For more than three decades, Bottom of the Hill has been a staple of San Francisco’s music scene, hosting acts that later rose to prominence, including Green Day, The Strokes, and Oasis. The longtime gathering spot is set to close on New Year’s Eve 2026, due to several issues, including financial challenges.
Bottom of the Hill to Shut Doors
An influential independent live music venue, Bottom of the Hill offers a range of music styles, including alternative rock, punk rock, hard rock, folk, funk, and pop. The legendary space announced that it will shut down this year in a social media post.
“We make this announcement with great difficulty. Bottom of the Hill’s final year will be 2026, and our last day will be next New Year’s Eve. This legendary business will have lived to the ripe old age of 35, a long stretch in San Francisco for an independent rock ‘n’ roll venue of our size,” the post said.
The venue has hosted thousands of musical artists and has also held many school recitals, weddings, birthdays, and memorials in collaboration with the community. The venue plans a curated year of farewell concerts and community events celebrating its legacy.
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“We will curate one more year of great shows, enticing bands that make up our history to come back for one final play on our stage. Let’s celebrate, for one more spin, how far we came, how many bands we hosted, how many amazing people we worked with,” it said.
The club expressed its gratitude to the bands and to everyone involved in curating the performances. It also thanked its customers who have shown up and supported it over the years.
“We want to thank the bands, their agents, managers, and roadies, for always bringing the most exciting shows to our intimate room, with the analog board at the helm. And most especially, we wish to thank our loyal customers who kept us in business for this long and told us, in so many ways, that we were doing things right,” the post added.
Three Women Owners Recall the Journey of Bottom of the Hill
In the post, the team behind Bottom of the Hill shared that it is run by three women from different generations, and honored a fourth owner who has recently passed.
“As the owners of Bottom of the Hill, we (Ramona Downey, Kathleen Owen, and Lynn Schwarz) are three women in different phases of our lives (and a sad RIP to Tim Benetti, our beloved fourth, whom we recently lost). Part of what has made our partnership so functional and wonderful is the perspectives of three strong women from different generations and backgrounds,” the post continued.
The owners have brought together their life experiences to the business and have nurtured Bottom of the Hill over several years, treating it like their child.
“We include in our family the incredible staff who are the ones who keep our business on the map. Several of our team have been with us for well over a decade, and some the whole time, making this decision to shutter extra difficult,” the post said.
Marking 2026 as their big victory lap, Bottom of the Hill will be celebrating its last year with star-studded performances. “Please come celebrate with us. Not with a whimper, but a bang!” the post concluded.
With farewell shows, returning artists, and special events lined up, the iconic space aims to honor the countless memories created on its stage.
