San Francisco’s Beloved Free Bluegrass Music Festival Returns To Golden Gate Park This Weekend

Every October, Golden Gate Park is transformed into an outdoor venue for a massive free bluegrass festival called Hardly Strictly Bluegrass. This year’s festival will be held this weekend, Friday, October 3, through Sunday, October 5 , and will feature dozens of talented musicians. The music festival is highly anticipated and is one of the city’s favorite events every fall. Keep reading for our guide to Hardly Strictly Bluegrass 2025 . Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Lineup -------------------------------- While the festival is primarily composed of bluegrass artists , as the name suggests, you can also expect other genres represented, including folk and country. The lineup features 80 artists across the six stages. Some of the major acts include Amos Lee, Emmylou Harris, Jeff Tweedy, Courtney Barnett, Patty Griffin, Steve Earle & the Hardly Strictly Dukes, and many more. You can find the full lineup here. Hardly Strictly Bluegrass schedule ---------------------------------- The festival starts at 1 pm on Friday, October 3, and runs until 7 pm. On Saturday and Sunday, the shows start at 11 am and run until 7 pm . Some of the smaller stages start later and end earlier in the evening. You can find the full schedule here. Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festival map -------------------------------------- The festival spans six stage s in Golden Gate Park, and it can be confusing to navigate at times with the large crowds of people and winding paths. There are four entrances to the festival from different directions in the park. From there, you can walk through the park’s roads and paths to find the stages. What to expect -------------- The three-day outdoor festival is family-friendly , but you should expect large crowds of people. The festival will have numerous food vendors, including Curry Up Now, Kabob Trolley, Smish Smash, and many more. We recommend taking Muni to the festival, as parking may be difficult to find in the surrounding neighborhoods. No alcohol will be available, but you can bring wine or beer in non-glass containers. Hard alcohol is not permitted at the festival. Finally, we recommend bringing a picnic blanket and some layers to stay comfortable during the festival. About Hardly Strictly Blue Grass -------------------------------- Hardly Strictly Bluegrass first began in 2001 when SF businessman Warren Hellman wanted to create a show with some of his favorite artists as a gift to San Francisco. With only bluegrass musicians, it was aptly called Strictly Bluegrass, but over the years, as the event grew, organizers wanted to include acts from other genres. Now, we know it as Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, which is still run by the Hellman Foundation. The festival is this weekend, October 3-5 , and no ticket is necessary. You can learn more about Hardly Strictly Bluegrass here. Source: https://secretsanfrancisco.com/hardly-strictly-bluegrass-free-festival-guide-sf/