04-04-2025
Yerba Buena Gardens Festival announces 2025 line-up
The Yerba Buena Gardens Festival celebrates its 25th anniversary this year with over 100 free performances from May through October in downtown San Francisco.
State of play: Programming includes outdoor music, theater, circus, dance, poetry and children's programs that aim to spotlight the Bay Area's rich heritage and creativity.
Driving the news: The opening concert will take place May 10 with Grammy-winning La Santa Cecilia headlining and San Francisco's very own La Doña as the opener.
Other events include a Storytellers' Showcase with youth-serving nonprofit 826 Valencia, the Native Contemporary Arts Festival, San Francisco Mime Troupe, Vân-Ánh Võ's Blood Moon Orchestra, Parangal Dance Company and more.
New this year will be a first Thursday dance night series in the Yerba Buena East Garden. Lavay Smith & Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers will perform at the first one on July 3.
All programs take place outdoors in Yerba Buena's main and children's gardens.
The intrigue: The YBGF is also launching a new poet-in-residence program with Nia Pearl as the inaugural participant.
Pearl, a poet, writer and environmental justice advocate, will be involved in the Poetic Tuesdays series and help curate interactive writing workshops.
The residency will also create site-specific poetry in response to musical performances and the gardens environment throughout the festival.
What they're saying:"We are proud of the role Yerba Buena Gardens Festival has played in ... helping make downtown San Francisco a culturally vibrant place for everyone," the festival's executive and artistic director Linda Lucero said in a news release.
