Pt. Richmond Outdoor Summer Music Festival Starts Friday, June 14!
WHEN: Friday June 14th, 5:30-7:45pm. Concerts take place the 2nd Friday of each month from 5:30-7:45pm with a final extra concert on the last Friday of September.
WHERE: Corner of Park Place and Washington Avenue in historic downtown Point Richmond.
WHAT: Pt. Richmond Outdoor Summer Music Festival
WHO: Gator Nation + The Pascal Bokar Afro Blue Grazz Band open the 2019 Outdoor Summer Musical Festival Season
Friday, June 14:
5: 30 – 6:30pm Gator Nation – Cajun/Zydeco; New Orleans R&B
6:45 – 7:45pm The Pascal Bokar Afro Blue Grazz Band – West African Fusion Bluegrass, Jazz, R&B
View the whole summer music lineup.
More about the Pt. Richmond Music
These concerts are FREE to the public because a dedicated group of folks work hard to bring these events to fruition with fundraising and volunteer efforts. Sponsors include: Atchison Village Credit Union, City of Richmond ECIA Grant Program, Feagley Realtors, Golden Gate meat Co., M.A. Hayes CO., Mechanics Bank, MSH Group, Pt. Richmond Neighborhood COuncil, Republic Services Inc., Richmond Development CO. LLC, Richmond Gateway Foundation, Sim’s Metal Management, Svendsen’s Bay Marine and Wareham Development.
Our current Mayor Tom Butt was the brainchild behind the concerts when he moved here from Arkansas and had a large parking lot behind his architectural firm. The concert series was such a hit it moved from the parking lot to take over the street in Pt. Richmond. SF on the Bay caught up with someone who helped introduce us to the community when we first created the Richmond Trail Guide – local Pt. Richmond Music board member and resident Kim Paternoster, who said she got involved with the concerts about seven years ago.
SFOTB: What drew you in?
KAP: Well, initially it was because I lived in Point Richmond and my best friend, Pam Dewitt, and her husband were on the board. One of the fun things about living here is this concert series in the summer. So, I started going to the concerts to hang out with friends, hang out downtown, and listen to the cool music. I wanted to help out though, because I’m a resident here and I loved what they were doing. I also have a background in music (degree in classical performance), and I pretty much love music in general. I started going to the listening meetings, and saw that they needed to be more efficient. So, I initially took over the role of managing the listening meetings to make them more efficient and get through listening to 100+ bands so we could select our season.
SFOTB: What is your role now?
KAP: I finally was asked to be on the board two years ago. I manage the listening meetings (now we have over 180+ submissions). I also work directly with the bands, making sure they get paid, we get all the contracts signed and greeting them before the concerts and making sure they have drinks and snacks. I’m basically the band point person. I also built the current website, and I manage and host that.
SFOTB: What do you like most about the Outdoor Festivals?
KAP: It’s a great way during the summer to get together with the rest of the community. We have a huge turnout of people, and the bands are all really great. Friends see friends they haven’t seen in a year (or since yesterday). There’s a beer and margarita tent, and food trucks. Downtown Point Richmond on a summer night is beautiful!
SFOTB: What does it do for Pt. Richmond?
KAP: I think the concerts help make the community a little more solid. We have a wide diversity of bands too, because Richmond is such a diverse city. Last year, we had a gospel group from Richmond followed up by a Bollywood/Blues band, and we always have at least one Latin band. Our audiences love our concerts, and we’ve had such amazing submissions that it’s been hard to select just 8 bands. This year, we easily could have had 30 bands performing.
Don’t miss out! Join the Pt. Richmond community and have some fun in this historic town. Local restaurants are open on concert nights, offering a wide array of cuisine. The event features art by The Arts of Point Richmond, face painting for children,and dancing in the street.
Shops and restaurants are waiting for your visit! Voted Best Outdoor Festival by East Bay Express’ Best of the East Bay. As they say in Pt. Richmond: The Point is Music!
