Hardly Strictly Bluegrass has announced its initial lineup for 2026, which runs Oct. 2-4 at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco.
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AJ Lee & Blue Summit, Gillian Welch & David Rawlings, Hiss Golden Messenger, Kathleen Edwards, My Morning Jacket, Old Crow Medicine Show, El Khat, Tyler Ballgame, William Tyler & Yasmin Williams, and John Craigie with The Coffis Brothers are among the acts set to perform at this free three-day festival, which routinely draws hundreds of thousands of fans and ranks as the most highly attended music festival in Northern California.
Additional Hardly Strictly Bluegrass performers will be announced in the weeks to come.
“Hardly Strictly Bluegrass has been on our radar for years because it is a gift to the people of the Bay Area … a chance for all to enjoy the ritual of live music free of charge. We’re honored to get the invite this year, and we can’t wait to feel the energy of such a special event,” says Patrick Hallahan of My Morning Jacket.
There will also be a tribute to Steve Earle — who has performed at each edition of the much-beloved San Francisco free music festival since HSB’s second year in 2002 — taking place on Oct. 1 at The Masonic in San Francisco. “An Evening Honoring Steve Earle” will feature Buddy Miller, Elizabeth Cook, Emmylou Harris, Gillian Welch & David Rawlings, Jackson Browne, Hot Tuna, Larry Campbell & Teresa Williams, Molly Tuttle, Reckless Kelly, Greg Liesz and, of course, the man of the hour himself — Steve Earle. The organizers hosted a similar tribute to festival favorite Emmylou Harris last year.
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“We can think of no better way to bookend our silver anniversary than celebrating 25 years of Steve Earle at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass,” says executive producer Sheri Sternberg. “We are so fortunate to have legacy artists like Emmylou and Steve who have embraced our annual gathering since the beginning. We wanted to recognize their efforts with concerts benefiting charities that are important to them.
“This year’s proceeds go to the non-profit Sweetwater Spectrum, a community that provides adults with autism or similar intellectual/developmental disabilities with innovative, community-based, long-term housing. Our final flourish is that Buddy Miller will be with us as musical director once again, bringing his unique, special sauce to this tribute,”
There will also be a full schedule of “Out of the Park” concerts for 2026, including such acts as Gillian Welch & David Rawlings, Molly Tuttle, Old Crow Medicine Show & Ismay and Hiss Golden Messenger.
Here is the lineup for the Out of the Park concerts:
Molly Tuttle – Bing Concert Hall Stanford – Sep. 28
AJ Lee & Blue Summit & Bandits on the Run- Sweetwater – Oct. 2
Gillian Welch & David Rawlings – The Fillmore – Oct. 2
John Craigie & Anna Moss – GAMH – Oct. 2
Tyler Ballgame – Cafe Du Nord – Oct. 2
El Khat – The Freight – Oct. 3
Old Crow Medicine Show & Ismay – Sweetwater – Oct. 3
Kathleen Edwards – The Guild – Oct. 4
Jimmie Dale at HopMonk (Novato) – Oct. 5
Hiss Golden Messenger – The Little Saint (Healdsburg) – Oct. 6
For more information on the festival and related shows, visit hardlystrictlybluegrass.com.
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