Yerba Buena Gardens Festival In San Francisco Announces Programming

From May 4 to October 27, 2019, the Yerba Buena Gardens Festival will present over 100 free music, theater, circus, dance, poetry, and children's programs with artists from the Bay Area and around the world.

Yerba Buena Gardens is a world-renowned cultural destination for Bay Area residents, families, workers, and tourists alike and is located between Mission Street and Howard Street and 3rd and 4th Streets in downtown San Francisco. For more information, visit www.ybgfestival.org or call 415-543-1718.

The Festival begins on Saturday, May 4 at 1:00pm with Tribute to Charlie Palmier by The Uprising All-Stars led by music director Jimmy Bosch, the definitive salsa trombonist of his generation. Charlie Palmieri, the older brother of Latin music legend Eddie Palmieri, was a progressive force on the New York Latin music scene from the moment he joined Tito Puente's band at the Copacabana in 1947 until his death at the age of 60 in 1988. Featuring the Uprising All-Stars, the production combines New York's finest purveyors of Latin dance music with world-class Bay Area talent including trombonist Doug Beavers, conguero Little Johnny Rivero, bongo master Karl Perrazo, and vocalist Frankie Vasquez.

The Festival closes with the19th Annual Halloween Hoopla on Sunday, October 27.

Yerba Buena Gardens Festival Executive/Artistic Director Linda Lucero says, "The Yerba Buena Gardens Festival is a summertime of admission-free music, dance, theater, and poetry that represents the vibrantly diverse Bay Area arts community and audiences.The outdoor gardens are perfect places to witness the magic of the city of San Francisco and of the world in which we live."

The Festival includes the very popular Let's Go Salsa@Jessie! dance series, the family-friendlyChildren's Garden Series,Poetic Tuesdays with Litquake, andThursday Lunchtime Concerts. Each and every week and weekend, the Festival presents a curated lineup of musicians, dancers, poets, and artists from around the world.

Festival Highlights include theRoma Festival featuring Dzambo Agusevi Orchestra from Macedonia on May 18,Circus Bella's "Up in the Air: Relishing the Joy of Uncertainty"on June 21 and 22, Canadian tenor Jeremy Dutcher on June 29,Aireene Espiritu's Tribute to Sugar Pie DeSantoon July 6,Yerba Buena Gardens ChoreoFest on July 13 and 14,Brooklyn Raga Massive featuring Martha Redbone Roots Project on July 20,Ukulenny and Cynthia Lin's SF Uke Jam Summer Uke-Splosion! on July 27,San Francisco Mime Troupeon July 28,Samora Abayomi Pinderhughes on August 17, Jazz Mafia's Brass, Bows and Beats Hip-Hop Symphony on September 14, and La Misa Negraon September 28.

Festival Programs & Series

Let's Go Salsa@Jessie!, the open-air salsa dance party in Jessie Square (near the Contemporary Jewish Museum), takes place on the third Thursday of each month from May to September from 6:00pm - 7:30pm. The series includesCarlitos Medrano & Sabor De Mi Cubaon May 16,Jesús Díaz y Su QBAon June 20,Cabanijazz Projecton August 15, and series favoriteRicardo Lemvo & Makina Locaon September 19.

Children's Garden Series features interactive performances specially designed for kids and families every Friday from June to August in the Yerba Buena Children's Garden at Fourth and Howard Streets. The series presents a return performance by 2018 Grammy-nominatedAlphabet Rockerson July 26. Other performers include M?healani Uchiyama,Dholrhythms Dance Company,Circus Bella,Unique Derique,Duniya Dance & Drum,Caterpillar Puppets,Chelle! & Friends,Pi Clowns, andRed Panda Acrobats.The series ends with the wildly popular19th Annual Halloween Hoopla on Sunday, October 27.

Thursday Lunchtime Concert Series takes place most Thursdays from 12:30pm to 1:30pm and is a favorite destination of downtown workers, shoppers, tourists, and students. This year features the very best of local and international musicians includingoghosthazeon May 9,Community Music Center Older Adult Choirson May 16,Afro-Cuban Ensemble of SFSU on May 23,Sandy Cressman's Homenagem Brasileiraon May 30,The Onyxon June 6,Latin Jazz Youth Ensembleon June 13,Marcus Shelby Quarteton June 20,Edgar Pantoja & the Afro-Cuban Tribeon June 27,Sueñoson July 11,Murasaki Ensembleon July 25,LINES Dance Centeron August 8,Kim So Ra: A Sign of Rainon August 15, andRob Reich Swings Lefton August 22.

The Yerba Buena Gardens Festival proudly hosts annual cultural celebrations: the22nd Native Contemporary Arts Festivalon June 16, the19th Annual AfroSolo in the Gardenson August 3, the26th Annual Pistahanon August 10 and 11, andBrazil in the Gardens featuring Fabiana Cozzaon August 18.

Yerba Buena Gardens Festival presentsPoetic Tuesdays on the second Tuesday of each month. Guest curated by Litquake, Poetic Tuesdays run from 12:30pm-1:30pm and feature an array of poets and music.The first event is Tuesday, May 14.

The Festival also presents three performances of a new one-ring circus fromCircus Bellaon Friday, June 21 and Saturday, June 22. Conceived and directed by Abigail Munn and Joel Baker for Circus Bella,the new show"Up in the Air: Relishing the Joy of Uncertainty"includes static trapeze, rope walking, juggling, contortion, unicycle, original clowning, acrobatics, and more. Circus Bella is partnering with Prescott Circus Theatre, a youth development and performing arts program based in West Oakland as a pre-show and opening act.

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