Free Saturday concerts in S.F. Union Square draw families downtown
SAN FRANCISCO -- In light of an exodus of retailers in San Francisco, the city is teaming up with the business community and musicians to entice families to come back downtown to help revitalize the Union Square shopping district.
The Union Square Summer Music Series kicked off this Saturday afternoon and will continue every Saturday until October. The free concerts aim to bring some vibrancy back to the neighborhood.
"It's a wonderful, beautiful day. (I'm a) San Francisco native, been here many times but this is a totally unique experience," said Dan Mahoney, who attended the concert with his two children.
Business owners support the new program. They say anything to drum up foot traffic will be helpful.
"We did kind of cut our hours on certain days," said business owner Maneet Sohal.
Sohal's family owns San Francisco Deluxe, the hop-on and hop-off tour buses that take visitors to tourist destinations.
"We're probably at about 60 percent right now, probably about 60 percent (compared to pre-pandemic levels)," Sohal said. "It's just not as busy, not as many tourists around here -- as you can see -- the foot traffic is not so much."
The San Francisco Office of Economic Workforce Development, Rec and Park and the Union Square Alliance organize the Summer Music Series.
The concerts showcase local musicians every Saturday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. There are food trucks, games and other activities geared toward families. Organizers also encourage people to shop and dine at nearby establishments.
"We have a strong police presence here. It's very clean and safe. We have our Union Square ambassadors who go and power wash and make it very clean," said Jessica Chilingerian with Union Square Alliance.
Business operators and visitors said they see improvement in the area.
"It is so clean now and so safe. I expect that the city will come back alive after what we have gone through these last few years," said Steven Suen, CEO of Biscuits and Blues.
The live entertainment club near Union Square has been closed since the pandemic. Suen said he plans to reopen Biscuits and Blues in November.
Sohal said he was cautiously optimistic. While he supports the music program, he said that, until the city can make people feel safe, no amount of free live music can bring visitors back.
"I think it's good. Hopefully it'll bring in some more people to the city, help out with local business, bring in some more money. But at the same time, I think the city still has a lot of work to do with cleaning up some of the homelessness and the crime," Sohal said.