A stretch of San Francisco’s Market Street will be transformed into a block party on three Thursdays starting in September.
“Unstaged: First Thursdays Live on Mid-Market” will bring live performances and interactive art exhibits to Market Street between Fifth and Sixth streets on the first Thursdays of September, October and November.
Organized by Market Street Arts, a partnership between the city, corporate sponsors and neighborhood businesses, the block party is the group’s latest initiative to revitalize the Mid-Market area.
Each event will run from 4 to 7 p.m. and include more than 20 performances or interactive art exhibits, both on sidewalks and in vacant storefronts. The programming’s focus on live performance is a nod to Mid-Market’s history as the city’s theater district, organizers said.
“This isn’t just another activation; it’s a targeted celebration of what makes Mid-Market special — its deep-rooted live performance,” Steve Gibson, the executive director of the Mid-Market Foundation, which will help fund the program, said in a statement. “We hope UNSTAGED will encourage the creative spark that has always defined this district and use it to drive economic revitalization and community engagement.”
The inaugural event, happening Sept. 5, will include hip-hop classes, a breakdance battle, a drag lip sync contest, sidewalk cumbia and salsa classes, and an ube cooking class, among other activities. The F-line train will also be converted into a mobile jazz club.
The first 200 people to register online at marketstreetarts.org/unstaged for the September event were to receive a $20 voucher to use toward food and beverages from Mid-Market establishments on that day.
Reach Maliya Ellis: maliya.ellis@hearst.com
