Hardly Strictly Bluegrass 2026 in Golden Gate Park (Oct. 2-4)

bgwashburn via Flickr – CC BY-SA 2.0

Hardly Strictly Bluegrass is one of the largest, free-est and beloved music festivals in the country. Be one of over 750,000 attendees over the three-day musical extravaganza in beautiful Golden Gate Park. Save the date as Hardly Strictly Bluegrass makes its return for 2026.

Hardly Strictly Bluegrass 2026

October 2-4, 2026
Golden Gate Park, San Francisco
FREE

Hardly Strictly Bluegrass returns to Golden Gate Park, bringing three days of completely free music October 2-4, 2026 with 71 different concerts spread across six sages.

2026 Full Day by Day Schedule

This year’s full schedule has arrived! Check out each day with times and stages. Click to print a schedule.

Newly added! Robert Plant with Saving Grace and Suzi Dian – Sunday at 4:40pm
Newly Added!Replacing Alisson Kraus will be indie darlings Rilo Kiley! – Saturday at 4:55pm – (updated 9/22/26)

FAQ

• WHEN Fri Oct 2, Sat Oct 3, and Sun Oct 4, 2026
• WHERE Hellman Hollow, Lindley & Marx meadows in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, CA.
• IS THERE A LIVE WEBCAST?
  Yes, we will be streaming the Banjo, Swan, Towers of Gold, Rooster, Arrow and Horseshoe Hill Stages. Tune into HSBTV.
• WHAT TIME ARE WE ALLOWED IN?
  Entrances will open at 11am on Friday, and 9am Saturday & Sunday.  Performances end at 7pm daily.

FESTIVAL ENTRANCES

1. JFK Drive and Transverse Drive
2. Fulton Street and 30th Avenue
3. JFK Drive and 36th Avenue
4. South Polo Field — Middle Drive& Metson Road

Entrances will open at 11am on Friday, 9am Saturday and Sunday.  Performances end at 7pm daily.

For the safety of all patrons, security measures in place include walking through body scanners and may include a physical search of bags and belongings. SFPD, K9 and Tactical Units will be positioned inside and outside the venue.

HSB encourages the use of public transportation or any alternative to personal vehicles.

However, due to public safety within the event, HSB does not allow any bicycles, scooters, regular skateboards, electric skateboards, Segways, Onewheels, or other types of motorized devices inside the venue.

Bicycle parking locations can be found in the event map.

As usual, fans are asked to respect the park, to clean up after themselves, and to take everything out that’s been brought in.

FESTIVAL MAP

Click to print a map.

WHAT TO BRING

Allowed Items

• 1 Bag and 1 personal item per person
• Clear bags no larger than 22”x15”x10”
• Small bags, fanny packs, and purses no larger than 6”x8”x3”
• 2.5 L or smaller hydration packs, or refillable water bottles
• Small soft coolers, 12-pack size or smaller
• Tarps or blankets smaller than 6’x8’

Requires Secondary Search

• Wagons
• Strollers
• Short back chairs
• Non-clear medium-sized backpacks, totes, or soft coolers no larger than 22”x15”x10”

NOT ALLOWED

• No items that can be used to disturb the peace, endanger others, and/or cause damage to people or property
• More than 1 bag and 1 personal item
• Bags larger than 22”x15”x10”
• Hard coolers or coolers larger than a 12-pack
• Glass, kegs, hard liquor
• Umbrellas
• Tables
• Shade structures / Tents
• Blankets or tarps larger than 6’x8’
• Devices for amplified sound
• Personal instruments
• High back chairs
• Selfie sticks
• Firearms or weapons of any kind
• Fireworks, smoking, open flames, grill
• Drones
• Flags or poles
• Unauthorized vending or promotional items

