San Francisco, CA (Top40 Charts/ Project Sport) Event producers Project Sport announced today the revival of their "Grapes of Rock" event at San Francisco's Ft.
Mason Center on November 3, 2013. The event - which benefits the Salvation Army - will showcase several Northern California winegrowers and feature a live performance by rock icon Bret Michaels.
"We're thrilled to be returning to the City by the Bay," said Michaels. "San Francisco knows how to do it. We're going to have a great time for a great cause." The date adds to the end of a busy calendar for Michaels that includes more than 50 summer tour stops and filming of his "Rock My RV" series on the Travel Channel.
Michaels' performance joins a festival of Northern California winemakers led by Sonoma's Kunde Family Estate winery and Livermore's Wente Vineyards, in addition to local food truck offerings and a team of breweries that include Ninkasi, Strike, Lagunitas and Speakeasy. Opening the stage for Michaels will be local party band Pop Rocks, and Northern California's country-rock star Pete Stringfellow.
Project Sport is also partnering with Snowbomb.com, the snowsports marketer which has traditionally held its annual expo at Ft.
Mason on that first Sunday in November. Snowbomb will present pre-season ski and snowboard gear.
Though traditionally an athletic event producer, Project Sport is organizing the Grapes of Rock independently as an entertainment function. The event was originally planned as an post-run festival following a June half-marathon in Sonoma County. Project Sport was forced to halt planning of that date and location due to logistical conflicts with the local community. The San Francisco move provides a more suitable location for the fundraiser.
"We were thinking big," said
Santa Rosa Salvation Army Board Member Wayne Rowlands. "Bret Michaels is a big attraction. Our event was ambitious. Placing it in a beautiful, quaint community was part of the enchantment. But as planning progressed, we realized it wasn't appropriate for that location."
"Our events serve three communities," continued Project Sport founder Ryan Dawkins. "We serve our athletes; we serve our host locations, their economy and their culture; and we serve our charitable partners. In order to meet that mission, we had to move Grapes of Rock."
While a separate event, the Grapes of Rock will follow Project Sport's flagship US Half Marathon, making its 13th running along the waterfront and over the Golden Gate Bridge earlier that morning. US Half runners will be offered discounted registration to the Grapes of Rock event. Capacity is being capped at 5,000 attendees, with ticket sales open now.
"This is great wine, beer, food, and party rock," said Project Sport VP Ryan Chamberlain. "If you were to personally ask San Franciscans what they want to do on a Sunday afternoon, at least 5,000 of them would answer just that."
