Jennifer Stabile and Beth Smith came to the Ferry Building Plaza Sunday for a wine tasting – five glasses for $20 – and stumbled into a much better deal. There were free bands and DJs on three stages, turning a few hours of sampling wine into an entire Sunday afternoon of entertainment.
“The DJ just gives you that chill moment,” explained Stabile, 45, a Nob Hill resident, as the friends finished off their first glass, a chardonnay. “It drowns out the cars on the Embarcadero and makes you feel like you are part of something.”
Stabile and Smith had unknowingly come to Ferry Fest, a free celebration of the historic building and its landmark clocktower on its 128th birthday. Curated by event producer Noise Pop, the festival featured eight bands covering the spectrum from country to alternative. The music got louder as the day went on.
“We want to establish that the Ferry Building is a community hub, not only a place where you go to buy Farmers’ Market produce or to walk through to catch a ferry,” said Lillian Chesser, director of events for Hudson Pacific Properties, which manages the property for the Port of San Francisco. “Today is a chance for us at the Ferry Building to give back to the community and thank everyone because it’s the people who make the building vibrant.”
Katelyn Tighe, left, and Katie Porter at a vintage clothing display during Ferry Fest at the Ferry Building. (Carlos Avila Gonzalez/S.F. Chronicle)
This is the second year of Ferry Fest, which honors the terminal’s opening on July 13, 1898. Last year’s inaugural drew 5,000 people, and event organizers estimated that this year’s event drew closer to 25,000 between the visitors to the Farmer’s Market and the game at Oracle Park, which kept the morning and afternoon ferries crowded.
Between the daily crush of tourists and commuters and special events like the wine tasting Sunday promoted by the Napa Valley Vintners more than 11 million people visit the building annually.
The entertainment at Sunday’s event was paid for by Hudson Pacific, which had staff pass out patches reading “I Left My Heart at the Ferry Building,” to be ironed on to Giants home jerseys.
Steve April and Esther Selby had taken their usual Sunday trip across the bay from Pleasant Hill when they saw the main stage behind the ferry dock and sat down at a table not knowing who was playing or what it was all about.
Simi Hansen, left, and Megan Armstrong, right, dance with their kids during Ferry Fest. (Carlos Avila Gonzalez/S.F. Chronicle)
“It’s unusual to have music so we’re going to hang around it,” said April, 76, who soon learned from the emcee that they were about to see the pop soul duo Animal Prince, premiering their new album.
“I’ve never heard of them but so far so good,” April said after the first number. It takes me back to the Motown days.”
Bree Geary of Emeryville had never taken the ferry before arriving Sunday with her husband Jeff and their eight-month-old son Max. They were both fixated by Window the Artist, an act that features a singer, a guitarist and a painter sitting at an easel.
“I feel like this is what San Francisco is all about,” she said. “A great vibe and beautiful weather.”
There was music everywhere, even inside and upstairs where a DJ spun tunes while shoppers flipped through racks of hangers at The Pickwick Vintage Shop sale.
“I feel like it puts energy into the shopping experience,” said Lauren Maltz, 31, of San Francisco.
Tica Bonita with Happy Cake Face Painting twirls a rainbow banner during Ferry Fest at the Ferry Building. (Carlos Avila Gonzalez/S.F. Chronicle)
Mike Robertson, a tourist from Brisbane, Australia, stopped by just before noon to get a chai latte and a signature pastry from Parachute bakery inside the Ferry building. He waited 20 minutes for the chocolate Entremet, a sort of layered chocolate cake with crémeux, caramel and fleur de sel. Then the music started up, and he altered his plans for his last day in the city.
“I have six hours to kill before my 14-hour flight home,” he said. “I could be anywhere right now. I could be walking across the Golden Gate Bridge. But I chose to be here, loving the vibe of this community festival.”
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This article originally published at Ferry Building birthday party attracts thousands to San Francisco’s Embarcadero.