Talib Kweli, Erykah Badu to Headline New Haight Street Festival
A new street party on Haight Street makes its debut this weekend with Talib Kweli and Erykah Badu hitting the stage for DJ sets.
The Haight Street Music & Merchants Street Festival arrives Sunday (Sept. 7) from noon to 6pm with six hours of music on three stages, skateboard ramps and demos, children’s activities and sales from local vendors.
“We want you to come down, listen to music and dance on the street,” says Alex Aquino, a partner at Haight Street boutique Black Scale and one of the festival’s organizers.
A slight shift from the more flower-power centric Haight-Ashbury Street Faire, this new event also celebrates the Haight’s modern patina with streetware companies Black Scale, Pink Dolphin, Diamond Supply Co. and Derby sponsoring the festival.
“True clothing has been here for more than 17 years on Haight,” Aquino says. “It’s not new to the block but there are some new stores that have moved here.”
He says the full lineup for the festival won’t be announced in advance but attendees can expect some big names from the local DJ scene, including Mind Motion and DJ Apollo, and other surprises.
The only vendors at the street fair, which will close Haight St. from Stanyan to Masonic, will be neighborhood nonprofits and shops. There will also be a children’s area with activities, face-painting, balloons and ice cream.
Aquino says the main emphasis is unifying everyone in the community and celebrating the neighborhood.
“It’s my livelihood on this street and I just wanted to give back,” he says.
