San Francisco is home to any number of ourdoor festivals, but what, exactly, are the makings of a good one? For the organizers behind the Rock Make Music and Art Street Festival, it was a simple formula: Think of the best parts of any outdoor festival -- good music, good food, locally made arts and crafts -- but without the crazy crowds, hordes of tents, and high entrance fees.
Rock Make was the brainchild of local music site The Bay Bridged, San Francisco band Tartufi, and fabric store Cookie and the Dude. Now in its fourth year, the free festival was designed to bring together otherwise separate niches and cross-promote between different communities.
Even though it's grown considerably from the small half-street festival of its inaugural year, Rock Make still prides itself on being an intimate, quality festival for locals, a feat which is of course easier described than achieved.
"It's all about being able to interact between different groups," said Christian Cunningham, a Bay Bridged co-founder and festival executive producer. "We wanted to create a unique experience for the bands and vendors to show their craft. It's very local, and very niche."
At Rock Make, visitors can listen to Bay Area bands including Birds & Batteries and Tartufi, browse arts and crafts, and nosh on goods from food trucks. A kid-friendly atmosphere is another refreshing angle: This year, the Rock Make stages will play host to two kids' bands, an idea that was spearheaded by Tartufi's Brian Gorman, who runs a children's organization called Rock Band Land.
"In contrast with other festivals, it's very laid-back," said Cunningham. "It's really like an oversized block party celebrating all things local."
The Rock Make Music and Art Street Festival starts at noon on Saturday, September 17 on Treat Avenue. Admission is free.
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Rachel Filipinas is the online Q&A editor for Hyphen Magazine.
