Alameda City officials put in request to discontinue Portola festival

City officials in Alameda have issued a request to discontinue Portola Music Festival just a year after its debut.

The local government announced last Wednesday (October 4) that the San Francisco-based festival's 2023 edition caused “significant noise complaints” to Alameda residents across the Bay this year, much like its 2022 event.

City officials said that this was in spite of “changes made by the operator to try to address the noise impacts experienced last year.”

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A formal request from the City of Alameda has been issued, asking that the San Francisco Entertainment Commission discontinue the event in 2024 — or that Portola move to a new location where local residents will not be impacted.

This year, Portola Music Festival took place from September 30 - October 1 hosted at Pier 80, a 60-acre site to the East of San Francisco. The event finished at 11:PM each night.

In anticipation of this year’s event, and following noise complaints last year, Alameda police said that event organisers were working to “mitigate the sound”, but added that “we still may hear bass from across the Bay”. They encouraged those affected to contact the community hotline.

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Locals are also now being encouraged to raise concerns by contacting the Entertainment Commission directly. Reddit users have come together to save Portola from potential discontinuation, urging fans to email the commission with reasons to approve the event.

“If you had a great time at Portola 2023 and would like the SF Entertainment Commission to approve Portola 2024 in spite of Alameda noise complaints, you can email the SF Entertainment Commission directly,” a user posted under the Portola Subreddit.

Read our review of Portola Music Festival 2022 here.

Gemma Ross is Mixmag's Assistant Editor, follow her on Twitter