Discover SF -- Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Music Festival
About the event
A Stop-and-Go Festival Stroll (Sat, Oct 3)
San Francisco's biggest free music festival takes over Golden Gate Park the first weekend of October: six stages, 80+ artists, three meadows full of people on blankets. 500k-750k over 3 days. It's the kind of thing that's much better with company than alone. So let's go together. https://hardlystrictlybluegrass.com/
How it works We first visit the Dutch Windmill at the west end of Golden Gate Park, take a relaxed walk east through the park, and enter the festival as one group. Inside, we browse stop-and-go style: stroll along the festival grounds, stop at whatever stage catches our ear, listen for a while, and move on to the next. No schedule to keep, no must-see acts. Just music, people-watching, and good conversation along the way. If a set grabs you and you want to stay, stay. If you find your crowd and head off together, great. That's what we're here for.
When & where 📍 Meet: Java Beach Cafe 1:45pm
The route (all times approximate, stop-and-go) ☕ 1:45–2:15 — Catch up at Java Beach Cafe (1396 La Playa St, end of the N-Judah line) 🚶 2:15 — Walk north to the Dutch Windmill, group photo around 2:30 🌳 2:35 — Walk east through the park, through the JFK & 36th Ave gate around 3:00–3:10 🎸 Stop 1 · Rooster Stage (Marx Meadow) · \~3:25–3:55 Elizabeth Cook, Rooster Stage, 3:25–4:15pm. Country with a sharp sense of humor, a great first stop to settle in. 🎤 Stop 2 · Banjo Stage (Hellman Hollow) · \~4:05–4:35 Gillian Welch & David Rawlings, Banjo Stage, 3:50–5:00pm. The main stage and the biggest crowd — we'll listen from the back edge rather than push in. 🪕 Stop 3 · Swan Stage (Lindley Meadow) · \~4:40–4:50 The tail end of AJ Lee & Blue Summit, Swan Stage, 3:50–4:50pm — a Bay Area bluegrass band, our local favorite. 🎶 Stop 4 · Towers of Gold Stage (Lindley Meadow) · \~4:50–5:40 Rilo Kiley, Towers of Gold, 4:50–5:55pm, right next door. Swan and Towers of Gold sit back to back and alternate sets, so Lindley is a good place to end the stroll. 🌅 \~5:45 — Head out through the JFK & Transverse exit before the closing sets 🍜 6:00–6:15 — Optional regroup at Portals of the Past (the white stone colonnade on Lloyd Lake, just outside the Transverse exit), then early dinner nearby for whoever's in
Getting there From the South Bay: Caltrain to SF, then the N-Judah to the end of the line, or the 5-Fulton to La Playa. Parking near the park on festival weekend is very tough, so transit is strongly recommended.
Bring The festival has security screening at the entrance. Clear bags move through fastest; small backpacks are fine. No glass. A water bottle, layers (the park gets windy and cool by late afternoon), sunscreen, and a small blanket if you want to sit. Outside food is welcome.
Good to know The festival itself is free and needs no ticket. Our meetup is free too. Latecomers: if you miss the walk, you're welcome to enjoy the festival on your own and join us for dinner after. Phone signal inside the festival is unreliable, so we can't coordinate once we're in.
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