Upon arriving in San Francisco, I had no idea what to expect from a festival that takes place in the middle of the gorgeous Golden Gate Park, that stretches 80 acres and is known for extreme fog. Leaving Outside Lands, I now know exactly what this festival has to offer, and I’ll be back. 

Day 1: Friday

I got to the festival grounds a little after the gates opened so I could familiarize myself with the layout, since I had plans to run from stage to stage to squeeze in as many sets as possible all weekend. With a total of seven stages spread throughout the park, there was never a dull moment.

After roaming around for a little over an hour, I decided it was time to catch some sets. I started with Die Spitz at Sutro, a great way to kick off my weekend. I then made my way to Wet Leg at Lands End, which kept the same energy as Die Spitz set had. I have been meaning to see them live for quite some time, and their stage presence did not disappoint. I quickly headed to Bille Marten at Panhandle, which was the complete opposite of what Wet Leg’s set had to offer in the best way possible. If you’re familiar with Marten’s writing, her music is very introspective and on the slower side, which is what I needed. 

After that, the vibe shifted again with Geese at the Sutro. I have tickets to Geese’s headline show in October, so it is safe to say I was excited for their set. They opened with “Husbands” off of their most recent album, Getting Killed, and it was hard for me to shoot and contain my excitement at the same time. Fortunately, photos from their set ended up being some of my favorites from the weekend, as it is easy to capture a band you are a fan of. Between the mosh pits that broke out almost every song, the nonstop crowd surfing, and the rowdy energy that Sutro seemed to carry all weekend, this was easily a top-five set for me. 

Right after Geese, Turnstile took the same stage. I’ll admit I haven’t gotten into their music nearly enough, but I was still excited to see what their live show looked like. Security warned us in the photo pit to stay clear of the barricade since they were already anticipating crowd surfing, and sure enough, security was helping fans over the barricade throughout songs like “Never Enough,” which opened the set. The connection between the band and the crowd was obvious. Lead singer Brendan Yates even came down to the barricade to hold fans’ hands. Unexpectedly, this ended up being another top-five set of the weekend, even without knowing the words.

To end the night off, it was time for Charli XCX at Lands End. The crowd was dressed in black and neon green as an ode to her BRAT era. I hadn’t seen Charli live since 2018, so I knew I’d be watching a completely different artist, and I was right. My group had a great view, and her setlist was perfectly curated, blending the new album, Music, Fashion, Film, with classics and even a few deep cuts that most of the crowd, myself included, still knew word for word. After hearing all the praise for her Lollapalooza set, I had high expectations, and she blew right past them. An hour and fifteen minutes of pure dedication to her craft, down to the tightest camera work I’ve seen from a festival crew, I’ll definitely be catching her on the headline tour this fall.

Day 2: Saturday

Waking up on Saturday felt like Christmas morning, as my entire Spotify Wrapped was performing that day. I started my morning early once again so I could catch as many sets as possible. The shuttle running between the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium and the festival grounds made getting to and from Golden Gate Park easy, without getting stuck in the traffic that clogged the streets of San Francisco. I always ended up leaving the shuttle with a couple of new friends, too. That’s the kind of community this festival attracts. 

Saturday kicked off strong with Wunderhorse at Sutro. Starting the day off with some classic British rock is pretty much my ideal Saturday in a nutshell. Then it was time for the upcoming pop princess, Audrey Hobert. I’d caught her headline show a couple of months earlier, front row, at a venue with a capacity of under 2,000. It was surreal to see her fill the main stage at 2 p.m. Nobody deserved it more. Right after, Lucy Dacus took the same stage and brought out Julien Baker for “Bullseye.” I’d spotted Baker in the wings at Sutro earlier, so I had a feeling she might show up, but I wasn’t expecting that particular song. I had to cut Lucy’s set a little short to catch Malcolm Todd at Twin Peaks.

Twin Peaks felt like the perfect stage for a laid-back set like Malcolm’s, and I wish I’d spent more time there over the weekend. He brought out his sister, Audrey Hobert, to sing “Phoebe” off her debut album, Who’s the Clown. It’s not every day you see siblings play the same festival, let alone share a stage.

From there, I headed back to Lands End for Ethel Cain, Djo, and The Strokes. Djo was who I’d been most looking forward to all weekend. I’d seen him open for Tame Impala at TD Garden just a week earlier, which felt massive compared to the theaters I’d seen him play before, but the size of this crowd was something else. After following an artist for seven-plus years, watching everyone else finally catch on is a great feeling, and his stage presence commanded the space like he’d always played for crowds of that size. The Strokes closed out the night, and watching fans of every age singing along to every lyric confirmed it was the right call for a headliner.

Day 3: Sunday 

By Sunday, I couldn’t believe the weekend was almost over. I spent most of the day actually exploring the grounds and checking out the brand activations, since I’d been too busy chasing sets the first two days to stop and look around.

I grabbed a LaCroix of my choice at their bright pop-up, complete with a photo booth, then swung by the Toyota booth for the mini tote bags I’d been hearing about all weekend. The Apple Cash booth was handing out keychains alongside delicious slushies.

I caught a few more sets, including Sports and Balu Brigada at Lands End, a solid way to close things out. Both leaned into that indie-rock energy that brought the crowd back to life after such a packed few days.

Throughout the weekend, I kept catching myself thinking, I can’t wait to come back next year, and I’m pretty sure this festival just became a yearly tradition for me. Between the rolling fog, the tight organization, and a lineup stacked with my favorite artists alongside some of the best emerging acts on the scene, Outside Lands had everything I hoped for, and then some.

A festival like this is worth experiencing at least once. Tickets for next year are already available! Purchase Early Beaver tickets HERE for the best deal!