About TGIF and Helpful Hints

About TGIF Concerts in the Parks

Over 30 years ago, the Cultural Arts Office began hosting free live music in a few parks in Carlsbad. With only a few floor boards and some lights, a few hundred friends and neighbors joined us for what became Jazz in the Parks for over 25 years. As time went on, more and more music lovers joined us for fun summer nights until and the concerts moved from park to park as our audience grew. In 2014, TGIF found its current home at Stagecoach, Poinsettia, Calavera Hills and Alga Norte community parks – the four largest parks in Carlsbad.

Throughout the years, TGIF has welcomed hundreds of guest musicians and hundreds of thousands of audience members into the parks for a memorable summer night. You’re now part of the largest family in Carlsbad – the TGIF family!

TGIF Concerts in the Parks is presented by the City of Carlsbad’s Cultural Arts Office and supported by the Carlsbad Friends of the Arts.

Plan Your Night at TGIF

At TGIF, music is just the beginning. Make sure to check out our on-site options during each TGIF event:

Visit Family Open Studios at all TGIF events for a hands-on art project for the whole family
We bring your picnic to you with our on-site food vendors, offering something for everyone:
- Bread and Cheese with gourmet grilled cheese
- Matador Paella with paella, tapas, salads and desserts
- The Beaten Berry with acai Bowls, cold pressed juice and lattes, kombucha and more
- Mangia Mangia Italian Kitchen with pasta, pizza and more
- Notorious Burgers with burgers, fries and wings

Meet different city departments and local nonprofits and learn about what they do for our community at each TGIF event
Win great prizes from the Carlsbad Friends of the Arts through the Opportunity Drawing. The Friends are a nonprofit organization dedicated to the arts in Carlsbad by promoting and supporting Cultural Arts Office exhibitions, activities and events that create the thriving and creative community that is Carlsbad. Interested in learning more? You can become a member of the Carlsbad Friends of the Arts today!

TGIF Helpful Hints

Make sure to read the Event Policies before heading to the parks.

Event Schedule

4 p.m.: Concert sites will open to the public and shuttle begin routes (no shuttles at Stagecoach Community Park)
5 p.m.: Preshow events begin
6 p.m.: Concert time!
7 p.m.: Carlsbad Friends of the Arts’ Opportunity Drawing
8 p.m.: Concert ends
All audience members must exit the park by 9 p.m. All shuttles end routes at 9 p.m. (no shuttles at Stagecoach Community Park), and parking lots close at 9:30 p.m.

View our 2019 TGIF Concerts in the Parks program.

Share Your Thoughts about TGIF

Your feedback is always welcome!

Please share what you think with our TGIF Concerts in the Parks survey, available here.

For more information, contact us at arts@carlsbadca.gov or 760-602-2090.