Overlooking Mission Bay Park and downtown San Diego, Kate Sessions Memorial Park is a local favorite for picnics, walking trails and summer barbeques.

The long stretch of grassy hillside at the park is also home to San Diego’s very own Summer Concerts on the Green series, a free five-part event throughout July and August.

This year’s concert series organized by the Pacific Beach Town Council will kick off at 4 p.m. Sunday, July 13 with local bands, food vendors, games, activities and nonprofit groups.

The first concert will feature a partnership with Pacific Records Showcase, a local Southern Californian record label that produces and distributes music. From 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. audiences can enjoy performances from six musical guests — Sandollar, The Tourmaliners, Kela Sako, Shane Hall, Slack Key ‘Ohana and Kristina Bennett.

Subsequent concerts from 4 to 7 p.m. will be Full Strength on July 20, Paging the ‘90s on July 27, Dirty Bird on Aug. 3 and Liquid Blue on Aug. 10.

“Every concert has a different flavor to it; we don’t want them all to be the same,” said PB Town Council President Charlie Nieto. “Each one is unique and this way we can highlight a more broad diversity of talent, and it keeps people coming back.”

The first concert will be like its very own music festival, according to Nieto, because the council’s partnership with Pacific Records is featuring multiple musical guests instead of just one headliner.

Nieto has been a part of the PB Town Council since 2020 and this is his third year as its president. Part of his duties include organizing events like the Concerts on the Green series and ensuring the council’s community projects run smoothly.

“This event started before the pandemic, it’s been going on for about a decade.” Nieto said. “But originally, it was a much smaller one-day event at Kate Sessions, and then the town council picked it up and expanded it to be a five-day event. Now it’s much bigger, the whole park is used and there’s a big stage for musicians.”

Nieto said there are usually about 5,000 people in the park for each concert.

“We fill up the whole park,” he said. “Part of this expansion has just been taking the formula we’ve built each year, this formula for success, and refining it a little so we can make the event bigger and better.”

This year, Nieto said they are focusing on making the concert series more family friendly. The event will feature a “kid’s corner” where children can enter a zone dedicated to crafts, games and other activities. During the event’s first hour, before the bands start playing, Nieto said there will be more activities for families to enjoy. These include a limbo game, a “baby race” hosted by San Diego Running Co. and other activities organized by volunteers from King’s Cross Church and the San Diego Gulls hockey team.

Concertgoers can also purchase food from local PB favorites. This year a number of vendors such as Filippi’s Pizza, Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream & Yogurt, The Crack Shack and Shawarma Shack will be selling food.

“The first concert has a community night theme, and this will probably be the biggest event,” Nieto said. “And as a part of that theme we’re partnering with local nonprofits to have tables so they can engage and educate the community.”

Some of these groups include the PB Planning Group, beautifulPB and Discover PB.

“Another new thing we’re doing is hosting a community raffle, and this is a way to give local businesses some exposure,” Nieto said.

While there will be donation links to support the Concerts on the Green series and the council’s work, Nieto said the best way to give financial support is by buying raffle tickets at the event. For $1 each, attendees can purchase as many tickets as they want for the chance to win a basket full of gift cards, vouchers, merchandise, food and more.

Want to go?

Concerts on the Green

Where: Kate Sessions Park, 5115 Soledad Road, Pacific Beach

When: 4-7 p.m. Sunday, July 13, 20 and 27, Aug. 3 and 10.

Cost: free, but food and raffle tickets available for purchase.

Good to know: Bring lawn chairs or blankets for grass seating.