Concerts in the Park celebrates 25th anniversary season with new brand and exciting lineup

Sacramento’s longest-running outdoor music festival reflects the urban core and its deep musical roots

SACRAMENTO, CA (March 25, 2016) – With a history as Sacramento’s longest-running outdoor music festival, Concerts in the Park (CIP) returns for its 25th season on May 6, 2016 with an exciting new brand that captures the energy that is pulsing through downtown, and an impressive lineup of nationally touring artists and the region’s greatest musical talents. Managed by the Downtown Sacramento Partnership, the free summer music festival launches at Cesar Chavez Plaza and continues each Friday night from 5 to 9 p.m. through July 29 (note: there is no concert on July 1).

Designed by Honey Agency, the new brand pays tribute to CIP’s home for the past 25 years – Cesar Chavez Plaza in downtown Sacramento. The brand pulls in art deco elements from the park, along with representations of iconic downtown buildings. However, the design is really two-fold. The bottom portion of the logo draws inspiration from the Sacramento Public Library but can also be viewed as a record. The portion that was inspired by the Renaissance Tower doubles as a microphone and the Wong Center is reminiscent of a headstock on a guitar.

The lineup is equally reflective of CIP’s influence on Sacramento’s local music scene and features nationally touring artists like Chuck Ragan, Hail the Sun, and Tyler Rich, along with local favorites like James Cavern, The Brodys, and Who Cares. Additionally, Sacramento’s hottest DJs will be spinning between sets. “The energy that is pulsing through downtown Sacramento is palpable. And nothing captures that energy better than Concerts in the Park,” said Downtown Sacramento Partnership Events Manager Sureena Johl. “This year’s lineup is a testament to CIP’s prominence in that it has now become a draw for nationally touring artists. However, the majority of the artists have Sacramento-area roots and CIP remains deeply committed to showcasing the region’s greatest musical talents.” The full lineup can be viewed at godowntownsac.com/cip. Join the conversation using #CIP2016.

Top 5 CIP Facts

  • Cake, Tesla, Deftones, The Brodys, and Blackalicous have all played CIP
  • CIP was originally started as a partnership between Downtown Sacramento Partnership and Sacramento News and Review
  • CIP saw nearly 70,000 music fans in 2015 with an average of nearly 6,000 attendees per week
  • Roughly 500 bands have taken to the CIP stage over the past 25 years
  • Cesar Chavez Plaza has always been home to CIP

2016 Concerts in the Park Lineup

May 6: James Cavern
Tessa Evans, Current Personae, DJ Epik

May 20: (Headliner TBA on 4/1/16)
Dusty Brown, Joseph in the Well, Death Party at the Beach, DJ: Young Aundee

June 3: Hail the Sun
Kill the Precedent, NMBRSTTN, Peace Killers, Trash Rock DJs

June 17: Vokab Kompany
Who Cares, Good Samaritans, The Scratch Outs, DJ: CrookOne

July 1: No Concert
Happy 4th of July weekend

July 15: Drop Dead Red
Hans! And the HOT MESS, PointDexter, Soft Science, DJ: Zephyr 

July 29: The Brodys
The J Band, TL Miller Experience, The Heartbreak Time Machine, DJ: Joseph ONE

May 13: New Kingston
Element Brass Band, They Went Ghost, Andrew Castro, DJ Eddie Z 

May 27: Chuck Ragan
Darius Koski, Humble Wolf, Ghost Town Rebellion, DJ: Benji the Hunter 

June 10: Authority Zero
Another Damn Disappointment, O’Mulligans, Little Tents, DJ: My Cousin Vinny

June 24: Arden Park Roots
JRas & Iriefuse, ZFG, DJ: Squarefield Massive

July 8: Tyler Rich
Hannah Jane Kile, Colleen Heauser, Taylor Green, DJ Rawhide

July 22: Some Fear None
Cemetery Sun, Sages, A Mile Till Dawn, DJ Oasis

About Downtown Sacramento Partership
The 2016 Concerts in the Park music festival is presented by Bud Light and sponsored by Sacramento Republic FC, Nationwide, Kaiser Permanente, Republic Services, Sacramento Area Bicycle Advocates (SABA), SubMerge Magazine, KQCA/My58, Estrella TV, 98 Rock, Radio 94.7, and Sactown Magazine.

The Downtown Sacramento Partnership’s mission is to establish downtown Sacramento as the vibrant business, cultural and entertainment destination in the Sacramento region through effective private-public collaboration to benefit residents, visitors and investors.