The organizers of the annual Stern Grove Festival in San Francisco are switching things up again for the summer concert series, after a few post-pandemic years in which a first-come-first-serve, online ticketing system left many fans out of luck.

Acknowledging that modern times and insurance requirements will keep them from going back to the old free-for-all format at Stern Grove, festival organizers announced Thursday that ticketing is going to be done at random via lottery for 2025 — in addition to small lots of last-minute physical tickets being made available at "community box offices," locations to be announced later, throughout the city.

Interested concertgoers will need to sign up for each show's lottery starting six weeks before the show date. The lottery will remain open for entry for two weeks, and close four weeks before the show. Then, within seven days, all lottery winners will be informed via email that they're getting tickets. And if they don't get any, determined fans can then seek out the community box offices the day before each show.

Since 2021, there has been fencing around the outdoor amphitheater area, and tickets were made available online 12 days before each performance, in order to control the size of the crowd. That system will now go away.

"We wish we lived in a world where there were no restrictions to get into a large-scale event," organizers say on the festival website. "However, in this day and age, in order to obtain the permits and insurance necessary to bring you free, live music at Stern Grove, we are required to implement crowd management processes and patron safety scans."

The organizers add that in this "new era" of the festival, "the caliber of artists that we are now working with require 'closed to the public' soundchecks, which occur the morning of the show." This prevents them from opening the gates early as they used to do, and allowing people to claim spots at will.

As they have for a while now, in addition to all the free tickets, there are a limited number of table seats and full tables that can be reserved for a donation. Individuals or small groups can reserve seats at community tables, and VIP tables can be reserved as well, by emailing [email protected].

They are also encouraging people to volunteer at the festival in exchange for free admission and snacks — you just have to email [email protected] for more info, and to express your interest.

This year's lineup for the concert series, which takes place on Sundays in Stern Grove from June 15 to August 17, is set to be announced next week. The organizers have already announced that The Pointer Sisters will be the headlining act of this year's Big Picnic on August 10.

The lottery opens for entries for the June 15 opening show on Sunday, May 4 at 10 am, and closes on May 18 at 10 am.

And, lest you complain about the new lottery system, the organizers would like to remind you, "Bringing Stern Grove Festival to life is a big effort. We do this joyfully — and voluntarily — because of our deep belief and passion that live music inspires, heals, unites, and brings joy. We hope that you appreciate these free shows and all of the efforts that we undertake to try to provide you with a safe and enjoyable experience — and more importantly, to bring YOU joy."