Who We Are

Each year the “People in Plazas” (PiP) free summer music festival in San Francisco produces more than 130 concerts in 15 different venues on or near Market Street from the Embarcadero to Fourth Street.

All musicians who participate in the program are local professionals who are able to showcase original compositions and play music in a variety of genres.

We work with owners of public and private outdoor spaces to create live music events that provide a healthy respite from the workday and a place to enjoy lunch, meet up with friends, and take advantage of the sunshine and beauty of Downtown San Francisco.

HISTORY

People in Plazas is a non profit music presentation organization founded in 1973 as a component of the Market Street Association. Market Street Association (MSA) was a non-profit organization established in 1963 to oversee a $24.5 Million beautification of the Market Street corridor.

The 2019 “People in Plazas” (PIP) free summer music festival produced more than 135 concerts in fifteen different venues on or near Market Street from the Embarcadero to the Castro Street trolly turnaround. Residents, office workers and tourists can hear live music during lunch time every weekday in July, August and September. In 2019 we also added an after-work concert series at the new Salesforce Park. This series ran from May through October. We produced a three hour after work series at Rincon Center Courtyard which activated the outdoor space in the evening. It is estimated that thirty thousand audience members hear professional live music for free during the series. All musicians who participated in the program were local professionals who were able to showcase original compositions or play music in a variety of genres. Performers were encouraged to try styles of music they had wanted to perform and develop new bands.

As we educate the public about the benefits of keeping these outdoor plazas, patios and parks clean, active and safe, we also provide 600 paid gigs for local musicians. It is a challenge to produce events in areas that are perceived as unwelcoming or merely underutilized. We use music as the vehicle that will change these perceptions and invite use of otherwise dead spaces in a positive manner. We work with owners of these public/private spaces to help them see that activation benefits the health of downtown for everyone. The increments of change are small but perceptible as audiences become more diverse and venues develop a regular following. By adding evening concerts in 2019 we broadened our reach to bring this information to a whole new audience. Live music encourages workers, tourists and residents to assemble outdoors to enjoy local food, meet with friends, have a respite from their workday and take advantage of what our City as to offer. PIP returns these sometimes-underutilized spaces to again feeling like “everyone’s neighborhood”.

INCLUSIVE

Every year we consciously strive to produce events that bring a diversity of music to our audiences. PiP stands in support of musicians who are women, people of color, and members of the LGBT community, and immigrants. We not only encourage participation, we have been an open platform for artists to join our ranks and expose their talents to the public.

People in Plazas 2021 is Back! And subject to change our calendar due to the ongoing COVID-19 emergency. Stay safe.

People in Plazas wishes you all a happy 2022, and we look forward to our summer series. The COVID-19 emergency continues and future plans to gather in person depends on circumstances of the virus. That said, PiP and some of our partners are planning to stream and archive upcoming performances. Art continues to be made and we will bring it to our audiences. Stay tuned and stay safe.

*Schedule subject to change without notice

August