When is Hardly Strictly Bluegrass 2025, and where is it in Golden Gate Park?
Hardly Strictly will be held Oct. 3–5 at Hellman Hollow and Lindley and Marx meadows in Golden Gate Park.
Entrances will open at 11 a.m. on Friday and at 9 a.m. Saturday and Sunday. Performances end at 7 p.m. each day. Attendees are asked to enter the festival through gates at:
- JFK Drive and Transverse Drive
- Fulton Street and 30th Avenue
- JFK Drive and 36th Avenue
- South Polo Field (Middle Drive and Metson Road)
It gets crowded at Hardly Strictly, so it’s good to get there early to claim your spot — although this might make stage-hopping hard.
In past years, waste management has also conducted sweeps of the park each night after performances end, so you can’t “save your place” with blankets and belongings the day before.
What’s the Hardly Strictly schedule, and which artists are playing?
The entire lineup and schedule can be found on the Hardly Strictly website. Highlights include:
- Singer-songwriter Lucinda Williams
- Guitarist Courtney Barnett
- Jazz vocalist Samara Joy
- A comeback from Robert Earl Keen, who retired from touring
- Jam band String Cheese Incident
- Chuck Prophet.
What can I bring to Hardly Strictly?
Attendees at Hardly Strictly can expect a security presence, including body scanners and possible bag and cooler searches.
If you haven’t attended Hardly Strictly in a while, many security measures will be new, including fences and entry through the four main gates. The measures were implemented in 2019 following a wave of mass shootings at large events across the U.S.
Each person can bring a personal item and a bag.
Clear bags are recommended for easier entry. Regular bags, such as non-transparent backpacks, must not exceed 6 inches by 8 inches by 3 inches.
Beer and wine are allowed but must be in non-glass containers. Blankets and tarps up to 5 feet by 7 feet, as well as low chairs, are also allowed.
Dogs are allowed to join you at HSB, but they must be on a leash.
Items such as wagons, strollers, low-back chairs, non-clear medium backpacks, totes, and soft coolers are allowed but will be subject to more thorough searches, which may take longer.
You cannot bring:
- Large or hard coolers
- High-backed chairs
- Tables
- Tents
- Umbrellas and shade structures
- Tarps and blankets larger than 6 feet by 8 feet
- Items with an open flame, firearms, drones, fireworks
- Kegs, beverages for the purpose of vending
- Glass containers
- Devices for amplified sound or any item that could cause damage or injury.
Smoking is also not allowed in any area in Golden Gate Park due to a San Francisco ordinance.
What about food at Hardly Strictly?
Guests are also allowed to bring their own food, just not in glass containers.
You can scope out the list of vendors on Hardly Strictly’s website. Plan for things to be cashless. Vendors will be located on:
- Arrow Food Meadow
- JFK Food Trucks
- JFK Flats
- Porch Stage Area.
The Bluegrass General Store also allows attendees to pick up picnic supplies, clothing, ice, water and more. There’ll be free water refills available near the bathrooms between Banjo Stage and Arrow Meadow, as well as McClaren Pass.
What’s the weather forecast for Hardly Strictly this year?
Usually, Golden Gate Park is an area of San Francisco that you can rely on to bring the chill even on the balmiest days.
But it’s been getting hotter in the Bay Area as of late, so be sure to keep an eye on the weather forecast and plan to bring the usual Golden Gate Park survival kit: water, sunscreen and layers.
According to the National Weather Service’s forecast, we can expect a mostly sunny weekend with cloudy evenings. The hotter days are Saturday and Sunday at 65 °F, with a low of 56 °F.
Will there be a bus running in the park during Hardly Strictly?
The park service will be running its shuttle service during the music festival. Get the shuttle hours and schedule.
What does public transit look like during Hardly Strictly?
You can consult SFMTA’s website for the latest updates for Muni. There will also be extra Muni services throughout the weekend.
Muni routes affected will be N Judah, 5 Fulton, 5R Fulton Rapid, 7 Haight/Noriega, 18 46th Avenue, 28 19th Avenue, 29 Sunset and 44 O’Shaughnessy. Be sure to plan for extra travel time, because there will be traffic and big crowds.
N Judah, 7 Haight/Noriega, 28 19th Avenue, 29 Sunset and 44 O’Shaughnessy all serve areas of Golden Gate Park.
There will be no bike valet, so be careful when parking and locking up your bike.
What roads will be closed around Golden Gate Park?
According to the park’s website, these roads will be closed before and during the event:
- Transverse Drive closed from Crossover Drive (25th Ave) to Martin Luther King Drive from 6:00a.m. Friday until 11:55p.m. on Sunday.
- JFK Drive closed, between Stow Lake Circle and 36th Ave. from 8:00p.m. Thursday until 6:00 p.m. on Monday.
