TGIF Concerts in the Parks Continues This Weekend in Carlsbad

The 29th season of the City of Carlsbad’s “TGIF Concerts in the Parks” free outdoor concert series will add the city’s new Alga Norte Community Park to its locations, which also include Stagecoach, Poinsettia and Calavera Hills Community Parks. 

On-site food options at TGIF also expand this year with the addition of several new vendors providing hot dogs, hamburgers, pizza, frozen yogurt, barbecue and more.

Also starting this year, the city’s Parks & Recreation Department is asking early birds to wait until 4 p.m. to stake out their spots on the grass.  Putting tarps and blankets on the turf for hours on a summer day can damage the fields.  Concert crews also need room to safely set up each night's event.

TGIF concerts feature a lively mix of local bands and top touring groups. The music covers a wide range of danceable styles from big band swing to rhythm and blues to Latin salsa, with country, pop and soul in the lineup as well. 

The 2014 TGIF concerts began on June 27 and continue through Aug. 22, presented by the city’s Cultural Arts Office.  All concerts begin at 6 p.m. and end at 8 p.m.  Family Open Studios, the free hands-on art-making activity for families, is held one night at each park. More information on TGIF Concerts in the Parks can be found at carlsbadca.gov/arts.

The first two concerts took place at Stagecoach Community Park.

TGIF continues this weekend with concerts at Alga Norte Community Park, 6565 Alicante Road at Poinsettia Lane. Free shuttle service will operate from 4:30 to 9 p.m. at Ocean Collection and Arrowhead Insurance Group properties at 2500 Campbell Place off Gateway Road.

July 11 Mingo Fishtrap - Funk/soul/R&B
Five-time South by Southwest/Austin Music Award winner Mingo Fishtrap mixes punchy horns and deep rhythms with emotive Motown-style soul.

July 18   Susie Hansen Latin Band - Latin/salsa/cumbia
Electric violinist Susie Hansen leads a sizzling, swinging band of all-stars who play traditional salsa, Cuban Charango and Latin-spiced American standards.

TGIF moves to Poinsettia Community Park, 6600 Hidden Valley Road, for three concerts beginning in late July. Free shuttle service will operate from 4:30 to 9 p.m. from North Coast Calvary Chapel, 1330 Poinsettia Lane at Aviara Parkway.

July 25  Liquid Blue - cover dance mix
This San Diego based international act features Grammy winning musicians, a Billboard hit songwriter and a Chinese Idol finalist. It performs the best in top pop dance hits.

Aug. 1  Nikki Hill – rockin’ soul and blues
Nikki Hill’s raw, powerhouse voice with its Stax soul dynamics and her band, The Pirate Crew, deliver an unfiltered energy that makes the dance floor audience believe in rock and roll again.

Aug. 8  Lost Dog Found - swing
This Bay Area band’s combination of jump blues, Americana, swing, rock, and soul blends the best of Ray Charles, Bruno Mars and Brian Setzer.

Calavera Hills Community Park, site of the final two concerts, is at 2997 Glasgow Drive on the corner of Carlsbad Village Drive. Free shuttle service will operate between 4:30 and 9 p.m. from Sage Creek High School, 3900 Cannon Road at College Boulevard.

Aug. 15 Ricardo Lemvo & Makina Loca - world dance
With Cuban jams, afro-pop and a little salsa, Lemvo and his group Makina Loca create a seamless blend of rhythmic traditions.

Aug. 22 The Mighty Untouchables - cover dance mix
The Mighty Untouchables are a classy septet playing and singing Marvin Gaye, Michael Jackson, Prince, Santana, AC/DC, Stevie Wonder, The Temptations, Celia Cruz, Earth, Wind & Fire and more.

What to bring and what not to bring to the concerts:

Patrons should bring low-back beach chairs and ground cover to TGIF concerts. Long-sleeve shirts, long pants and insect repellent with “deet” are recommended as a precaution against mosquitoes carrying West Nile Virus. A wide selection of food vendors is offered, and patrons may also bring their own picnics. Opportunity drawings are conducted during the intermission by the Carlsbad Friends of the Arts to support the concert series and other cultural programs. The use of bikes, skateboards, skates and roller blades is not allowed in the parks during concerts. Pets, smoking and personal barbeque grills are not allowed in city parks by municipal ordinance.

Since 1986, the City of Carlsbad’s Cultural Arts Office has worked to make arts and culture an integral and inspiring part of the community’s life, through programs and services such as TGIF Concerts in the Parks, Family Open Studios, Three Part Art, the William D. Cannon Art Gallery and City of Carlsbad Sculpture Garden, Carlsbad Community Arts Grants and other activities. The Cultural Arts Office seeks to create connections among artists, cultural organizations, community groups, businesses, visitors and residents that sustain and promote a thriving, diverse, creative city.

—City of Carlsbad