LINEUP

Visit the Artist Lineup Page

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2

Larry Campbell & Teresa Williams – Americana/roots duo
The Crooked Jades – Old-time string band
Los Lobos – Grammy-winning Chicano roots/rock legends
Lukas Nelson – Country-rock/Americana
Mama’s Broke – Dark folk/old-time duo
Marty Stuart and His Fabulous Superlatives – Country/bluegrass legend, 5x Grammy winner
Meels – Indie folk/country
Molly Tuttle – Grammy-winning bluegrass star
My Morning Jacket – Acclaimed indie/psychedelic rock
Reckless Kelly – Americana/country-rock veterans
Shawn Camp – Bluegrass/country singer-songwriter
Sierra Hull – Grammy-nominated bluegrass mandolin virtuoso
Stacey Earle – Folk/country singer-songwriter
Stella Heath Quartet – Vintage jazz & swing
Todd Snider Rules! – Tribute to beloved folk singer Todd Snider
Tyler Ballgame – Retro pop/rock singer-songwriter
Wreckless Strangers – Bay Area Americana/roots rock

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 3

Aaron Lee Tasjan – Indie rock/Americana singer-songwriter
AJ Lee & Blue Summit – Award-winning Bay Area bluegrass
Alex Amen – Singer-songwriter/roots music
Alison Brown – Grammy-winning banjo virtuoso
Alison Krauss & Union Station f. Jerry Douglas – Bluegrass superstars, multiple Grammy winners – NOT APPEARING
Anna Moss – Soulful Americana/New Orleans roots
Bandits on the Run – Indie folk/Americana trio
Buddy Miller – Legendary Americana singer/guitarist/producer
Crosby Collective – Roots/Americana ensemble
The Deslondes – New Orleans country-soul
DUG – Irish-American folk duo
Elizabeth Cook – Country/Americana singer-songwriter
Fantastic Cat – Americana singer-songwriter supergroup
Gillian Welch & David Rawlings – Grammy-winning American folk duo
Hot Tuna Acoustic – Acoustic blues/folk legends, founded by Jefferson Airplane members
Ismay – California folk/Americana
John Craigie w/ The Coffis Brothers – Witty folk singer-songwriter with roots-rock backing
Kathleen Edwards – Acclaimed Canadian Americana/folk-rock
Laurie Lewis & The Right Hands – Grammy-winning California bluegrass
Martha Scanlan & Jon Neufeld – Intimate folk/Americana duo
Mavis Staples – Rock & Roll Hall of Fame soul/gospel legend
Moonalice – Bay Area psychedelic roots rock
Old Crow Medicine Show – Grammy-winning old-time/Americana, known for “Wagon Wheel”
Rilo Kiley – Indie pop darlings led by longtime HSB vet Jenny Lewis
Scuff Queer Line Dancing f. Jail Preacher – Queer country line dancing/live music
SF Porchfest: Los Jefes, Seldon, Isabel Dumaa – Showcase of local SF artists
Steve Earle & The Hardly Strictly Dukes – Grammy-winning outlaw country/Americana legend
Sweet Sally – Roots/Americana
Tony Kamel & Kym Warner – Bluegrass/Americana duo

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 4

A Tribute to Joe Ely with The Flatlanders and Friends – Tribute to Texas country/roots legend Joe Ely
Cristina Vane – Bluesy Americana/roots
Darrell Scott String Band w/ Rob Ickes – Bluegrass/Americana with dobro virtuoso Rob Ickes
Dean Johnson – Country-folk singer-songwriter
Dry Branch f. Ron Thomason & Friends – Traditional bluegrass
El Khat – Yemeni-influenced psychedelic folk/funk
Emmylou Harris – 14x Grammy-winning country/Americana legend
Grace Cummings – Powerful Australian folk-rock singer
Hiss Golden Messenger – Indie folk/Americana
Jesse Welles – Folk/protest singer-songwriter
Joel Ben Izzy – Storytelling/folk performance
Kam Franklin – Houston soul/rock powerhouse vocalist
Langford, Hogan & Timms – Punk-meets-country/folk supergroup
Marco and the Polos w/ Special Guests Hills to Hollers – Roots/Americana collaboration
Miko Marks – Country/soul/Americana
Punch Brothers – Grammy-winning progressive bluegrass supergroup
¿Qiensave? – California psychedelic cumbia
Rahim AlHaj – Grammy-nominated Iraqi oud virtuoso
The Record Company – Grammy-nominated blues rock
Robert Plant with Saving Grace and Suzi Dian – Legendary lead singer of Led Zeppelin
Steve Poltz – Quirky folk singer-songwriter/storyteller
Theo Lawrence – Vintage country/R&B
The Third Mind – Psychedelic rock/Americana supergroup
Tift Merritt – Acclaimed Americana singer-songwriter
Willy Tea Taylor – California folk/country storyteller
Yasmin Williams & William Tyler – Innovative instrumental acoustic guitar duo

And in true Hardly Strictly fashion, the lineup reveal comes with a little mystery. Before the official announcement, the festival released its first 2026 Artist Medley, a musical teaser featuring clues hidden throughout the mix. Think you can guess who’s playing?

