Welcome to the Goldenpalooza Blog
Setting up Goldenpalooza 2026. Photo by James Bueti
Hi, neighbors! Welcome to the very first post on the Goldenpalooza blog.
This is the start of an ongoing series where you'll hear straight from the people who build this festival every year. That includes organizers, volunteers, artists, performers, sponsors, and the families who make Golden Hill and South Park such a great place to live. We'll share behind-the-scenes stories, introduce you to the folks who make the day happen, and keep you posted as each festival comes together. I’m Dave Crane, husband of Juli Crane, she’s the brains behind all of this ;)
For post number one, it made sense to start at the beginning. So here's how a school fundraiser idea became a free neighborhood music and arts festival, what we're building toward, and the brand-new addition we're bringing to Goldenpalooza 2027.
How did Goldenpalooza start?
Goldenpalooza began with a conversation at a PTO meeting in 2024. After discussing the previous year's Spring Fest and the need for a new approach, Juli Crane and fellow parent volunteers started thinking about what made Golden Hill and South Park unique. Their answer was the community's deep connection to the arts, with local visual artists, musicians, and performers all around them.
They envisioned something bigger than a traditional school fundraiser: a free, community-focused, family-friendly music and arts festival celebrating the local artists and independent businesses that make the community special, while raising funds for Golden Hill TK-5 Dual Language Immersion School.
The group approached the Golden Hill Recreation Center, secured a venue, and began planning what would become the first Goldenpalooza in May 2025. They quickly discovered that putting on a full-scale festival involved far more than they had anticipated. Permits, logistics, production, and countless other details became a crash course in event planning. With a small, determined team of parent volunteers and tremendous support from the school community, they pulled it all together.
The result was a successful inaugural festival that raised $8,000 in profit for the school.
By the second year, the team had learned a great deal and could be more intentional about the festival experience. They introduced dedicated festival zones, invited artists to create live and interactive art experiences, expanded the musical lineup, and grew attendance from approximately 400–500 people in 2025 to 700–800 in 2026.
What began as a conversation about how to bring the community together has grown into an annual celebration of music, art, local businesses, and families.
And the momentum is building. With each year, the team is finding new ways to celebrate the community, create opportunities for artists, and raise funds for the school's programs. Goldenpalooza remains rooted in the same idea that started it all: the belief that a community's creativity can bring people together and make a meaningful difference for its children.
Why Free Admission Matters
Golden Hill is a Title I public school serving a wonderfully diverse community of families. Some families can easily pay to get into a big festival. Many can't. Free admission means every student can bring their whole family, and every neighbor is welcome to walk in, find a spot on the grass, and enjoy live music all afternoon. Our long-term goal is to make even more of the festival experience free, so cost is never a barrier to joining in.
That one choice shapes everything we do. Since we don't charge an entry fee, the festival runs on local sponsors, vendor booths, merchandise, and a whole lot of volunteer hours. Sponsors cover the big costs, like the stage and sound, and the entire neighborhood gets to enjoy the result.
It's a simple trade, and it works. Local businesses invest in the neighborhood, and the neighborhood shows up for them.
From 500 Neighbors to 800
The first Goldenpalooza happened in 2025 at the Golden Hill Recreation Center. About 500 people came out for live music, art activities, food, and a community marketplace. For a first-year event run entirely by volunteers, that felt huge.
That first festival was scrappy, generous, and a little suspenseful: clouds threatened the rain all afternoon, but it held off until the final 15 minutes, when a light sprinkle finally arrived. Local news coverage helped spread the word along with our budding social media account, and PTO families stepped in wherever they were needed to bring the day together. The community showed up in memorable ways, too. Matteo Cattaneo, Buona Forchetta’s founder, donated 100% of his festival proceeds through Matteo for a Cause, his nonprofit café in the Juniper Street space now occupied by Bedda. Local artists including Gus (@eyegato) and @artbytinynightmare gave live art demonstrations, while kids could try face painting and rock painting or make zines with Alex Acosta. Those first-year moments showed us that Goldenpalooza could be more than a fundraiser: it could be a neighborhood celebration built by the people who call this place home.
In 2026, on May 16, Goldenpalooza grew up. Around 800 people joined us, and the festival felt bigger and more polished in every direction.
Art happening live. Muralist Justin Huelbig (@compagniacreativa) painted on site, while kids and grown-ups got hands-on at the art tables. Most live artist demos came through San Diego Made Factory; SD Art Matters and ArtReach San Diego also had booths at the event.
A real marketplace. Local makers and small businesses filled the Makers Market.
The day, captured. Photographer James Bueti (@jbueti) donated his time and documented the whole thing. Most of the photos on this blog are his.
Setting the main stage for local performers. Photo by James Bueti (0012)
We asked attendees what they thought, and two comments stuck with us. One person told us, "This is the most special event and I wish even more people knew about it!" Another said, "I just moved in to the neighborhood and love seeing this type of event. I think it could get better and better every year!"
We agree on both counts. That's a big reason this blog exists.
What We're Building Toward
Our team recently put into words why Goldenpalooza exists and where it's headed. Here's what we landed on.
