“Organized” isn’t a word most would associate with Deadheads, the devoted fans of the Grateful Dead. But when it came to erecting Shakedown Street — the renegade marketplace that has trailed the band’s shows for decades, selling handmade art, screen-printed shirts, crystals, and other grassroots goods — it was something San Francisco officials couldn’t pull off alone.
The same Bay Area hippies who orchestrated the epic Shakedown Street during the band’s two-season run at the Sphere in Las Vegas are at it again. Dolores Park resident and Deadhead clothing slinger Molly Henderson has again joined forces with her Marin-based compatriots Jay and Liora Soladay — this time with the help of Sunshine Powers, owner of Love on Haight.
Henderson, who has relationships with employees at both the promoting company, Another Planet, and the San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department, said securing permits and corralling dozens of Grateful Dead fans can be a daunting task. So as a 35-year veteran of Shakedown Street, she jumped at the opportunity to use her connections to benefit her hometown.
“Shakedown Street represents an integral part of the culture and scene of the band,” she said.
This year’s market will unfold Aug. 1-3 from 10:30 a.m. until 6 p.m. along a 200-foot stretch of JFK Promenade, between Transverse Drive and Blue Heron Lake Drive. That’s about a mile from Polo Fields, where Dead & Company will play three shows, with guests including Trey Anastasio, Billy Strings, and Sturgill Simpson.
While the market is often punctuated by live music and impromptu vendors setting up shop at an agreed-upon but secretive location, this year’s event will be different. As always, it will be free and open to the public, but no food or beverages will be sold, alcohol is prohibited, and amplified sound is not allowed, according to a Parks Department spokesperson. Roughly 100 vendors will be in attendance.
“These concerts in the park are so contentious with local neighborhoods, so the whole reason they’ve condoned this is to keep it organized and prevent noise impact with the local residents,” Henderson said.
For vendors who were unable to secure a site at JFK Promenade, or are looking for a more unsanctioned vibe, plans are underway to erect an auxiliary Shakedown at Pier 48, where the band fronted by Grahame Lesh, son of Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh, is slated to play. Another market could emerge at the storied crossroads of Haight and Ashbury, where Powers said she plans to extend the hours of her store. Prepping for three days of festivities, she’s already calling the weekend “the tie-dye hippie Olympics.”
When Dead & Company came to San Francisco in July 2023, Haight was the busiest it had been “since the 1990s,” Powers said.
“It brought a new life into the street, I remember, from when I was a little girl,” she said. “The whole city is going to be banana pants, and I think every store is going to have extra magic to it.”