The SF Chronicle’s Sam Whiting reports on one of the standout features of this year’s Fillmore Jazz Festival: jazz performances inside the sanctuaries of Calvary Presbyterian Church and Jones Memorial United Methodist Church, offering attendees shade, seating, and a whole different atmosphere from the street stages. Read the full story at the SF Chronicle →
With an estimated 30,000 people daily along the 12 blocks from Jackson Street to Eddy Street, the church venues — introduced in 2024 — gave festival-goers room to actually swing-dance to the Mood Swing Orchestra inside Calvary’s 125-year-old sanctuary. Over 1,300 people attended two shows at Calvary on Saturday alone.
Executive Director Patti Mangan, who has forgone pay for two years while the Fillmore Jazz Festival Preservation Fund rebuilds, noted that vendors are up nearly 20% this year — from 188 to 225 — supporting a $475,000 budget that pays 300 musicians across five stages plus two free street stages on Post and O’Farrell. Former Mayor Willie Brown was spotted in the pews at Jones Memorial as Ricardo Scales led his band, the two sharing a moment that captured the resurrection of a festival that nearly didn’t happen at all.
“The music is the church,” Scales told the audience.
