Stern Grove Festival is rolling into its 89th summer with another run of free Sunday concerts under the eucalyptus trees, kicking off June 14 with an opener from San Francisco artist Marinero and a headlining set by Peter Cat Recording Co. The series runs on Sundays through August and builds to a Big Picnic closing weekend that lands Public Enemy and Al Green on the Sigmund Stern Grove stage on back-to-back nights, mixing national legends with buzzy indie acts and hometown favorites.
Lineup and dates
The season starts Sunday, June 14 with Peter Cat Recording Co. topping the bill and Marinero setting the tone early, then continues most Sundays through mid-August. The full lineup, including weekly dates and the opening windows for each ticket lottery, is posted on the festival's official site, according to Stern Grove Festival.
Big Picnic closers and the crowd
The Big Picnic finale weekend is stacked: Public Enemy takes over on Aug. 15, followed by Al Green on Aug. 16, with the GLIDE Ensemble and Oakland R&B singer Goapele on support duty. The grove typically draws around 10,000 people each week, which makes those closing shows some of the toughest tickets of the season, according to KQED.
Other season highlights
The rest of the schedule leans hard into variety. Highlights include Bomba Estéreo on June 21, Japanese Breakfast on June 28, Major Lazer with Fijiana on July 5, Charley Crockett with Nicki Bluhm on July 19, Suki Waterhouse on July 26, Violent Femmes with Tune-Yards on Aug. 2, and Patti LaBelle with Destani Wolf on Aug. 9. All dates and pairings are listed on the lineup page, according to Stern Grove Festival.
How to get free tickets
Admission is free, but you still need to score a ticket. General-admission passes are handed out via lottery that opens roughly six weeks before each show and stays live for about a week. Fans can request up to four tickets, and winners get an email and a deadline to claim them, according to reporting by KQED.
Other ways in and what to expect
If the lottery does not go your way, there are still a few angles. Stern Grove offers community box office tickets the day before certain shows, volunteer shifts that come with entry, and various partner giveaways. Coverage of last year's ticketing shakeup noted that the lottery replaced a frantic first-come online rush and added those in-person and volunteer options to spread access more evenly, according to SFGATE.
With a season that threads Public Enemy, Al Green and a deep bench of current favorites, Stern Grove remains one of San Francisco's defining summer rituals: free music, crowded blankets and a big communal picnic vibe in the trees. For exact lottery windows, volunteer sign-ups and table reservations, check the festival's official information.
