PHOTOS: Al Green, Public Enemy and Goapele Headline Stern Grove’s Record-Breaking Big Picnic

Event: Stern Grove Festival’s Big Picnic 2026
Date: August 16, 2026
Location: Stern Grove, SF
Photos: Mahelly Ferreira for Drew Altizer Photography

On August 16, 2026, Stern Grove Festival closed its 89th season with a record-setting Big Picnic Weekend, bringing thousands of people to the Grove for two days of music, community and celebration. Saturday featured LaRussell and Public Enemy, followed on Sunday by the GLIDE Ensemble, Goapele and legendary soul singer Al Green. The weekend generated more than $800,000 in onsite revenue to support Stern Grove Festival’s mission of keeping world-class music free and accessible to all. The Festival also introduced large LED video screens on either side of the stage for the first time, giving audiences throughout the Grove an even better view of the performances.

Sunday’s Al Green concert drew the largest crowd of the entire 2026 season and provided a fitting finale to a record-breaking summer. At 80 years old, the soul icon performed for thousands of fans beneath Stern Grove’s eucalyptus trees, with San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie and other city leaders among those in attendance. It was the kind of only-at-Stern-Grove moment that people would be talking about the next day: one of the most celebrated voices in American music, performing in one of San Francisco’s most iconic outdoor settings, completely free to the public.
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​Notable attendees:
​Lisa, Douglas, Matthew and Jason Goldman – Family who owns Stern Grove, Leesa and Martin Romo – Donors, Chris Larsen and ​ Lyna Lam – Donors, Alexander Lurie – Founder and leader of The Lurie Group, Nick Turley – Head of OpenAI