FREE Concerts return to St. James Park – Spring 2024
Friends of Levitt Pavilion San Jose: “Building Community through Music”.
Sundays this Spring (May 26, June 2, 9, 16) bring a picnic, drop a blanket on the lawn and enjoy free, all ages, high quality concerts from 3:30pm – 7pm in historic St. James Park. There will be a Beer & Wine Garden, and delicious local food trucks will be on hand to ensure a stress free Sunday afternoon in the park.
Kicking off the 4 concert series on May 26th, in celebration of Worldwide Recognition of Africa Day, Amayo will bring the Afro beats to the lawn. Former Frontman of Antibalas for 23 years, Amayo was credited for bringing Afrobeat to a global audience, leading it to become a genre of itself. He composed the GRAMMY nominated “Fu Chronicles” album for “Best Global Music Album of the Year” 2020. It was the launchpad for Amayo’s solo career - where Kung Fu meets Afrobeat. This concert will feature African diaspora music, dancing, crafts & more!
June 2nd, Friends of Levitt Pavilion San jose will honor and recognize the passing of Board Member, Rick Holden as Noah & The Arkiteks takes the stage in a celebration of Blues.
On June 9th, the Spring 2024 Levitt Pavilion San Jose concert series will feature the return of Lyrics Born. Lyrics Born relocated to the United States from his birthplace of Toyko, Japan around the time Hip Hop was exploding on the East Coast. From the moment he heard Sugar Hill Gang’s 1980 classic “Rapper’s Delight,” the Bay Area Hip Hop luminary knew he’d found his calling.
Closing out the Spring concert series on June 16th (the best place to celebrate Father’s Day!) The Jack Moves will bring the Souldies sound to the Levitt lawn.
About the Levitt San Jose Spring Concert Series:
Formed in 2016, Friends of Levitt Pavilion San Jose is a nonprofit with a mission to build community through free, all-ages, high-quality live music shows and performances on a permanent stage in historic St. James Park.
The Levitt San Jose Spring Concert Series will feature top local and national artists, giving a sneak peek of what’s to come when Levitt Pavilion San Jose joins the community of permanent Levitt venues across the country.
Friends of Levitt San Jose social links: Facebook, Instagram and Twitter,
The Levitt Pavilion San Jose Music Series is supported in part by the Mortimer & Mimi Levitt Foundation, which partners with towns and cities across America to activate underused public spaces through the power of free live music, creating welcoming, inclusive destinations. Presenting a broad array of music genres and cultural programming, Levitt venues and concert sites are community anchors where families, friends and neighbors of all ages and backgrounds come together.
FYI - You may have heard about Levitt San Jose’s efforts to break ground at St. James Park. Having dealt with a progress-halting lawsuit and appeal of the Court’s initial decision, Friends of Levitt Pavilion San Jose perseveres, and sets the tone for the future site of a Levitt Pavilion with this concert series. By recognizing the magic of live music to bring communities together and activate public spaces, Levitt San Jose strives to carve out a new era for Downtown San Jose’s most historic park.
One of San Jose's most underutilized resources is St. James Park. It has such a great location and historical significance, yet it has become little more than a bastion for the homeless. The SJDA is doing their best to activate it with movies and yoga, but the park itself needs to change. This is especially needed with several high-density housing projects planned for the immediate area.
Now, plans to transform St. James into a modern flagship community amenity are coming together.
Below are illustrations of the new spaces that are being planned that will offer a variety of experiences. These includes a live music venue, children's park, dog park, and plenty of open spaces. All this while keeping the original trees, fountains, and statues. The ETA to see this to fruition is 2028. It sounds like an eternity, but this could be St. James Park in less than 5 years.
Source: SVBJ
Friends of Levitt Pavilion San Jose: “Building Community through Music”.
Every Sunday in October (Oct 2, 9, 16, 23, 30) bring a picnic, drop a blanket on the lawn and enjoy free, all ages, high quality concerts from 3pm – 6:30pm in Historic St. James Park. There is a Beer Garden featuring Camino Brewing suds, and delicious local food trucks will be on hand to ensure a stress free Sunday evening in the park.
In the news: Yes - you may have heard about Levitt San Jose’s struggles to break ground at St. James Park. Having dealt with a progress-halting lawsuit recently, Friends of Levitt Pavilion San Jose perseveres, and sets the tone for the future site of a Levitt Pavilion with this first concert series. By recognizing the magic of live music to bring communities together and activate public spaces, Levitt San Jose strives to carve out a new era for Downtown San Jose’s most historic park.
