Here’s everything you need to know for the 2019 Outside Lands Music Festival

The Windmill is seen during the 2016 Outside Lands Music And Arts Festival at Golden Gate Park on August 7, 2016 in San Francisco, California.

The Windmill is seen during the 2016 Outside Lands Music And Arts Festival at Golden Gate Park on August 7, 2016 in San Francisco, California.

Photo: FilmMagic

The Windmill is seen during the 2016 Outside Lands Music And Arts Festival at Golden Gate Park on August 7, 2016 in San Francisco, California.

The Windmill is seen during the 2016 Outside Lands Music And Arts Festival at Golden Gate Park on August 7, 2016 in San Francisco, California.

Photo: FilmMagic

Here’s everything you need to know for the 2019 Outside Lands Music Festival

It’s that time of year. It’s finally the weekend that bass lines weave through acacia trees and Monterey pines into the avenues, and smuggled-in cannabis vapes intermingle with the haze of Fogust. In one hand you’ll have a Senor Sisig burrito; in the other, a locally-brewed IPA.

This August 9-11 is Outside Lands at Golden Gate Park, where for the last 11 years, leagues of rockers, rappers and comedians have performed on stages across Polo Field, Lindley Meadow and Hellman Hollow.

It’s a particularly imposing event, and especially so for a music festival. Seemingly endless food, drink and entertainment options can be paralyzing, especially for a first-time ticketholder. How do you get there? What do you bring? What do you wear? What should you eat?

We’ve got answers. See our ultimate guide to the festival below.

Register your wristband in the Outside Lands app. By doing so, you’re essentially insuring your event ticket in case it gets damaged or breaks during the fest. Need to replace your wristband for some reason? If you registered it, you’re covered.

How to get there

Let’s get one thing out of the way: You probably shouldn’t drive to the festival if you can help it. Parking is limited in the Sunset and Richmond Districts (which surround the festival grounds), and there are areas with 2-hour parking limits that will be enforced on Friday. If you do drive, be sure to leave absolutely nothing in your car, so as to deter a break-in.

Those who take public transit will be able to pick up a number of bus lines from Market Street downtown (the N-Judah underground, the 5 and 5R-Fulton and the 7-Haight/Noriega) and a few from the surrounding areas (the 28 and 28R-19th Avenue, the 29-Sunset and the 44-O’Shaughnessy) that will transport them to the park. As in years past, to mitigate crowding, the SFMTA will increase service on the N-Judah and 5R, and will add 5X Fulton Express lines running from between 31st and 37th Avenues on the north side of the park (near the Sutro Stage) to Civic Center BART station downtown.

There is, of course, always the rideshare option, though it’s likely your costliest choice. Ubers and Lyfts are likely to launch surge pricing at the beginning and end of the fest every day, so order your ride home at your own risk. You can, however, rent bikes or scooters to get you to the fest if you’re nearby.

Those who like things a little more straightforward can pre-book transportation with Outside Lands directly, on their local shuttle, which runs between the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium (near Civic Center BART) to Outside Lands’ South Entrance. The 3-day shuttle pass is on sale for $49.50 plus fees. There are additional fest-official shuttles offered between San Francisco and Mill Valley, Oakland, Palo Alto, Sacramento and San Jose.

Whatever your route of transit, you’ll need to get to one of three entrances. One is on the north side of the park on Fulton at 30th Avenue; the other is to the south side of the park, on Middle Drive W, via Judah at 34th Avenue.

Speaking of dinner, there will be more than 80 stands, food trucks and counters slinging everything from pizza to tacos to sushi. There will be porcini mushroom doughnuts and ahi poke, fried mac & cheese and ramen burgers, and chilaquiles and Nepalese lamb dumplings. There’s even something called a “jambalaya burrito.” Even the pickiest eater will be able to find something delicious. The menu is, as billed, a real “diversity of eats.”

There’s a playlist for that.

Once you’ve combed through the dozens of acts in the mix this year, plan out your schedule on Outside Lands’ site by creating a user account, and then download the Outside Lands app to access it (along with set times, a map and other info) onsite at the fest. You can get into the park as early as 11 a.m., though music doesn’t start until noon.

During your planning, be sure to also leave time for the Barbary Tent’s comedy and variety acts. When else would you get to see Tony Danza sing his heart out in real life?

What to do after

Should you opt to wait out the hordes of people cramming themselves onto departing buses in the immediate hour after the fest, consider checking out the late-night bars and restaurants around the park.

One the north side of the park, in the Richmond District, you’ll find tiki bar Trad’r Sam (Geary at 26th), the cocktail spot Violet’s (Clement at 24th), Tommy’s Mexican Restaurant (Geary between 23d and 24th), and Italian restaurant Fiorella (Clement at 25th).

On the south side of the park, in the Sunset, you’ll find more options, especially if you’re willing to walk a bit farther to the neighborhood’s commercial hub at 9th Avenue and Judah Street. If not, you can always grab tacos at Underdog’s (Irving at 19th) or beers at Chug Pub (Lincoln at 20th).

Happy trails, rangers!

Alyssa Pereira is an SFGate digital editor. Email: [email protected] | Twitter: @alyspereira

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