Thee Parkside Music Venue to Close After Bottom of the Hill

Potrero Hill venue announces it will stop live music at the end of March 2026 and become a bar for a few months before closing.

Jan. 29, 2026 at 1:31pm by Ben Kaplan

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Thee Parkside, a popular music venue in San Francisco's Potrero Hill neighborhood, has announced it will be closing down after the nearby Bottom of the Hill venue also announced its impending closure. The owners of Thee Parkside say the neighborhood will be "pretty boring" with both venues gone, as they represent the loss of the city's cultural "weirdos" and working class.

Why it matters

The closures of Thee Parkside and Bottom of the Hill are seen as emblematic of the broader changes San Francisco has undergone, with the loss of indie music venues and cultural hubs that have long defined the city's identity and creative spirit. This raises concerns about the city's ability to maintain its reputation as a hub for the arts, music, and counterculture.

The details

Thee Parkside announced on Instagram that they will be stopping live music at the end of March 2026 and then operating as just a bar for a few months before closing completely. The owners lamented that the neighborhood will be "pretty boring" with both Thee Parkside and Bottom of the Hill gone, saying it represents the loss of the city's cultural "weirdos" and working class.

  • Thee Parkside will stop hosting live music at the end of March 2026.
  • Thee Parkside will operate as a bar for a few months after stopping live music before closing completely.

The players

Thee Parkside

A popular music venue in San Francisco's Potrero Hill neighborhood that is now closing down.

Bottom of the Hill

Another longtime music venue in San Francisco that announced it will be closing at the end of 2026.

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What they’re saying

“Well, looks like we're gonna turn into a buncha condos,”

— Thee Parkside owners (Instagram)

“This neighborhood will be pretty boring with both us and Bottom Of The Hill gone, but I feel like we're just one more small business dying in this city: the culture, the 'weirdos', the arts, the working class are all going to be gone. The third spaces that once thrived will be replaced with bland and expensive corporations or will sit vacant.”

— Thee Parkside owners (Instagram)

What’s next

The city of San Francisco has announced the creation of a new Executive Director of Arts and Culture position to oversee the city's arts and culture strategy, with the goal of helping to strengthen the creative economy through grants, public art projects, and other initiatives. However, it's unclear if these efforts will be able to save venues like Thee Parkside and Bottom of the Hill in the short term.

The takeaway

The closures of iconic San Francisco music venues like Thee Parkside and Bottom of the Hill represent the broader challenges the city faces in preserving its cultural identity and creative spirit in the face of rapid development and gentrification. The loss of these beloved community hubs raises concerns about the future of San Francisco's vibrant arts and music scene.