Katy Birnbaum
Founder/CEO
Into the Streets SF
Where did the idea for Into the Streets/Bhangra & Beats originate?
At the end of 2022, it became clear that San Francisco needed an organization who centers community, diversity, and culture to lead innovative street and public space activations in Downtown SF and beyond. Bhangra & Beats Night Market was our first funded project and really spurred the creation of Into The Streets at the beginning of 2023. The idea for Bhangra & Beats Night Market was inspired by Non Stop Bhangra, a recurring event and arts collective that has been running in San Francisco for 19 years. It’s one of the most welcoming events and diverse audiences I’ve experienced in SF and the thought of bringing that experience outdoors to take place against the skyline of downtown San Francisco was immediately electric.
How has the organization changed since it first started?
Ask me that question next year! 11 months in, we’re growing into the organization we set out to become and it’s been rewarding to see Into The Streets come to life in very much the way I had envisioned.
What are some challenges you see the organization facing in the next couple of years? And how do you see the organization thriving in the future?
Challenges – Civic and philanthropic investments are there, but still catching up to the demand for community-serving public space activations. It takes time to build a workforce to support these programs and to change culture and one of our challenges is consistently generating the financial resources we need to do this work.
Opportunity – Bringing people together to celebrate each other and be joyous is harder and harder to do every day. But that also means that the times when it happens are becoming that much more important and special. I think it’s more a matter of when than if civic and business leaders realize this and start making significant and sustained investments in projects like Bhangra & Beats and companies that create them like Into The Streets.
Into The Streets is a cultural production studio specializing in outdoor civic and cultural events, community engagement, and capacity building for social impact organizations. As a woman of color, LGBTQ-owned, San Francisco-based small business, Into the Streets SF is committed to empowering female, Indigenous, brown, Black and queer communities realizing economic liberation while making our city a more just, joyous, and environmentally regenerative place.
Into the Street is an honoree of the 2023 Community Alliance Awards // Revitalization Award which recognizes business owners, property owners, developers, and neighborhood organizations who have enhanced the local community by making significant improvements to their properties or invigorated the culture, which has, in turn, had a positive impact on the surrounding area.