Hardly Strictly Bluegrass 2015
Golden Gate Park
Oct. 2–4
The first Friday of October has become an unofficial holiday (when folks, ahem, call in "sick"), thanks to a free music festival that's become an annual fall fixture. The 15th Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festival returns to San Francisco during the first weekend of October and starts at 10:30 am, with a special children's program. Regular performances get going at noon. Saturday and Sunday, the concerts begin at 11 am and go into the evening.
Hardly Strictly Bluegrass has become firmly established as a tradition in the city, one that draws music fans from all over the Bay Area and beyond. Concerts take place on 7 stages in Hellman Hollow, Marx Meadow and Lindley Meadow. Spectators can expect more than 100 musicians performing over 3 days. The name of the festival reflects its diverse line-up with orchestras and chamber music ensembles joining in on the down-home banjos and fiddles of traditional bluegrass music. Headliners include Lee Ann Womack, Boz Scaggs, the Indigo Girls and Los Lobos. All concerts are free and family-friendly. This year, Hardly Strictly Disco takes place each day in the Shady Grove between the Rooster and Banjo stages. A "silent disco" by HUSHcast, select DJs will put on themed sets that are sure to blow the minds of true music fans.
Picnic blankets and coolers are fine to bring into the park. So is beer and wine in non-glass containers. Parking for Hardly Strictly Bluegrass is extremely limited, so take public transit if you can. Some local schools in the Richmond and Sunset district neighborhoods that border Golden Gate Park will offer parking for a fee benefitting the schools. Check http://www.hardlystrictlybluegrass.com/2015/info/ for more information.