Turn on, tune In, drop into San Francisco: How to celebrate 60 years of The Grateful Dead

After six decades, The Grateful Dead have become more than just a band – they’re a living, breathing part of American pop culture mythology. A swirl of tie-dye, poetry, and feedback, the band were integral to the counterculture scene that engulfed San Francisco during the late 1960s.

And this summer, the city is giving fans old and new the chance to celebrate their story, throwing open its cosmic doors to honour 60 years of a band that made history simply by showing up, jamming out, and letting the music find its own way home.

If there’s any place that could properly toast the Dead’s diamond jubilee, it’s San Francisco. This is where Jerry Garcia and the gang first started plugging in and blowing minds. It’s the same city that gave us the Summer of Love, the Acid Tests, and that inexplicable, intangible moment in time when art, activism, and an open-ended guitar solo felt like it could save the world.

A citywide celebration of sound and spirit

Now, six decades later, the Dead’s spiritual home is pulling out all the stops with a summer-long celebration of music, memory, and magnetic weirdness. From the rolling hills of Golden Gate Park to the pastel-painted flats of Haight-Ashbury, San Francisco is once again dancing to the rhythm of a band that refused to play the same song the same way twice.

On August 1, a new Jerry Garcia Street sign will be unveiled in his childhood neighborhood. It’s a small gesture with cosmic resonance; street signs may change, but the music remains.

The centerpiece? A three-night run from Dead & Company, featuring original members Mickey Hart and Bob Weir, joined by John Mayer, Jeff Chimenti, Oteil Burbridge, and Jay Lane, at the Polo Field in Golden Gate Park, August 1 – 3. Expect long jams, even longer vibes, and a crowd of Deadheads for whom time is still just a suggestion.

But that’s just the beginning. The Jerry Day Celebration on August 2 brings a free concert to McLaren Park’s Jerry Garcia Amphitheatre. There, the likes of Melvin Seals & JGB, Stu Allen & Mars Hotel, and Grahame Lesh will keep the Garcia flame burning bright. That same day, you can slip over to ‘Jerry Nite,’ the official after-party in the Excelsior District where Garcia grew up – because in this town, one party is never enough.

Looking for something even groovier? Check out the Haight Street Daydream events running June through August. These open-air street fests bring back the colour and chaos of the ’60s with live music, psychedelic art, and storefront celebrations along the most storied stretch of real estate in rock history.

From the vaults to the ballpark

Deadheads looking to relive the magic of ‘75 can also head to the Great American Music Hall for a three-night tribute titled One for the Vault, a nod to the Dead’s legendary show at the venue (August 1 – 3). With Melvin Seals & JGB and AXIAL TILT 2025 on deck, it’s a love letter to a night that lives on in bootlegs and myth.

Even the San Francisco Giants are getting in on the action, with a Jerry Garcia Tribute Night on August 12 at Oracle Park. Ticket-holders get tie-dye jerseys, and Moonalice will provide the pre-game soundtrack. It’s the only baseball game where it’s perfectly acceptable to miss an inning while staring wistfully at the sky.

A museum for the movement

At the very corner where the counterculture was born, a new Counterculture Museum located at Haight and Ashbury, promises visitors more than a nostalgia trip. Expect immersive exhibits on everything from the Beat Generation to LSD’s artistic revolution, including a rare 1966 Acid Test recording featuring, you guessed it, The Grateful Dead.

And if you’re looking to crash in style, Hotel Zeppelin has your back with a travel package that’s as charmingly offbeat as the band itself. Dubbed the Dead-icated Stay, the suite comes with a vintage record player, hand-picked vinyl, The ABCs of the Grateful Dead book, Cherry Garcia ice cream, and a 10 per cent discount at the hotel’s retro-chic restaurants, including PLS (Peace, Love, Soul).

You won’t want to leave, but if you do, you’re just steps away from the beating heart of Haight-Ashbury.

To quote the band: “What a long, strange trip it’s been.” Lucky for us, it’s far from over.