Free SF Music
San Francisco's Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Announces 26th Free Festival Dates and Initial Performers
Anonymous
Key Points
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The Steve Earle tribute on Oct. 1 at The Masonic will feature an all-star lineup including Buddy Miller, Elizabeth Cook, Emmylou Harris, Gillian Welch and David Rawlings, Jackson Browne, Hot Tuna, Larry Campbell and Teresa Williams, Molly Tuttle, Reckless Kelly, Greg Liesz, and Steve Earle, with proceeds benefiting Sweetwater Spectrum.
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Out of the Park will bring additional nighttime Bay Area shows at venues such as the Fillmore, Bing Concert Hall, and the Great American Music Hall, including Gillian Welch and David Rawlings at the Fillmore, Molly Tuttle at Bing Concert Hall, and John Craigie with Anna Moss at the Great American Music Hall.
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Hardly Strictly Bluegrass was founded in 2001 by Warren Hellman; it began as Strictly Bluegrass and, through its cross-genre booking, expanded beyond a bluegrass-only focus, with a foundation that continues to fund the event.
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The festival routinely draws hundreds of thousands of attendees and is described as the most highly attended music festival in Northern California.
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Patrick Hallahan of My Morning Jacket says they are honored to be invited and look forward to feeling the energy of Hardly Strictly Bluegrass.
Hardly Strictly Bluegrass returns to San Francisco's Golden Gate Park for a free three-day run on October 2–4, 2026, entering its 26th year with an already-stacked first wave of performers, according to ABC7 News. The festival, which draws hundreds of thousands of fans each year, is the most attended music festival in Northern California — and it costs nothing to get in.
The initial 2026 lineup includes My Morning Jacket, Old Crow Medicine Show, Gillian Welch and David Rawlings, Kathleen Edwards, Hiss Golden Messenger, AJ Lee and Blue Summit, El Khat, Tyler Ballgame, William Tyler with Yasmin Williams, and John Craigie with The Coffis Brothers, v13.net reported. More acts will be announced in the coming weeks.
Steve Earle Tribute Kicks Off Festival Week on Oct. 1
The week begins a day early with An Evening Honoring Steve Earle on October 1 at The Masonic in San Francisco. The all-star benefit show marks 25 years of Steve Earle's connection to the festival, according to Fresno Bee. Proceeds go to Sweetwater Spectrum, a nonprofit that supports adults with autism.
The tribute lineup reads like a who's who of Americana. Confirmed performers include Emmylou Harris, Jackson Browne, Hot Tuna, Buddy Miller, Elizabeth Cook, Molly Tuttle, Reckless Kelly, Larry Campbell and Teresa Williams, Greg Liesz, Gillian Welch and David Rawlings — and Steve Earle himself, Sacramento Bee reported.
Out of the Park Series Brings Nighttime Bay Area Shows
The festival also brings back its Out of the Park series, which puts on ticketed nighttime concerts at Bay Area venues throughout festival week. The series benefits the Sweet Relief Bay Area Musicians Fund, according to mxdwn.
Confirmed Out of the Park shows include Gillian Welch and David Rawlings at the Fillmore, Molly Tuttle at Bing Concert Hall, and John Craigie with Anna Moss at the Great American Music Hall. The series gives fans a chance to see artists in smaller, more intimate settings outside the main park stages.
A 26-Year-Old Free Festival Founded on a Simple Promise
Warren Hellman founded the festival in 2001 as Strictly Bluegrass. It quickly grew beyond its roots as organizers booked artists from folk, rock, country, and beyond. A foundation set up by Hellman continues to fund the event, keeping it free for all attendees, Fresno Bee reported.
Patrick Hallahan of My Morning Jacket captured the spirit of the event. He said the band is "honored to be invited" and looks forward to "feeling the energy" of Hardly Strictly Bluegrass. The festival's cross-genre, community-first approach has made it a beloved Bay Area institution for a quarter century.
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