One of San Francisco’s most beloved music traditions is back. Hardly Strictly Bluegrass has announced the first artists set to perform at its free 2026 festival, returning to Golden Gate Park from October 2-4 with another genre-spanning lineup that blends Americana, folk, roots, indie rock, and global sounds.
Leading the initial announcement are My Morning Jacket, Gillian Welch & David Rawlings, Old Crow Medicine Show, Hiss Golden Messenger, Kathleen Edwards, AJ Lee & Blue Summit, William Tyler & Yasmin Williams, El Khat, Tyler Ballgame, and John Craigie with The Coffis Brothers. Festival organizers say more artists will be announced in the coming weeks.
Before the festival begins, Hardly Strictly Bluegrass will kick off the weekend with An Evening Honoring Steve Earle on Thursday, October 1 at The Masonic. The benefit concert celebrates Earle’s long-running connection to the festival, where he has appeared every year since 2002. The lineup includes Steve Earle, Emmylou Harris, Jackson Browne, Gillian Welch & David Rawlings, Buddy Miller, Elizabeth Cook, Molly Tuttle, Hot Tuna, Larry Campbell & Teresa Williams, Stacey Earle, Shawn Camp, Victoria Williams, and additional guests. Buddy Miller will serve as musical director, backed by Reckless Kelly featuring Greg Liesz.
Proceeds from the tribute concert will benefit Sweetwater Spectrum, a nonprofit that provides long-term housing and community support for adults with autism and other developmental disabilities.
The festival’s popular “Out of the Park” concert series will also return, with many performers playing intimate Bay Area venues throughout the weekend, including shows at The Fillmore, Sweetwater Music Hall, The Little Saint in Healdsburg, and Stanford’s Bing Concert Hall.
As always, admission to Hardly Strictly Bluegrass remains completely free, continuing a Bay Area tradition that has brought world-class live music to Golden Gate Park for more than two decades.
