshops with San Francisco Ballet dance educators from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
August 5: Femi Kuti and The Positive Force
The following Sunday, the trees in Stern Grove will sway to the sounds of Femi Kuti, a Nigerian artist who continues to embody Afrobeat, the musical genre created by his father, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti.
Described as "a blend of traditional Nigerian drum patterns, the smooth groove of highlife and American soul, funk and R&B," Kuti performs with his band, The Positive Force, and Oakland ensemble Sol Development.
August 12: Ronnie Spector and the Ronettes
Ronnie Spector rose to fame in the 1960s as one of the decade's iconic voices, recording chart-topping hits like "Be My Baby" with then-husband Phil Spector, the noted producer.
In the decades since, she's had a distinguished solo career, recorded with some of the biggest names in the industry, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with her backup singers, the Ronettes. Spector will share the stage with eight-piece Bay Area funk collective The Humidors.
August 19: The Revolution
Formerly the band that supported one of the world's most popular musicians, The Revolution will close out Stern Grove's summer season on August 19.
Prince and The Revolusion band broke up in the 1980s, but after the artist's death in 2016, the band "reunited to honor his musical genius... by playing the music they helped create with him."
