Get Funky under the Fog: Outside Lands Music Festival 2026
By: Eden Burnett, FestForums | August 28, 2026
Eden Burnett at Outside Lands Music Festival 2026 in San Francisco
Outside Lands Music Festival promised a star-studded weekend, causing standard three-day passes to sell out less than a week from release. GA+ and VIP tiers sold out in a matter of days, underscoring the rising demand for elevated experiences throughout the festival industry. Single day tickets were also sold out well before the crowds descended on Golden Gate Park, with plenty of hopefuls “needing a miracle” or looking to buy extra tickets off attendees at the gate as online resale prices skyrocketed.
After battling BART and laughing at the demise of early weather reports that indicated an uncharacteristically warm festival weekend, we entered a crowd diverse across age, music taste, and outfits. Local highschoolers seemed to huddle for warmth around the iconic windmill as seasoned bay area natives strutted around in bright patterns and extravagant coats. My boyfriend and I settled on frog hats, both to keep warm and contribute to the funky, little-bit-of-everything nature of Outside Lands that is present across the festival’s music, food, and activation line ups.
Even though I was only able to attend Friday this year, the single day lineup still offered me the opportunity to see Sierra Ferrell and Geese and then hustle through the redwood groves so my boyfriend could see ¥ØU$UK€ ¥UK1MAT$U and Griztronics. My highlight of the day was Geese, which drew a huge crowd to the Sutro stage for their early evening set, while Alleycvt and Wet Leg became new favorites.
The Mission is one of my favorite parts of Outside Lands, where the festival pays tribute to San Francisco's long activist history and invites attendees to interact with representatives from several organizations and non-profits including Planned Parenthood, Amnesty International, Headcount, Women’s Audio Mission, and more. The food, drink, and activation selections offered something for everyone ranging from non-alcoholic beer samples to DIY fanny pack decoration to compliment the festival’s seemingly endless food vendors and classic beer, wine, weed, and sober stations.
As the first major music festival I ever attended, and San Francisco being the center of so much creativity and music history, Outside Lands will always hold a special place in my heart and should definitely be on your list of must attend festivals.