The beloved San Francisco festival returns for its 26th year with a genre-spanning lineup of bluegrass, Americana, folk, roots, and beyond. This year’s first announcement includes My Morning Jacket, Emmylou Harris, Old Crow Medicine Show, Steve Earle & the Hardly Strictly Dukes, Gillian Welch & David Rawlings, Molly Tuttle, Hot Tuna (acoustic), Hiss Golden Messenger, and more.

The initial lineup also features AJ Lee and Blue Summit, Buddy Miller, El Khat, Elizabeth Cook, John Craigie with the Coffis Brothers, Kathleen Edwards, Larry Campbell & Teresa Williams, Reckless Kelly, Shawn Camp, Stacey Earle, Tyler Ballgame, and Yasmin Williams and William Tyler.

The latest additions include Alison Krauss & Union Station featuring Jerry Douglas, Jesse Welles, Sierra Hull, Aaron Lee Tasjan, Kam Franklin, Mama’s Broke, and a special Tribute to Joe Ely with The Flatlanders and Friends.

Hardly Strictly is also kicking off festival weekend with a special ticketed benefit concert, “An Evening Honoring Steve Earle,” on Thursday, October 1 at The Masonic. The separate event will feature Steve Earle alongside friends and collaborators including Buddy Miller, Emmylou Harris, Gillian Welch & David Rawlings, Jackson Browne, Molly Tuttle and more.

Founded in 2001 by the late San Francisco philanthropist Warren Hellman, Hardly Strictly Bluegrass has become one of the city’s biggest annual traditions, bringing hundreds of thousands of music fans to Golden Gate Park each fall for a completely free weekend of music.

🎶 Hardly Strictly Bluegrass 2026 Lineup

2026 Lineup Reveal

The Hardly Strictly Bluegrass lineup is revealed in a series of medleys that are released throughout the summer with snippets of 10 artists at a time. Announced first on app – iOS | Android

• Medley #1 – July 21, 2026 
• Medley #2 – August 5, 2026 
• Medley #3 – August 19, 2026
• Medley #4 – September 2, 2026 

2026 Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival Lineup

FOURTH LINEUP ANNOUNCEMENT

• Miko Marks
• Alison Brown
• Crosby Collective
• Fantastic Cat
• The Record Company
• Tony Kamel & Kym Warner
• Wreckless Strangers
• Steve Poltz
• The Third Mind
• Martha Scanlan & Jon Neufeld

THIRD LINEUP ANNOUNCEMENT

• Los Lobos
• Langford, Hogan & Timms
• Mavis Staples
• Marty Stuart and His Fabulous Superlatives
• Bandits On The Run
• Tift Merritt
• Meels
• Moonalice
• Anna Moss
• ¿Qiensave?
• Lukas Nelson

SECOND LINEUP ANNOUNCEMENT

• Aaron Lee Tasjan
• Darrell Scott String Band w/ Rob Ickes
• Dug
• Mama’s Broke
• A Tribute to Joe Ely with The Flatlanders and Friends
• Alison Krauss & Union Station feat. Jerry Douglas
• Ismay
• Kam Franklin
• Jesse Welles
• Sierra Hull

INITIAL LINEUP

• AJ Lee & Blue Summit
• Gillian Welch & David Rawlings
• Hiss Golden Messenger
• Kathleen Edwards
• My Morning Jacket
• Old Crow Medicine Show
• El Khat
• Tyler Ballgame
• William Tyler & Yasmin Williams
• John Craigie w/ The Coffis Brothers

Additional artists will be announced soon.

Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival
October 2-4, 2026
Golden Gate Park, San Francisco
FREE