This San Francisco Venue Is Revolutionizing Socially Distanced Events
The team from The Midway discuss how to reinvigorate the local live music industry.
The DIY spirit of dance music has long been a part of the lifestyle, and no city embodies that more than San Francisco. Indeed the roots of rave culture lie in the re-appropriation of technology and, in particular, the occupation of unused spaces. As any hope of festival season or safe club events evaporated as a result of COVID, it was up to the dance music community to be the trailblazers, or guinea pigs, depending on how you look at things.
Germany led the way with the world’s first Drive-In rave. And as venues and promoters all over the world followed on with their own creative approaches to socially-distanced events, The Midway in San Francisco evaluated how it could reimagine its business model.
The 40,000-square-foot venue is part warehouse, part art gallery. Situated in the SF’s Dogpatch neighborhood, The Midway has become something of an institution, playing host to a swathe of dance music’s most lauded artists. In the months leading up to the outbreak of COVID and the subsequent lockdowns, the team welcomed Charlotte DeWitte, Claude VonStroke, Claptone and Bonobo, but the LED walls and lasers of its cavernous main room have been dark since March.
In a welcome development in May, outdoor spaces were deemed safe to reopen, bringing hope of inviting fans to the once-bustling patio area. This was made possible by The Midway’s full kitchen and café, Madame Zola’s Fortune.
We spoke to The Midway’s Booking Coordinator, Sarah West, to hear what it’s like being one of the only large-scale venues in the US willing and capable of reopening safely amidst a global pandemic. Read the full interview on the Festival Advisor website right now.
