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Photos: Deadheads jam out in San Francisco for Jerry Day

This year’s lineup included Melvin Seals and JGB, Stu Allen & Mars Hotel and Grahame Lesh, among other bands. 

A woman with long curly hair smiles brightly and spreads her arms cheerfully in an outdoor setting. She wears a long, patterned dress with bell sleeves. Others are visible in the background.
Summer Rose, 50, drove up from Santa Cruz to dance the hours away at Jerry Day. | Source: Irene Chen for The Standard
By The Standard Staff

The Grateful Dead may trace its origins to the Haight-Ashbury district, but its lead songwriter and guitarist, Jerry Garcia, was born and raised in the Excelsior.

And for more than two decades now, the historically working-class neighborhood in a southeastern pocket of San Francisco has celebrated the group’s late frontman at an eponymous festival in an eponymous venue at McLaren Park.

The 22nd annual Jerry Day on Saturday drew hundreds of people to the Jerry Garcia Amphitheater, where they danced and picnicked in a tree-lined grove while jamming out to hours of live music.

This year’s lineup included Melvin Seals and JGB, Stu Allen & Mars Hotel and Grahame Lesh, among other bands.

Attendees drove from all over the Bay Area — and beyond — to enjoy a sunny day of dancing, picnicking and day-drinking in the tree-lined grove. And many, if not most, wore tie-dye, scarves and jewelry reminiscent of the era that birthed the Grateful Dead.

Here’s a look at some of the sights and the celebrants that caught our photographer’s eye.

Two children sit on a tree branch above a crowd at an outdoor event, with people in colorful clothing seated on the grass and tents visible in the background.
Children clambered up a tree to get a better view of the stage. | Source: Irene Chen for The Standard
A diverse group of people in colorful clothing is seated on a grassy hillside, attending an outdoor concert under a sunny sky.
Festivalgoers picnicked on the grass to a soundtrack performed by Melvin Seals and JGB, Stu Allen & Mars Hotel and Grahame Lesh, among other bands. | Source: Irene Chen for The Standard
Three people are smiling and posing together under tree branches. They are dressed in colorful, eclectic clothing, and other people are gathered in the background.
Scarlett, from left, Starlight and Matthew decked themselves out in their flower-child finest. | Source: Irene Chen for The Standard
The image shows an outdoor concert with a crowded audience. The stage has colorful backdrops, and some musicians are performing. Tall trees and clear skies are in the background.
The audience grooved to an hours-long jam sesh under sunny skies for the 22nd iteration of the festival. | Source: Irene Chen for The Standard
A person wearing a tie-dye "Ain't Necessarily Dead" shirt and bucket hat raises pinwheels in a crowded outdoor event adorned with colorful banners.
The crowd was awash in tie-dye and Grateful Dead-themed T-shirts. | Source: Irene Chen for The Standard
Colorful decorated masks hang from branches of a leafy bush, with sunlight filtering through the foliage, creating a whimsical outdoor setting.
Colorful masks adorned the tree-lined grove where the concert took place. | Source: Irene Chen for The Standard
A woman with curly hair and sunglasses holds a young child with face paint in front of a large tree, both are smiling and dressed in casual, colorful clothing.
A mother and daughter from Santa Rosa soak up the sun at the outdoor amphitheater. | Source: Irene Chen for The Standard
A smiling woman and man sit on a blanket in a grassy area with a happy, panting dog on the man’s lap. People and blankets are visible in the background.
A smiling woman and man sit on a blanket in a grassy area with a happy, panting dog on the man’s lap. People and blankets are visible in the background.
Leilani, 26, and Pete, 24, enjoy the music with their dog Nala. | Source: Irene Chen for The Standard
A person with long gray hair, wearing sunglasses and a headband, dancing among a large, seated crowd outdoors. The crowd is dense and the background is leafy.
People donned scarves, headbands and jewelry reminiscent of the era that birthed the Grateful Dead. | Source: Irene Chen for The Standard

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CultureFestivalsGrateful DeadJerry GarciaMcLaren ParkNews