- 30th Ave closed from Fulton to JFK drive from 8:00 pm Thursday until Monday at 6:00p.m.
- 36th Ave from Fulton to the turnaround from 6:00a.m. Friday until 11 :55 p.m. on Sunday
- JFK Drive closed from 36th Ave to Chain of Lakes Drive from 6 a.m. Friday until 11:55 p.m. on Sunday.
- Polo Fields parking area on both the north (stables) and south side of the Polo fields from 6 a.m. on Friday until 1 p.m. on Monday.
- Middle Drive West from Transverse to MLK from Friday at 6:00a.m. until 11:55 p.m. on Sunday.
- Overlook Drive from Transverse to Middle Drive West from Friday at 6:00a.m. until 11 :55 p.m. on Sunday.
- Metson Drive from Middle Drive West to MLK from Friday at 6:00a.m. until 11:55 p.m. on Sunday.
What parking is available at Hardly Strictly?
Hardly Strictly encourages taking public transportation to the event. If you choose to drive, however, there may be paid parking on a first-come, first-served basis.
Below are the paid parking lots that are usually available during this event. However, they are independently owned, so Hardly Strictly organizers cannot guarantee they’ll remain exactly the same this year:
- George Washington High School, at 600 32nd Ave.
- Argonne Elementary School, at 680 18th Ave.
- Jefferson Elementary School, at 1725 Irving St.
- Lawton Alternative School, at 1570 31st Ave.
- Lafayette Elementary School, at 4545 Anza St.
- SFUSD Admin Campus, at 750 25th Ave.
Accessible parking is available along JFK, west of Chain of Lakes. There will be shuttle stops at JFK & Bernice Rodgers Way, JFK & Chain of Lakes, JFK near Gate 3 entry and GGP Senior Center, 6101 Fulton St.
Remember, if you’re choosing to try to park near Hardly Strictly, break-ins are common in San Francisco — so leave nothing visible in your vehicle, and if at all possible, leave your trunk exposed to show it’s empty. Don’t leave any electronics like laptops in your vehicle, even if you think they’re hidden. Read more about how to potentially reduce your risk of getting your car broken into.
How does rideshare pickup and drop-off work at Hardly Strictly?
There will be taxi stands at Fulton from 22nd Avenue to 24th Avenue.
There are pickups and drop-offs for rideshares like Lyft and Uber around “Washington High School on both 30th Avenue between Anza and Balboa and on Balboa between 30th and 31st [avenues],” according to the Hardly Strictly website.
There are pickups on Irving between 25th Avenue and 27th Avenue.
“Due to the large amounts of traffic coming to and from the park, ridesharing apps will only allow pin drops from the designated pickup area, so you should make your way to the drop-off/pickup location before calling for your ride,” the website notes.
What should I know about accessibility at Hardly Strictly?
According to the website, Golden Gate Park “covers a lot of space and encompasses many types of terrain, including grassy fields, sandy pathways, paved walkways, potholes” and more.
Guests who seek accessible services can get a wristband. The map below highlights the usual accessible services at Hardly Strictly, like entrances, viewing spots and accessible portable bathrooms.
There are also shuttles throughout the park. The stops include:
- JFK and Bernice Rodgers Way
- JFK and Chain of Lakes
- JFK near the Gate 3 entry
- GGP Senior Center at 6101 Fulton St.
Accessible parking is available along JFK, west of Chain of Lakes.
The Accessibility Ambassador tent is at “JFK and 36th Ave., adjacent to Gate 3,” according to their website. Here, you can get access to golf carts. Accessible golf-cart stops are along JFK:
- Lloyd Lake (pedestrian path) for Banjo and Arrow.
- Marx Meadow for Rooster.
- 30th Avenue for Swan and Towers of Gold.
- 36th Street and JFK Drive (the event’s entrance)
There will be a medical team at the festival, near Lindely Meadow. The nearest hospital is Health Connection Saint Mary’s Hospital & Medical Center at 450 Stanyan St.
What should I do in a crowd?
Crowds can be overwhelming for some people. With past tragic incidents at other festivals, it does not hurt to be cautious and prepared. Read NPR’s full guide on what to do if you find yourself caught in a crowd crush.
According to Mehdi Moussaïd, a research scientist in Berlin who studies crowd behavior, rely on your instincts and senses if you feel like the crowd is getting too dense. If you get stuck in a crush, move with the crowd, put your arms out in front of your chest and hold them there.
“In this position, you would have some space, just a little bit, to push for half a centimeter or just 1 centimeter — enough for you to keep breathing,” Moussaïd told NPR in 2022. “It’s not going to be comfortable. You’re going to be feeling really bad, but at least you’ll survive.”
This story includes reporting by KQED’s Nastia Voynovskaya and Gabe Meline.
