Business Presenting Partner Parameters

How to Participate in the San Francisco International Arts Festival

San Francisco International Arts Festival (SFIAF) is interested in collaborating with Mission based businesses who would like to present concerts or public performance events with musicians or other performing artists as part of the Festival program from April 30 – May 11, 2025 and / or April 30 – May 10, 2026.

The theme of the Festival is IN DIASPORA: I.D. for the New Majority and SFIAF has lists of musical and other artists that want to participate in the program and for whom we are looking for suitable venues.

Our goal is to match these artists with appropriate partners whose businesses either:

• Want to participate in a multidisciplinary, multi-venue performing arts event that:
  
  
  • Epitomizes the progressive and revolutionary spirit of the Mission District and San Francisco;
    
    
  • Celebrates the communities and cultures that are present in the Mission District and San Francisco;
    
    
  • Galvanizes and coordinates the existing arts and cultural infrastructure of the Mission District so the whole becomes more than the sum of the parts;
    
    
  • Enhances the local program with unique performing artists from around the world;
    
    
  • Attracts visitors to the Mission District and the City of San Francisco, providing economic stimulus to many small businesses and merchants.
    
    
• Present music or other performing arts as part of their ongoing operations.
  
  
• Think there is a benefit to having music and / or other performances take place in their establishments;
  
  
• Have a passion for music and the performing arts and want to be arts patrons!
  
  
• We also welcome businesses suggesting to us those professional artists, whose work can be incorporated within the I.D. Theme, whom they would like to present as part of the Festival.
  
  
• If these are longer term ideas for the 2026 Festival, we can also discuss the possibility of grant writing and fundraising for the project.
  

Permit & Insurance Parameters

There are several criteria for businesses who wish to participate in the Festival. These are laid out below.

• First, we must check the City's Planning Code website: https://sfplanninggis.org/pim/ to find out what type of performing arts activity is allowed at the venue. Once we have established whether live performance is permitted, we can address the remaining parameters below.
  
  
• Place of Assembly Permit. If the venue has an audience capacity of 50 or more and does not have a place of assembly permit, it might be possible to obtain a temporary permit as an ancillary use through the Festival at no-cost. Please contact us to discuss.*
  
  
• If a venue has a seating capacity of 49 persons or less, a place of assembly permit is not required.
  
  
• Sound Permit. If a venue does not have a suitable sound permit to host live performances, SFIAF will secure the relevant number of one-day sound permits at no cost to the business.
  
  
• Public Liability & Accident Insurance. It is optimum that a venue has its own public liability and accident insurance. However, if it does not, then SFIAF can provide this at no cost.
  
  

* If the venue has an audience capacity of 50 or more persons, does not have a public assembly permit and cannot get one as an ancillary use, SFIAF will work with the business to look at the viability of applying for such a permit in order to participate in 2026.

What Does SFIAF Provide to Businesses Participating in the Festival?

Marketing & Publicity

• Each concert will be:
  
  
  • Listed in the Festival Brochure at no cost;
    
    
  • Given a home page on the SFIAF Website and be listed in our Website Calendar and Discipline Menus at no cost;
    
    
  • Included in SFIAF Press Releases and pitched to the media at no cost;
    
    
  • Included in the standard SFIAF social media marketing campaign, including a Facebook Event Page at no cost (paid options are available as well);
    
    
  • Eligible for shared/discounted advertising rates with SFIAF media sponsors (including BART, LatinBayArea.com, Mission Local and DoTheBay);
    
    
  • Provided with on-site signage that states the venue is programming as part of the Festival.

Box Office Services

• For all ticketed and non-ticketed events, SFIAF will:
  
  
  • Set up the event in the Festival's online box office to sell or reserve tickets at no cost.
    
    
  • Manage all advance sales and reservations and share this information with the business at no cost.
    
    
  • Provide on-site box office staff when needed at $30 per person per hour.
    
    
  • Allow businesses to run their own professionally managed box office operation in conjunction with SFIAF.
    
    
  • Or, if a business has an exclusive contract with a ticketing platform, the business must allow SFIAF to sell advance tickets on consignment.

Front of House Management

• If the business does not have a front of house operation or a means of managing audience members, SFIAF can provide house management staff at $30 per person per hour

What must the business provide?

• As described above in terms of permits and insurance, a venue that is up to code and suitable or adaptable for the type of artist with whom the business wishes to work.
  
  
• A stage area suitable for the artist(s).
  
  
• An area where box office staff can safely check RSVP lists, process tickets and make at-the-door sales.
  
  
• A suitable sound system with appropriate staffing to operate the sound system. If needs be, SFIAF can organize and provide a sound system and technical staff, however we will pass this cost on to the business.
  
  
• Sufficient time in the venue for the artist to set up and prepare for the event. For most musicians this will include a sound check immediately beforehand. For other types of performing artists, it may require their being at the venue in the days prior to the event. Ideally, this type of preparation takes place during times when the venue is not open to the public.
  
  
• A willingness and ability to participate in promoting the event taking place at their venue. Depending on venue size and capacity, this may include a monetary budget.

What constitutes a performance?

• A concert or performance event that is open to the public (age restrictions may apply) that usually lasts between 60 – 120 minutes.
  
  
• A concert or performance event that is the primary activity at the venue or the section of the venue where the concert takes place. A concert does not preclude food and beverage service, but the concert cannot just be, for example, background music to accompany a meal.

Artist Fees 2025 – Free “non-ticketed” Performances

• The business must offer a minimum artist fee of $150. In addition, SFIAF will charge the business 10% of the fee paid to the artist (e.g. a minimum of $15 for a total of $165). Note: artists are looking for the best terms possible, so offering the minimum will not necessarily guarantee our being able to make a match and persuade an artist to select a given venue.
  
  
• If SFIAF manages the event in whole or in part, we will also bill the business for staff and equipment costs at the levels indicated above.

Artist Fees 2025 – Ticketed Performances

• SFIAF can negotiate the artist fee between the parties or it can be a negotiation directly between the business and the artist. Venues have the option of paying the artist a guarantee and keeping the ticket income (which artists tend to prefer) or proposing a split of the box office with the artist. A typical SFIAF agreement with local artists includes a 75% / 25% split to the artist.
  
  
• Another model that can work with establishments such as bars and restaurants is a combination of a guarantee and a split of the door, or a split of the door based on the number of attendees (the business takes a percentage to cover performance related staffing costs until there is a pre-agreed level of attendance).
  
  
• If SFIAF staff are not required to manage the event (i.e. we do not need to have staff present and the business can accurately process and record advance and at-the-door ticket sales), we take 10% of the gross box office.
  
  
• If SFIAF manages the event in whole or in part, we will negotiate terms with the business to cover staffing and equipment costs on a case-by-case basis.
  
  
• If SFIAF is only selling advance tickets as part of a consignment agreement, we will take 20% of the consignment sales. In these instances, we expect that the business will be fully able to manage both the venue and the event and that SFIAF staff will not be needed on-site.

Artist Fees for 2026 (or later)

• As referenced above, if a business wants to discuss participation in the 2026 Festival, it might be possible to secure grants and other types of donations to underwrite the cost of a production--particularly if the project involves the creation of new work.

For more details and for answers to questions, please call our office at 415-399-9554 or email [email protected]