Free all-ages block party and open house at KQED’s San Francisco headquarters features live KQED programs and activities inside and an outdoor stage with musical performances programmed by Noise Pop
KQED, the public media station serving Northern California, is hosting its first-ever KQED Fest on Saturday, April 29, from 11am to 6pm, at its home at 2601 Mariposa Street in San Francisco’s Mission District. The free, all-day celebration will feature live on-stage programs and activities inside KQED’s refurbished headquarters as well as musical performances programmed by Noise Pop on nearby York Street.
KQED Fest is an opportunity for the public to meet KQED personalities and journalists and to explore KQED’s newly renovated state-of-the-art facility. Visitors will be treated to conversations and live programs in The Commons, KQED’s event space/studio that is the setting for its KQED Live events. Programs in The Commons will include a conversation between NPR’s Ailsa Chang (All Things Considered) and The California Report Magazine’s Sasha Khokha, and a live episode of Forum featuring filmmaker, musician and activist Boots Riley. Also, hip-hop artists Lateef the Truthspeaker and Lyrics Born will discuss their careers in the context of KQED’s ‘That’s My Word’, a year-long series exploring Bay Area hip-hop history. Check, Please! Bay Area will spotlight the venerable East Bay Ethiopian dining institution Café Colucci; KQED’s Political Breakdown will feature a discussion with drag performer and activist Sister Roma, and more.
Outside of the building on York Street, between Mariposa and 18th Streets, Noise Pop will host and program performances by local artists Lyrics Born, La Doña, Satya, Tia Nomore as well as pop-up demonstrations by arts organizations such as Carnaval San Francisco, Cheer SF, Rollerdance and Bay Area Children’s Theater, among others. Food trucks will provide visitors with an opportunity to sample dishes from Mission District businesses and restaurants featured on KQED’s Check, Please! Bay Area.
Docent-led tours of the facility will provide an opportunity to see KQED’s television and radio studios and newsroom and broadcasting operations. Other activities inside the building will include a Bay Curious trivia and book signing with host and author Olivia Allen-Price; a Rightnowish podcast listening party’, screenings of Deep Look episodes with local wildlife experts; pop-up performances by local arts organizations and the opportunity for visitors to record their own content.