Outside Lands — Local services in San Francisco

I really, really wanted to love this festival. As much as the acts are great and the festival looks cool, the management is a nightmare. Not only are all the paths too small (nothing they can do about that) but there is an insane lack of signage everywhere. Getting around the festival or knowing what to do is extremely difficult. It was very clear to me that the festival was oversold due to the crowd.

They also barely checked our vaccination status when entering (which was worrisome) but they rummaged through all of my stuff for a good 10 minutes. They emptied everything on a table with everyone else’s, where people could have easily grabbed it (I almost took someone else’s phone by accident). They were also very rude through the whole process.

I could forgive ALL of this, if it wasn’t for the awful crowd. I’ve been to many other festivals, and as a local of SF, I was excited for this one. But everyone was very rude, pushing through the crowds without caring. And to top it off, at EVERY SHOW I attended, people were just talking the whole time. It was really hard to concentrate on the music, it seemed like nobody even cared that they were seeing these bands. There were more people talking than enjoying the music. Even Julian from the Strokes commented on it, I felt really bad for them.

I ended up only going for 1.5 of the 3 days because I just couldn’t put up with the crowd and lack of management. I feel like at some point, this was an amazing festival, but that really wasn’t...

This was one of my favorite festivals. I’ve been to 25 festivals and this was checked off my bucket list! Golden Gate Park is amazing with the steep hills and lush green grass. I wasn’t impressed at first by the 2025 lineup but it ended up being a blast. I came to see Gracie Abram’s for the second time after seeing her at lollapalooza. Armnhmr, John summit were Sick but bleachers and finneas were surprisingly good. One of the largest variety in foods I’ve ever seen. Beautifully and creatively decorated. I liked the big mushroom chill area, the giant glasses of spheres in the air the colorful lights aimed at the trees at night, the forest vibe and the set up of the stages. There was plenty of hills and every view was a great scene of the stage unless you were sardined in the crowd. I liked that you could bring in ice, refillable water bottle and a blanket to cozy up on. Cons: I wish there were freebies from vendors like lolla. The line to get in didn’t move fast so you were stuck standing in one place for 30 minutes. They should have signs directing you to GA. Despite these minor issues, I would definitely...

I went to this festival every year when I still lived in the Bay Area, and every year was even more amazing then the last! The lineup is always amazing, and the way they have the stages laid out makes sure the only time one stage is ridiculously crowded is at the end of the night when the main stage is the only one open. My only complaint is the weather, which if you’re used to “warm summer concerts...” well you haven’t experienced a San Francisco “summer” I guess because unless you brought a second change of clothes, you’ll be freezing to death in shorts and a tee shirt once the...