The heart of the 1894 fair
The concourse was dug out for the California Midwinter International Exposition of 1894, the fair that also gave the park its Japanese Tea Garden and the first de Young museum. Today it is a formal oval of fountains, benches and rows of pollarded London plane trees, and a natural meeting point between the museums.
Free Sunday concerts at the bandshell
Sugar magnate Claus Spreckels paid for the Temple of Music, a Renaissance-style bandshell completed in 1900. The Golden Gate Park Band, founded in 1882, plays free concerts here on most Sundays at 1 p.m. from April through September, plus a few holidays; each program runs 70 to 90 minutes. Bring a jacket, as the bandshell faces into the afternoon wind.
What is around the concourse
The de Young Museum is on the north side, the California Academy of Sciences on the south, and the Japanese Tea Garden at the west end. The Shakespeare Garden is a few minutes away, and the Botanical Garden is across Martin Luther King Jr. Drive.
Getting there and parking underneath
The 44 bus runs through the concourse, the 5 Fulton stops at Eighth Avenue and Fulton, and the N Judah stops at Ninth Avenue and Irving Street. The roughly 800-space Music Concourse Garage sits under the plaza, with entrances from Fulton Street at Tenth Avenue and from Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. See parking for details.
Frequently asked questions
When does the Golden Gate Park Band play?
Most Sundays at 1 p.m. from April through September, plus a few holidays. Concerts are free.
Where do you park for the Music Concourse?
The Music Concourse Garage is underneath, with entrances from Fulton Street at Tenth Avenue and from Martin Luther King Jr. Drive.
Is the Ferris wheel still in Golden Gate Park?
No. The SkyStar observation wheel stood on the Music Concourse for the park’s 150th anniversary and gave its last rides there in October 2023, before moving to Fisherman’s Wharf. For a free view over the park, ride up the de Young’s Hamon Observation Tower instead.
