San Francisco’s summer music festival season concluded in August with a series of high-profile concerts that collectively contributed an estimated $150 million to the city’s economy. The lineup included performances by Dead & Company, the Outside Lands Music Festival, singer Zach Bryan, and a finale by Diana Ross as part of the long-running Stern Grove Festival. n nMayor Daniel Lurie highlighted the economic significance of the events, noting that they spanned 15 nights and featured seven major shows. In a social media post, he emphasized the boost to local businesses and expressed pride in the city’s ability to host large gatherings successfully. Hotel occupancy during the Dead & Company weekend reached 91%, according to Lurie, reflecting strong visitor turnout. n nAttendance figures underscore the scale of the events: 180,000 people attended the Dead & Company concert, followed by 225,000 at Outside Lands in Golden Gate Park, and 55,000 for Zach Bryan’s performance. A significant portion of attendees came from within a 50-mile radius, suggesting strong regional draw despite a recent dip in international tourism. n nAlex Bastian, president and CEO of the Hotel Council of San Francisco, confirmed that many hotels operated near full capacity during the festival period. He supported the city’s strategy of leveraging cultural events to stimulate economic recovery. n nWhile Outside Lands is a major ticketed event, the Stern Grove Festival remains a free, nonprofit series that has offered public concerts for 88 years. Even without ticket revenue, such events encourage ancillary spending—concertgoers often dine out or visit other parts of the city afterward. n nResidents have noticed the revitalization, particularly in downtown areas. “I live downtown, so I definitely see revival,” said local Fernando Ocana. “There is always live music, it’s definitely coming back.” n nThe city plans to continue investing in arts and culture as a pillar of economic development, building on the success of this summer’s festival run. n— news from KTVU
— News Original —nLurie touts August music festivals as an economic boon for the citynThe Sunset District ‘s month of music festivals is drawing to a close, but the millions of dollars that followed the music won ‘t soon be forgotten. n nSunday marks the end of a series of concerts that started with Dead & Company, followed by the Outside Lands Music Festival, then a Zach Bryan performance. The summer concert series ended with a Sunday night performance by Diana Ross, as part of the Stern Grove Festival. n nMayor Daniel Lurie took to Instagram earlier this month to celebrate the good the series of concerts has done for the city. n n”It ‘s the last night, seven shows, 15 nights, and $150 million of economic impact to our city,” Lurie said in the Instagram video. “It ‘s been an incredible boon for our city. I ‘m really proud of our city coming together, it ‘s been huge.” n nBig draws n nBy the numbers: n nThe run of shows started with Dead & Company — a group that includes original members of San Francisco ‘s iconic sixties jam band The Grateful Dead — drawing in 180,000 attendees. The following weekend saw 225,000 people descend on Golden Gate Park for Outside Lands. While Zach Bryan drew 55,000 the weekend after that. n nLurie said he plans to continue to lean into the arts as a driver for the city ‘s economic recovery. The city has seen a drop in international tourism recently, but the series of concerts has successfully drawn people to the region. Lurie said 60% of the attendees for Zach Bryan ‘s performance live within 50 miles of San Francisco. n nDollars and cents n nBig picture view: n nThe Hotel Council of San Francisco has been seeing the same trend, and agrees that doubling down on domestic travel with big events will increase the city ‘s tax revenue. n n”The dead heads were incredible. Many of the hotels were sold out, or close to it,” Alex Bastian, the president and CEO of the Hotel Council of San Francisco said. n nLurie, in his Instagram video, said hotel room occupancy the weekend of the Dead and Company performance hit 91%. n nHis strategy seems to be working. n n”I live downtown, so I definitely see revival,” Fernando Ocana said. “There is always live music, it ‘s definitely coming back.” n nDiana Ross ‘ performance at Stern Grove marks the end of the August Concerts, but, in contrast to Outside Lands, Stern Grove is actually a series of concerts that have kicked off in mid-June. n nStern Grove is the oldest non-profit music festival in the country, and has been bringing free music to San Francisco for 88 years. n nEven when the music is free, the city reaps the economic rewards. n n”We ‘re going to do the concert, then we ‘ll probably go out to dinner afterwards, go downtown,” Santa Cruz resident Annette Cavalier said.