I have always liked going to San Francisco. My first memory of the city is from a trip with my Girl Scout troop in elementary school. Since then, it has been the only big city I have wanted to go back to again & again. So naturally, I had to check out their music festival, Outside Lands!

As someone who loves music festivals, I was super intrigued when I first learned about Outside Lands. I had been to a couple of festivals at the time (2013) but never one in the middle of a city! So, my co-worker & I decided to go! The festival was a blast! It was my first time in San Fran on my own & I loved every second of it. Even walking back through the Tenderloin to our cheap hotel. haha (Not recommended!)

Tickets

One cool thing about OSL is that in addition to 3 day passes, they still do single day tickets. Music Festivals are awesome, but they can be tiring & expensive. Plus a lot of festivals have similar line ups. So it is nice to be able to go for just one day.

Getting There

Located in Golden Gate Park, it is pretty easy to get to Outside Lands. The past couple of years I stayed outside the city. From there, we took BART to Civic Center, then an Uber or Lyft to the park. It was a bit of a mission, but for a free place to stay it was worth it.

After the concert, they have free city busses outside the venue taking people back to Civic Center (the busses don’t make other stops FYI). The first time I got on one, I thought I was all sneaky & cleaver, but they are there every year. Having to find a ride home after a long day can suck, so I love that they do this & wish more festivals would!

The Basics

Outside Lands is one of the more laid back festivals. They always have a solid line up & friendly festival goers. The venue is not too huge, but they have several music stages/tents. With a reservation, you can also see a comedy show at the Barbary. For food & drinks they have Wine Lands, Beer Lands, Chocolate Lands, food trucks & all the basics.

My only complaint with Outside Lands is that they could step it up in the art department. I always think of San Francisco as an artistic city, so I expected to see that reflected at the festival. They do have murals throughout the venue. But since my first time in 2013, not much has changed. I really hope that they continue to add more art installations & maybe yarn bomb some of the trees or something! haha

My Tips

What I love most about Outside Lands is the weather & venue! The days can be warm, but then the fog rolls in & it gets chilly! For me the perfect OSL outfit consists of comfy shoes, pants, light layers, & a fun jacket! I brought a crochet shawl I made to keep me warm too! Unlike some of the other festivals I attend, I like to keep it pretty casual & comfy there.

I also recommend getting a locker! It is super nice to have a place to put any unwanted items. Plus, you can keep your stuff in it over night. I also bring tissue packs (because the porta potties tend to run our of TP) & a few sandwiches so I’m not spending all my money on festival food.

Crochet

For last years festival, I knew I would need something to keep me warm. So I began to make my first crochet shawl using this pattern. About 2 weeks before leaving, I started to make the flowers. My plan was to connect them all on the drive up, but I WAY underestimated the amount of time that would take. I didn’t end up finishing the shawl until several months after the festival. However, I LOVED wearing it this year & already want to get started on another one!

Till next year!

XoXo,

Megan