Last week, San Francisco Recreation and Park commissioners unanimously approved a contract extension with Another Planet Entertainment for the production of the annual Outside Lands Music Festival. The extension would allow the festival to run through 2031.
The summer festival, which takes place in Golden Gate Park every August, began in 2008. The 3-day event welcomes over 100,000 people every day to the west end of the park with stages on the Polo Fields, Hellman’s Hollow/Speedway Meadow, and Lindley Meadow.
The festival is a one of the largest sources of revenue every year for the city’s Recreation and Parks Department. In 2014, the department took in $2.4 million from the event based on an 11% revenue share with organizers, and $1.25 fee per ticket sold. [Related: Outside Lands: A closer look at Rec & Park revenues and the event’s impact]
Fast forward to 2017, and revenue increased to $3,512,354 according to department spokesperson Connie Chan. $3.03 million of that came from the event’s permit fees, while the remainder came from $1.25 for each of the nearly 209,944 tickets sold.
In addition to receiving a share of the revenue, the city is reimbursed by organizers for gardeners to maintain the fields before and after the event ($89,250), plus a $15,000 maintenance fee. The department is also reimbursed for out of pocket expenses incurred during the event; in 2017 this amounted to just over $110 thousand dollars.
“Outside Lands has become part of the cultural fabric of San Francisco, and we are happy our partnership will continue,” said San Francisco Recreation and Park Department General Manager Phil Ginsburg in a press release about the approval of the new agreement. “Hosting the festival provides invaluable support for Rec and Parks, enabling us to maintain our open spaces and offer scholarships to our top-notch recreation programs.”
The new agreement, which would run from 2022 through 2031, includes some changes. Under the new agreement, the minimum permit fee would increase to $2.5 million starting in 2019 (up from $1.4 million), and by $75,000 each year after that.
The per ticket fee that Rec and Park earns will also increase from $1.25 to $1.50 in 2020, $1.75 in 2024 and $2 in 2028.
Locals’ opinions of the festival vary. Some love the popular artists the festival attracts to the park, making San Francisco a solid stop on the summer festival circuit.
Other residents lament the loud noise of the festival, park closures, and the crowds that it brings to the Richmond and Sunset District neighborhoods.
District 1 Supervisor Sandra Fewer told the Examiner that the new agreement incorporates feedback the festival has received from neighbors over the years, including more money for neighborhood public improvements.
“I think we’ve come to a good agreement,” Fewer told the Examiner in December.
The new contract extension will soon go before the San Francisco Board of Supervisors for final approval.
This year’s festival will run from August 9-11, 2019.
Sarah B.