Friends of Jerry Garcia Amphitheater today announce the 23rd Annual Jerry Day, San Francisco’s civic and cultural celebration of native son and one of the greatest rock guitarists of all time, founding member of The Grateful Dead, Jerry Garcia, on Saturday, August 2 at the Jerry Garcia Amphitheater in San Francisco’s Excelsior District. Marking several significant anniversaries – the 60th anniversary of the founding of The Grateful Dead, the 30th anniversary of Garcia’s death and the 20th anniversary of the naming of the Jerry Garcia Amphitheater – this free event draws new and long-time fans to celebrate the musician’s artistry and his indelible legacy. Featured performers include Melvin Seals and JGB, with fiddle player Mads Tolling, and Stu Allen & Mars Hotel. Doors open at 11:00am, with performances 11:30am-5:45pm.  For more information, go to  https://www.jerryday.org/

Always held in early August to commemorate both Garicia’s August 1st birthday and his death on August 9, for over two decades Jerry Day has welcomed music lovers to enjoy venues in the Excelsior neighborhood in which Garcia was raised. Founder Tom Murphy says, “By uniting the diverse communities of San Francisco through Garcia’s music, we are creating something extraordinary for Jerry’s childhood neighborhood, the Excelsior District, McLaren Park, and the City and County of San Francisco.”  

In a resolution presented to the SF Board of Supervisors on 415 Day (the annual April 15th celebration of San Francisco as marked by its 415 area code), a planned precursor to the festivities is a street sign ceremoration at Harrington and Mission Streets.  Once approved, “Jerry Garcia Street” will be added underneath the Harrington Street sign at a date soon to be announced. Garcia grew up on Harrington Street in his grandparents home, which he recounts in his posthumously published autobiography, Harrington Street. 

After the show, Jerry Day After Parties continue along the Excelsior Corridor, including Hot Mountain Dips at the Recovery Room at 7pm (4528 Mission St) and other acts to be announced performing throughout the evening at The Halfway Club (1166 Geneva Ave), Check In Lounge (201 Ocean Ave), Tala Wines (4625 Mission St), and Bottoms Up (4704 Mission St).  For details, pub crawl map and a schedule of Jerry Day After Parties, go to https://www.jerryday.org/jerry-night.html.  Jerry Day After Party events are curated by Friends of Jerry Garcia Amphitheater, Excelsior Merchants and other community partners.

ABOUT JERRY DAY

Jerry Day was conceived and founded in 2002, when the community came together in order to fundraise for a dilapidated playground located in the southeastern section of San Francisco’s Excelsior District. Realizing the need for financial help and awareness, Tom Murphy, a native of the community, contacted the Jerry Garcia Estate in order to get their financial support and blessing to memorialize Jerry Garcia in his childhood neighborhood. From this, a long term relationship began in which the local community was able to use Garcia’s artwork to fundraise for the playground and to rename an amphitheater in his name. The first Jerry Garcia/Excelsior event happened on September 19, 2002 at the Italian American Social Club, raising $5,000 for the playground.

The following year, with the help of community members, the event moved to the McLaren Park Amphitheater, and was renamed Jerry Day, leading to the renaming of the amphitheater to Jerry Garcia Amphitheater. After years of park revitalization, ongoing awareness, and community empowerment, Jerry Day was recognized by the City and County of San Francisco and honored with a Best Community Building event award in 2009.

The founding goals of Jerry Day remain the same: to raise awareness and pride for the local communities while honoring famous native son, Jerry Garcia, the leader of The Grateful Dead and member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Jerry Day plays a vital role in uniting the diverse and low income neighborhoods around McLaren Park, providing them with an opportunity to bring more attention and resources to their community. Additionally, Jerry Day draws thousands of residents, youth, and travelers to experience various forms of art through music, art and cultural history.

Jerry Day is supported by San Francisco Grants for the Arts Hotel Tax Fund, San Francisco Office of Economic and Workforce Development, San Francisco Recreation and Parks, Grateful Guitars Foundation, Sound Support, Jerry Garcia Family, Friends of Jerry Garcia Amphitheater and generous individual donors.