The Portola Music Festival receives 224 noise complaints despite noise reduction measures

ALAMEDA, CALIFORNIA. – Organizers of the Portola Music Festival say their two-day event drew sellout crowds of 42,000 people a day to Pier 80 in San Francisco, but despite efforts to reduce noise levels, hundreds of complaints were reported.

Goldenvoice, which also produces the Coachella festival, worked with the Port of San Francisco and the San Francisco Entertainment Commission to reduce noise levels after receiving hundreds of complaints in 2023 from Alameda residents across the bay , who said they could hear the noise of music in their homes.

This year, the Entertainment Commission said it received a total of 224 complaints through the city’s 311 hotline and the festival’s hotline. The event received 24 complaints on Saturday and 200 noise complaints on Sunday. Event coordinators said, “It is important to note that complaints from Alameda/East Bay residents have decreased from a total of 203 last year to a total of 80 this year. That’s a 61% decrease in complaints.”

However, it appears that the overall number of complaints has not decreased significantly, raising the question of whether the problem was shifted to other parts of the city when the public address system was moved away from the East Bay.

The San Francisco Entertainment Commission said Goldenvoice made sound adjustments that included reducing volume by 2 decibels, using multiple smaller sound sources instead of large sound sources, rotating stages north instead of east, adding acoustic ceilings and establishing a complaint board. Hotline.

“As in the past, the Port and Entertainment Commission will continue to work with event organizers to implement sound mitigation measures,” the Port of San Francisco said in a statement.

Some Alameda residents said they noticed the volume was slightly lower, but there was still some disruption.

Cachet Berger could hear the music coming from her home in Alameda.

“Because of where I live, I’m on the other side of the water and all the bass from the festival hit the water and come right at us,” said Cachet Berger, an Alameda resident whose home is right on the water is across from Pier 80 “We could hear it all weekend. But until last night it wasn’t as loud or as disruptive.”

Goldenvoice worked with San Francisco authorities to minimize noise by adjusting speaker placement and setting up a complaint hotline.

Residents say they have noticed a slight improvement.

“It was cloudy a few days ago so I thought that would keep the noise down, but yesterday it wasn’t very cloudy and we could still hear it at night,” said Jeff Reid, who lives on Shoreline Boulevard in Alameda.

A neighbor named Sue didn’t want to go on camera but said the noise continued late into Sunday night.

“Probably around 10 p.m. I heard more music and the thump, thump, thump got really louder,” Sue said.

Berger said it was just as loud as last year.

“Around 10 p.m., when the house quiets down and we go to bed for school and work, it hums for at least a good hour,” Berger said.

Berger says she called the complaint hotline.

“I tried it a few times before anyone responded, and they just took what I had to say about it verbatim,” Berger said.

It was also frustrating for residents that many had their windows open to stay cool, since homes in Alameda often don’t have air conditioning.

Berger says her son was in bed early before a school night and couldn’t sleep.

“As a child I loved this music and I wouldn’t have minded it being played in a suitable place or at the right times, but at 10pm on a Sunday night it’s too much.”

The Port of San Francisco and the San Francisco Entertainment Commission are responsible for permits. The Entertainment Commission’s permit fee was $539, and a spokesman said the city received other financial benefits for other departments, such as public safety, as well as an economic boost from visitors.

The port said it received $902,000 from event organizers for rent based on the square footage of the licensed area.

The port said organizers had stuck to the contract, which said music had to end at 11pm on Saturday night and 10.45pm on Sunday night.

Neighbors in Alameda say they just hope San Francisco officials listen to and address their concerns when the festival continues next year.

The Entertainment Commission issued the following statement to KTVU:

“Our seven-member entertainment commission and executive director, in consultation with our enforcement team, are in the process of analyzing 2024 complaint data and taking proactive steps from Goldenvoice to mitigate the impact of sound and strengthen lines of communication with the public,” it said read in the statement.

“Should Goldenvoice decide to host the Portola Music Festival again in 2025, Goldenvoice will be required to submit a permit application to both the Port of San Francisco – the land authority – and the Entertainment Commission to begin the permitting process in spring 2025. After EC employees hold an initial meeting with Goldenvoice’s production team to discuss operational plans. The seven-member Entertainment Commission will review Goldenvoice’s entertainment permit application at a public hearing. Goldenvoice must conduct neighborhood outreach prior to the Entertainment Commission’s public hearing to allow for public comment.