Our mission: Goldenpalooza brings people of all ages and backgrounds together through music, art, and shared experiences that create connection, celebrate creativity, strengthen the Golden Hill community, and raise funds for Golden Hill TK-5 Dual Language Immersion School.
Our vision: To become a beloved Golden Hill tradition: a vibrant, joyful, and financially sustainable music and arts festival where everyone can freely participate, powered by community support and rooted in the arts, music, and creativity of Golden Hill and San Diego.
Four principles guide the decisions we make along the way:
Music and art at the center. Live music, creativity, and opportunities for local artists stay at the heart of the festival.
Rooted in Golden Hill. We build it with our neighbors, local businesses, artists, and families, so it reflects the place we call home.
Belonging and access. Everyone should feel welcome, and cost should never be a barrier to joining in.
Community-powered. Broad local support keeps the festival sustainable and keeps funds flowing to students.
Where the Money Goes
In both 2025 and 2026, we used our festival profits to pay for ArtReach San Diego art programs at Golden Hill. That means an afternoon of music in the park turns into art programs for students back in their classrooms. Every sponsor, vendor, and festival goer is part of that.
Merch. Booth, Photo by James Bueti (0137)
New for 2027: Our First Beer Garden, Hosted by Bock
Mark your calendars: Goldenpalooza 2027 is Saturday, May 15, from 11am to 5pm at the Golden Hill Recreation Center. Admission is free, as always.
And this year, we're adding something new. For the first time ever, Goldenpalooza will have a beer garden, hosted by our neighbors at Bock in South Park.
This felt like a natural fit. Bock has been a Goldenpalooza supporter since our first year, and they're the kind of neighborhood spot that makes this part of town feel like a community. When we started talking about a beer garden, they were all in.
Bock is covering 100% of the beer garden’s expenses, helping make this new gathering spot possible while keeping admission to Goldenpalooza free.
The beer garden will give us grown-ups a relaxed spot to enjoy a local pour and some live music while the kids are busy at the art tables and play areas. The beer garden will be a 21+ area inside the sports field, near the entrance across from the Main Stage. Staff will check IDs at the entrance. Hours are expected to be 12–4 p.m., and beer and wine are likely. The schedule and beverage prices are still being finalized. Goldenpalooza is still a family festival first, and the beer garden is designed with that in mind.
One more change for 2027: our team is managing the Makers Market and vendor booths directly this year. If you're a local maker, food vendor, or community group who'd like a booth, email us at hello@goldenpaloozasd.com.
A local maker’s booth at the festival. Photo by James Bueti
How Local Businesses Can Help
Here's where we're honest about what it takes. To keep planning on track, our goal is to secure $12,000 in stage and performance sponsorships by December 31, 2026.
Early commitments let us book the stage, lock in performers, and keep growing the festival. They also come with a bonus: sponsor logos only make it onto the official festival poster if the sponsorship is received by December 31.
We offer sponsorship levels for every size of business:
Presenting Sponsor: $5,000 (1 available)
Platinum Sponsor: $2,000 (2 available)
Gold Sponsor: $1,000 (4 available)
Silver Sponsor: $500 (8 available)
Zone Sponsor: $350 (12 available)
Depending on the level, sponsors get booth space, stage signage, on-stage recognition, social media features, and placement on the festival poster. Our Presenting and Platinum sponsors also get their own feature right here on the blog. And the Presenting Sponsor's name goes on the festival itself: "Goldenpalooza 2027, presented by [Your Company]."
New this year: Friends of Goldenpalooza. Not a business? You can still help. A $100 donation from families, alumni, neighbors, or individual supporters helps bring the Goldenpalooza stage to life. Friends are recognized by name on our website and community supporter listing. You can give in honor of a teacher, student, or family member, and anonymous gifts are welcome too.
Anyone can give. You don't need a business or a sponsorship level to make a difference. Every donation, big or small, helps keep the music playing and the art tables full for Golden Hill students. Donate to Goldenpalooza on Zeffy
Golden Hill TK-5 Parent Teacher Organization is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit (EIN 92-0900648), so all donations are tax-deductible.
Thank You, and What's Next
None of this happens without the businesses, neighbors, and community partners who believed in Goldenpalooza from the start. We’re grateful to everyone who sponsored, supported, and helped bring the festival to life.
Thank you also to every volunteer, performer, artist, maker, and family who spent a Saturday with us. You're the reason it works.
A volunteer preparing a hands-on activity. Photo by James Bueti
Over the coming months, this blog will feature sponsor spotlights, artist and performer interviews, behind-the-scenes looks at how the festival comes together, and stories from our volunteers. You'll hear from several members of the Goldenpalooza team along the way.
Want to Get Involved?
Sponsor or donate to Goldenpalooza 2027: Email sponsors@goldenpaloozasd.com or give through our Zeffy page.
Follow along: Find us on Instagram at @goldenpaloozasd for festival news, lineup announcements, and plenty of photos.
Say hi: Questions, ideas, or a creative collaboration in mind? Reach us at hello@goldenpaloozasd.com.
We'll see you on May 15. Bring the color. Bring the beat.
Dave, for Team Goldenpalooza
