A recently announced proposal from Mayor London Breed’s office should come as good news to local live music fans. If approved, the plan will bring two or three more days of music to Golden Gate Park next year, in the wake of the annual Outside Lands Music & Art Festival.
Next Thursday, May 18, San Francisco Recreation and Park commissioners will vote on whether to recommend the proposal, which would permit Another Planet Entertainment—the promotion outfit behind Outside Lands and many other local concerts and events—to hold a series of headliner-driven, ticketed concerts at the Golden Gate Park Polo Fields the weekend after Outside Lands.
The permit would give Another Planet the right to hold these post-Outside Lands concerts for three years, beginning in 2024.
“I’m excited to explore this new opportunity for live music in Golden Gate Park,” Breed said in a statement. “Music has been a vital part of the park's history, from the Summer of Love to the annual Hardly Strictly Bluegrass and Outside Lands festivals of today. These kinds of events bring excitement to our City, show off the beauty of our parks, and help support our local economy.”
The proposed concert series would draw a slightly smaller crowd, according to a press release from the mayor’s office—65,000 per day, as opposed to the 75,000 per day that attend Outside Lands—and would help bring money into the city. San Francisco is currently facing a two-year budget deficit of $780 million.
Should the plan ultimately be approved, it would be a win for Another Planet Entertainment, as it would give the Bay Area-born and Berkeley-based concert promoters the opportunity to take advantage of some of the infrastructure it installs for Outside Lands.
Another Planet Entertainment has been steadily increasing its footprint in the Bay Area and beyond in recent years. The company now manages the entertainment calendars at the Fox Theater in Oakland, the Greek Theatre in Berkeley, The Independent and the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco—along with the Lake Tahoe Outdoor Arena at Harveys casino in Stateline, Nevada, and the Oxbow RiverStage in Napa.
Despite its success, Another Planet also has had its share of headaches. A vocal group of local film enthusiasts has put up a fight against Another Planet Entertainment’s plans for the Castro Theatre, which it now manages.