Coming back for their 4^th year of successful free afternoon concerts, Friends of the AMP (Jerry Garcia Amphitheater in McLaren Park) announces 6 FREE outdoor concerts dates for the 2016 Saturday in the Park – McLaren music festival.

The Festival’s 6 shows run from  August 20^th to October 22^nd and, as in past years, offer music appealing to all ages and musical tastes, from salsa to blue bluegrass, rock, soul and more. The outdoor concerts also welcome back locals and fans of the bands, and introduce new concertgoers to San Francisco’s 2^nd largest and natural park, the 318-acre John McLaren Park.

Friends of the AMP have been working closely with San Francisco Recreation and Parks to add new signage, repave the (free!) parking lot, and for dancing, a new smooth surface in front of the sta

August 20 – Percussionist Louie Romero y Mazacote kicks the Festival in gear at the first show with dancer-friendly blends of Salsa, Cha-Cha, Timba, Cuban Guajira and Puerto Rican Bomba. Added to the lineup is Alfonso Lopez performing songs encompassing many different styles of music from around the globe.

August 27 – a great R&B review called:  Acoustic Soul Fest- Vol. 2 celebrates the brilliant Soul Culture of the Bay Area, featuring San Francisco native and McLaren Park neighborhood resident, Martin Luther McCoy.

September 10 – The 4^th Annual Kid’s’ Festival – Featuring The Not-Its, JAM with Charity Kahn, Tree Frog Treks, The Exploratorium, plus magic shows and nature programs, There will be 4 Hours (11am- 3pm)  of art, music, magic, science, hikes and dance and much more. Fun for the whole family to enjoy.

 October 8 – Let the Good Times Rock’n Roll Show! Four virtuoso bands of great musicians will take you on a three and a half hour ride of dance and sing-along music when we welcome Cocker Power –A Joe Cocker Tribute Band, guitarist Lindsey Boullt, Pucci and the Pups band and Big Rain– a Rockin’ Country and Blues group.

 October 15 – In mid-October we welcome back, by popular demand, a non-stop three hours of new and traditional tunes sung and played by several of our local troubadours at The Bluegrass Festival. The Bluegrass Festival is a non-stop afternoon of new and traditional tunes sung and played by The Back Porch Band, The Beauty Operators String Band, Canyon Johnson and The Windy Hill Bluegrass Band.

October 22 – The Blues Show – our season finale concert once again offers a great lineup of local bay area blues performers, including the dynamic Tia Carroll and Bobbie “Spider” Webb. This final show also celebrates the 45th anniversary of the Amphitheater with the annual Saturday in the Park Amphitheater Birthday Party.