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.