About the Levitt San Jose Fall Concert Series:
Formed in 2016, Friends of Levitt Pavilion San Jose is a nonprofit with a mission to build community through free, all-ages, high-quality live music shows and performances on a permanent stage in historic St. James Park.
The Levitt San Jose Fall Concert Series, presented by Madrone Ventures & Studio Current, will feature top local and national artists, giving a sneak peek of what’s to come when Levitt Pavilion San Jose joins the community of permanent Levitt venues across the country.
We are proud to announce that the Fall Concert Series began with a performance from Antibalas on October 2nd, 3pm – 6:30pm. It’s hard to believe that more than twenty years have passed since Antibalas’s humble beginning as a neighborhood dance / protest band in the block parties and underground parties in pre-gentrified Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Over the past two decades they have evolved into what The Guardian called “one of the world’s finest Afrobeat bands” while enjoying equal renown for their cross-genre collaborations with legends of popular music. Opening for Antibalas will be Salinas locals, Quiensave. ¿Qiensave? is a Cumbia Urbana group from Salinas California with roots stretching back to Michoacán, Mexico. They create high energy dance music that has fortunately blessed them with the opportunity to travel throughout California, Arizona, Mexico, and Colombia.
October 9th Lyrics Born, the “funkiest rapper alive” took the stage from 3p – 6:30pm. Known for weaving funk and soul into classic, boom-bap Hip Hop, his energy electrified the crowd!
Jose James performed on October 16th. Known as a jazz artist for the hip-hop generation, José James artfully blurs the lines between traditional and contemporary jazz, hip-hop, soul, funk, pop and rock. San Jose’s own Jackie Gage will open with her velvety voice, uplifting songwriting, and transcendent music.
October 23rd will welcome Latin Folk songstress, La Doňa from 3pm – 6:30pm. La Doña, born Cecilia Cassandra Peña-Govea in San Francisco, California, is a solo reggaeton singer, songwriter and multi- instrumentalist. The Chicana artist began her career at age 7 playing trumpet, and later strings and percussion in her family’s conjunto. She also played in a youth salsa band and a Balkan fusion band before synthesizing her unique upbringing in her original compositions. La Doña combines her deep roots in Latin folk traditions like corridos and rumba with the propulsive modern sounds of reggaeton, cumbia, and hip hop. Mosaic Organization will begin the show with a variety of cultural performances ranging from dance to live musical performance.
The Fall Concert Series will close on October 30th with performances from San Jose local, Will Sprott and Orgone, whose sound draws from 1960s and 1970s-era funk and soul.
Friends of Levitt San Jose social links: Facebook, Instagram
The Levitt San Jose Music Series is supported in part by the Mortimer & Mimi Levitt Foundation, which partners with towns and cities across America to activate underused public spaces through the power of free live music, creating welcoming, inclusive destinations. Presenting a broad array of music genres and cultural programming, Levitt venues and concert sites are community anchors where families, friends and neighbors of all ages and backgrounds come together. Learn more at levitt.org. #MusicMoves
Every Sunday, St. James Park will host FREE performances by our talented arts organizations in the area. Viva Parks Downtown and Filco Events have come together to present this great series called "Sundays in the Park with ARTS" and it runs all the way until October 24th.
Each week, the event will run from 2-5pm on the grass in front of the Corinthian Building at St. James and Third. A professional stage, sound, and production system will be there each week. It's recommended that attendees bring chairs, a picnic basket, and blankets.
This week's event on August 29th features the San Jose Popup Choir leading the audience in HAMILTUNES -- the official public sing-along to the Broadway musical. SJ Popup Choir is the only officially licensed presenter of HAMILTUNES in the bay area, so it's one event you won't want to miss if you're a fan of the smash-hit musical. You'll be able to access all of the lyrics on your phone. Again, it's from 2-5pm this Sunday at Saint James Park.
A staple of the Downtown San Jose summer entertainment scene is returning to St. James Park on July 21st. Four family friendly movies will play outdoors around 8pm on Wednesdays: "Up," "The Perfect Game," "Raya and the Last Dragon," and "The Karate Kid." The pre-show entertainment this Wednesday will include a balloon artist (goes well with the "Up" theme), kettle corn, a gift from the Children's Discovery Museum, and a performance by the San Jose Dance Theater.
This event is completely free and brought to you by the San Jose Downtown Association and several sponsors. Fore more information head over to the Starlight Cinemas page.
SAN JOSE - The San Jose Downtown Association is back with Starlight Cinemas, presented by First Tech Federal Credit Union. Get ready for free summer outdoor movies on four consecutive Wednesdays starting July 21 at dusk at St. James Park in downtown San Jose.
