About the Friends of the Golden Gate Park Band

The Friends of the Golden Gate Park Band was formed in 2006 by a group of enthusiastic fans of live concert band music. They came from a wide array of backgrounds and resided throughout Northern California. Some are active musicians whereas others are fans of music, but do not play an instrument. They wanted to make the public aware of the musical treasure they have in the Golden Gate Park Band as it was coming up to its 125th anniversary.

The purposes of the organization, as stated in its by-laws, are:

  1. Honor and interpret the history of the Golden Gate Park Band and the enormous contributions it has made to the cultural life of the City and County of San Francisco and the Bay Area.
  2. Promote the visibility of the Golden Gate Park Band and increase attendance at its concerts.
  3. Function as an auxiliary to the ongoing funding sources, and focus its efforts on programs and activities that are ancillary to and separate from the Golden Gate Park Band’s annual operating budget.
  4. Encourage and support the patronage of the arts in general and live concert band music performances in particular.

The Friends undertook several projects to address these purposes. These included an annual two-day festival in June with community concert bands from throughout Northern California, the design of an attractive t-shirt for the anniversary of the Band that could be purchased by the public, and the writing of a book on the history of the Golden Gate Park Band.

The festival quickly became so popular it is now an annual event that provides the Golden Gate Park Band audience an opportunity to hear bands from throughout Northern California, and also members of those bands to hear the Golden Gate Park Band and other bands and for the musicians to network with each other. At each festival, the Friends arranges for professional photographs of these community bands.

The Friends of the Golden Gate Park Band is a partner of the San Francisco Parks Alliance, its fiscal agent and a 501(c)3 corporation. Donations to the Friends of the Golden Gate Park Band may be tax-deductible. For additional information on how you can ensure that future generations will continue to enjoy this harmonious link to San Francisco’s cultural past, go to www.goldengateparkband.org.