Stern Grove Festival Launches BEST OF THE FEST

In response to the cancellation of the 83rd Stern Grove Festival due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Stern Grove Festival has created Best of the Fest-a 10-week virtual series of video playlists-launching on Sunday, June 14 on KPIX-TV (CBS). The video series will feature epic performances from the archives, as well as special guests, and will be hosted by TV and radio personality and season emcee Liam Mayclem.

Best of the Fest will air on KPIX-TV (CBS) on Sundays at 4:30 p.m. from June 14-August 16, 2020. Following the broadcast at 5 p.m., longer-form versions - including bonus content - will be posted on the Festival's website, Youtube and Facebook channels.

Included in the playlists will be artist interviews, historic footage, and special surprises. Each week, the playlists will spotlight a different genre and highlight many of the biggest names to play Stern Grove Festival, including Sheila E. (2012), George Clinton (2016), The Doobie Brothers (2015), Pink Martini (2013), and more.

By making these videos available on television and online, Stern Grove Festival continues to fulfill its mission of making the arts accessible to all and providing high-quality, free musical performances and education programs.

"Stern Grove Festival's mission is to deliver free music to our community, and even though we aren't able to do that in-person this year, we thought it was still important to deliver on that promise," said Stern Grove Festival Executive Director, Bob Fiedler. "We feel that music is a healing and unifying force. So, especially in these times, we hope that people enjoy our virtual offering this year."

The Best of the Fest schedule is:

June 14 - Sunday All-Stars July 19 - Indie/Pop

June 21 - Father's Day Funk July 26 - Celebrating Women

June 28 - Rock/Hip-Hop August 2 - World Music Day

July 5 - Jazz/R&B August 9 - Summer Classics

July 12 - Soulful Sunday August 16 - Season Finale 2020

Thanks to a generous challenge grant, donations from individuals this summer will be matched, helping the organization to continue. Festival fans and supporters who are looking for ways to support the Festival can donate online at sterngrove.org/support/.

Photo Credit: Scott Wall