Dance music boomed as confused businessmen wandered by. A girl emerged from the crowd to check her hair in the black window of a vacant storefront. Honest-to-God rave kids rocked sunglasses after dark. Tourists grooved. The zero block of Ellis Street was unrecognizable Thursday night.
The pop-up event, just a block from the Powell Street BART, was both a Portola Music Festival pre-party and the first installment of Third Thursdays on Ellis, a city program cosponsored by John’s Grill. Irish singer Jazzy spun electronic bops for an all-ages crowd till after 10. A solid chunk of the audience seemed to have just wandered in.
“We just arrived in San Francisco today,” said Jesús Valdez, a tourist from Mexico City who was dancing on the sidewalk with his wife and kids. “We heard them setting up earlier, so we came by to see. We like electronic music.”
Lily and Stephanie were ambling past the crowd, boba teas in hand, looking slightly bewildered. Lily wore a backpack holding two tennis rackets.
After looking around for a minute, she delivered her assessment: “Honestly, it’s cool.” Both women said they’d consider coming to the next event in October.
Attendees sported Zoomer perms, a rose-print suit jacket paired with silk pants, shiny skirts, gauzy skirts, corset tops, shades of all descriptions, and at least one set of blue lips. The Gen Z normie uniform — Adidas Sambas, jeans, a leather jacket, and a baseball cap — abounded. In the gated VIP area in the street in front of John’s Grill, there were more suits, sweaters, and vests, but still a mix of ages.
John Konstin Jr., who co-owns the restaurant with his dad and helped organize the event, was elated. Wearing a custom San Francisco Giants jersey with “John’s Grill, 1908" on the back, he said he’d been trying to figure out how to throw a concert on Ellis for years. For the last three or four months, he said, he’s been putting Third Thursdays on Ellis together with the city. (John’s Grill has sponsored an Election Day block party for years.)
Mayor Daniel Lurie’s recently announced Heart of the City initiative identifies entertainment zones and public space “activations” like this one as key to bringing people back downtown. Konstin said he is a big fan of Lurie and his approach.
“The restaurant is packed to the brim,” he said. “Everything is amazing right now.”
While he spoke, spotlights from the stage danced on the historic Flood Building. Ravers raged at the front of the crowd. But somehow, a baby in a Burger King crown managed to get some shut-eye while strapped to his father’s chest.
Amy Heng, who runs marketing for AI security start-up Straiker, said she wasn’t planning to attend but happened to pass it on her way to an electronic show at The Warfield.
“I don’t think it was as well-advertised as First Thursdays,” said Heng, 32. “First Thursdays is usually shoulder-to-shoulder. But I like that it’s a little airier.”
Nearby, Kourosh Esfandiari sold his artworks. He had not been invited to pop up at the event, but his enterprising spirit matched the small-business-friendly ethos of downtown recovery.
Esfandiari said for two weeks, he’s been asking ChatGPT each morning where he should try to sell his pen-and-ink drawings at night. On Thursday, it suggested the Ellis Street block party.
“I think it’s great that the city is doing this,” said Esfandiari, who commuted from San Ramon for the event.
He said each of his drawings has a story. Pointing to a cartoon bear smoking a huge joint, he explained that it represented a hero’s journey of alienation, self-discovery, and acceptance of death. The drum beat pounded, and two huge inflatable mushrooms stood guard in the middle of the street. Esfandiari was still talking.
“He went outside of himself to find the answer, but it was in him the whole time,” he said. “It’s called Smokey the Bear.”
