The area on Market Street between 5th and Van Ness is home to five large performance venues, with a collective capacity of more than 16,000. It is where daily life meets artistic expression, from impromptu street performances to awe-inspiring theater shows. Market Street Arts highlights the area’s role as a convergence of live music, theater, public art, cultural organizations, and creative entrepreneurship.

Market Street connects San Francisco to the greater Bay Area and the world. On any given night, it has served as a playground for San Francisco’s cultural scene dating back to 1907. With civic public spaces and activities throughout the year, Market Street is the backdrop for a diverse array of experiences, including world-renowned Pride parades, impassioned political rallies, and social demonstrations. With an array of retailers and cultural organizations, Market Street is a vibrant hub for both budding and renowned creatives and artists, where locals and visitors will discover something new. 

ABOUT THE MARKET STREET ARTS INITIATIVE

Led by the Mid-Market Business Association & Foundation, Market Street Arts is a multi-year collaboration between the City, neighborhood stakeholders, businesses, residents, private donors, and corporate sponsors to actualize the true potential of Mid-Market. It capitalizes on Mid-Market’s centralized location and creative infrastructure as San Francisco’s historic theater district. Implementation strategies specifically leverage the neighborhood’s larger cultural venues with a fabric of new and existing creative entrepreneurs, arts organizations, businesses, public art, beautification, and events of various scales, serving as a multipronged platform for creative expression, human connection, and economic investment.

Market Street Arts is funded by the Mid Market Foundation, a 501c3 established in 2019 to conceive, implement, and manage transformative programs, in partnership with the San Francisco Office of Economic and Workforce Development.