Experiences Festival History Info Merch

FESTIVAL HISTORY

About

2026 marks 18 years of Outside Lands, a place where world-class music meets next-level food, boundary-pushing art, the most epic festival atmosphere in Golden Gate Park, and the kind of moments you swear you’ll never forget. Relive the chaos, the classics, and the once-in-a-lifetime collabs from 2008 to today, through photos, videos, posters, lineups, and more.

PAST LINEUPS

Timeline

New cutting-edge production debuted at the SOMA stage, in a year defined by special guests– from Bay Area legend E-40 joining Anderson .Paak & The Free Nationals, Ludacris trading verses with LaRussell, Big Freedia backed by the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus, Beck with the Berkeley Symphony, and Role Model debuting Troye Sivan as “Sally.”

Love was in the air as the festival premiered its own wedding venue, City Hall, with over 20 couples celebrating their union in McLaren Pass. The Pink Pony Club arrived in droves for Chappell Roan’s first performance in the park, drawing the largest daytime crowd in festival history, complete with a set-opening brass band parade.

An inclusive, new stage premiered in the Polo Field – Dolores’ is a fresh, open-air dance club celebrating the queer and trans communities and the DIY spaces vital to San Francisco’s culture and scene. Local nightlife icons curated can’t-miss daily lineups, featuring local artists, DJs, and drag performers. Dolores’ is for EVERYBODY!

Green Day packed Golden Gate Park for a homecoming show, playing hit after hit – not to mention bringing a local kid named Monty on stage to shred and win the hearts of all in attendance.

We got back together in person for a very special Halloween Edition of Outside Lands. SOMA debuted, giving house music a weekend-long home at the festival.

Due to the COVID pandemic, Outside Lands looked a little different in 2020. In lieu of gathering in Golden Gate Park, we got together virtually for Inside Lands. Featuring never-before-seen footage, throwback artist sets and live performances from the Ranger Station, the festival stream garnered over 5 million views.

In an especially memorable year in the park, Paul Simon headlined and donated his performance fee to two local environmental groups, San Francisco Parks Alliance and Friends of the Urban Forest, while fellow headliner Childish Gambino drew the largest number of attendees in festival history to his set.

The first curated cannabis experience at a major American festival, Grass Lands, made its debut, celebrating the best of cannabis in the Bay Area and beyond. Ranger Dave’s friend and colleague, Ranger Ruth, also made her debut appearance.


Gorillaz brought the heat and welcomed a cavalcade of guest stars like Pusha T, Kali Uchis, De La Soul, and more to the stage during their headlining performance.

The stage of stages at Outside Lands, Lands End, added its iconic bridge facade. Plus, The Muppets’ Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem performed their first-ever live set at a festival. Cocktail Magic made its debut, delivering masterful mixology to the people.

Riding high on his instant classic, To Pimp a Butterfly, Kendrick Lamar played to the biggest Twin Peaks crowd in Outside Lands history.

Ranger Dave cemented his iconic status with a statue, erected in Lindley Meadow by the main gate. The statue features a “new ‘fit” for Ranger Dave each year.

2013 saw a stacked lineup, with Beatles superstar Paul McCartney at the top of the list. In a rare festival appearance, McCartney united multiple generations of music lovers for a set to remember.

Jack White surprised festival-goers with an intimate pop-up set in McLaren Pass – his first at Outside Lands since performing with The Dead Weather in 2009.

Fans recognized comedian Dave Chapelle in between sets at the Sutro stage. After chants from the crowd, he came on stage to express his love for San Francisco and share some stories.

The one and only Ranger Dave made his debut at Outside Lands 2010, while Grateful Dead musical legends Phil Lesh & Bob Weir performed with their band, Furthur.

Q-Tip was joined by fellow legend and A Tribe Called Quest MC, Phife Dawg, for a memorable guest appearance during his 2009 set. RIP Phife Dawg.

On August 22-24 2008, Outside Lands debuted in Golden Gate Park. Radiohead was the Friday headliner and holds the distinction of being the first-ever artist to perform after dark in Golden Gate Park.

HIGHLIGHTS


    “Within the industry and among fans, it’d be hard to find an event more loved than San Francisco’s Outside Lands.”

    - Forbes
    “It feels trivial, now, in our second decade of a peak music festival landscape showing few signs of slowing down, that we don’t consider everything else to be equally as important as the lineup. It’s in that ‘everything else’ department that San Francisco’s Outside Lands has edged past other festivals over time, and demands more attention..."

    - UPROXX


    “the festival is a cultural, musical and economic juggernaut, having evolved along with San Francisco while showcasing the best of local culture.”

    - Billboard


    "In a crowded calendar of music festivals around the country, Outside Lands has thrived by constantly reinventing itself and capitalizing on San Francisco’s strengths, such as a low-stress vibe and high-quality food."

    - Wall Street Journal