A sold-out yacht party on the San Francisco Bay. A recurring live music series in the Marina. Waterfront events in Sausalito. A Halloween DJ takeover on Union Street.
For most attendees, it’s simply a great night out.
For Will Lupfer, it’s proof of a larger idea taking shape.
Founded in 2025, the San Francisco-based entertainment company LUPFR has quickly emerged across the city’s music and events scene through a mix of unconventional venues, curated artists, and community-focused experiences designed to bring the community together.
What makes LUPFR unusual is where it came from.
Before launching the company, founder Will Lupfer built his career in infrastructure project finance, helping structure and manage large-scale energy and development transactions. His world revolved around partnership structures, portfolio analyses, contract negotiations, and execution. After years of structuring complex deals and partnerships, he began applying those same skills to something he was equally passionate about: music and live experiences.
Redefining the Live Music Experience
LUPFR was built around a simple idea: great music is only part of a great experience. The venue, atmosphere, people, and setting matter just as much.
Since launching, LUPFR has hosted multiple sold-out events, attracted thousands of attendees, and developed various strategic partnerships and artist connections. One of its most recognizable concepts is BOILER BOAT, a yacht-based event series that transforms the San Francisco Bay into a floating music venue. The series quickly gained traction and helped establish LUPFR as a rising player in the region’s independent event scene.
Rather than treating music as the entire product, the company treats it as one piece of a larger experience. Every event is designed around the interaction between music, venue, hospitality, and community.
Lupfer believes today’s audiences have more entertainment options than ever before. Simply putting people in a room with music is no longer enough.
“People don’t just want another event,” he says. “They want something multi-faceted. They want to feel connected to the music, the environment, and the people around them.”
That philosophy continues to guide every event, partnership, and new initiative the company pursues.
Creating a Music Destination in the Marina
One of LUPFR’s newest initiatives is a recurring music series at ERIA Marina, a newly opened venue in San Francisco’s Marina District. The bi-weekly series will feature a rotating lineup of DJs, live bands, and emerging artists, bringing consistent music programming to a neighborhood that has historically had limited live music offerings. Through the partnership, LUPFR aims to help create a new gathering place for music, community, and nightlife in one of San Francisco’s most active social districts.
But events are only one part of the vision.
That platform is now expanding into media.
Expanding Into Media and New Markets
Later this year, LUPFR plans to launch SoundCheck, a podcast focused on the artists, managers, producers, promoters, venue operators, and industry professionals working behind the scenes to shape modern music culture. The project reflects the company’s broader ambition to operate at the intersection of music, media, hospitality, and live experiences.
As LUPFR continues to grow across California, the mission remains remarkably simple: create experiences people remember long after the music ends.
Upcoming Events
Up next for LUPFR is BOILER ROOM: MARINA on Friday, 6/5, and a FIFA World Cup Watch Party on Friday, 6/19.
Find out more about LUPFR and upcoming events here:
Instagram: @LUPFR_
Contact: will@lupfr.com
