It’s time to set your dance card for the 2026 Outside Lands Music Festival.
Who are you going to see? Who are you willing to skip?
Because, with more than 100 acts across multiple stages, there’s no way that you’re going to be able catch every artist on the three-day Outside Lands bill.
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So, it’s time to make some hard choices and figure out what your time is going to look like at the festival, which runs Aug. 7-9 at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco.
And we’re here with some suggestions.
We figure you already know about the three headliners – Charli xcx, the Strokes and Rüfüs Du Sol – as well as such big-time main support acts as Turnstile, The xx and Modest Mouse. So we’re not going use up any time by singing their praises.
Instead, we’re looking lower down on the bill to find some of the hidden gems that many festival-goers won’t likely be as familiar with in 2026.
Here are 15 acts — five per day — to put on your dance card for the 2026 Outside Lands. And we fully believe that you’ll be very glad you did.
For more information about the festival, visit sfoutsidelands.com.
Day 1 (Friday, Aug. 7)
Tinashe
The alt-R&B/pop vocalist, who was born in Kentucky and raised in the Los Angeles area, got off to a strong commercial start in her recording career as the 2014 full-length debut “Aquarius” made it all the way to the top 20 on the pop charts. Much of that was propelled by the multiplatinum smash single “2 On” featuring Schoolboy Q. She’s kept right on releasing quality music ever since, finding gold/platinum success with such singles as “Needs,” “Nasty” and “No Broke Boys.” Her latest full-length is 2024’s “Quantum Baby.”
Info: 5:10 p.m., Twin Peaks Stage
Listen to: “No Broke Boys”
Sierra Farrell
This West Virginia talent has definitely been on our radar ever since we saw her open for Chris Stapleton at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco back in February. It was a high-profile Super Bowl-related gig and Farrell more than held her own on this bill with the country music giant as she delighted the full house with her alt-country sound, which incorporates bluegrass, tango, folk, calypso and more.
Info: 4:10 p.m., Sutro Stage
Listen to: “Years”
¥ØUUK€ ¥UK1MATU (Yousuke Yukimatsu)
This Tokyo-based artist — described on the Outside Lands’ website as “your favourite DJ’s favourite DJ” — is a true skyrocketing star on the electronic music scene. Go back about 10 years, however, and he was splitting his time between deejaying and working a day job in construction. Then he was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2016, which led to tumor-removal surgery, and he decided to throw in the towel on construction and devote himself fully to a career as a DJ. His sets are widely hailed for their musical diversity, experimental nature and captivating energy.
Info: 6:55 p.m., SOMA Stage
Listen to: “Midnight Is Comin’”
Die Spitz
The Austin hard-rock act, which combines elements of heavy ‘80s punk, sludgy ‘90s grunge and take-no-prisoners ‘00s metal, is very high on our “can’t-miss” list for the entire festival. And we’re expecting we’ll be in very good — and abundant — company when Die Spitz takes the stage and begins swinging through their tunes with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer. That’s because this mighty, yet relatively new, act, consisting of singers/guitarists/drummers Ava Schrobilgen and Chloe de St. Aubin, singer/guitarist Eleanor Livingston and bassist Kate Halter, are absolutely riding high right now on the strength of the 2025 Third Man Records debut “Something to Consume.”
Info: 1:40 p.m., Sutro Stage
Listen to: “Throw Yourself to the Sword”
Faouzia
The Casablanca-born, Canada-raised artist is blessed with an absolutely stunning singing voice, one that she puts to great use on the 2025 debut album “Film Noir.” That’s a fitting title in a sense, given that Faouzia’s brand of emotional, anthemic pop music comes across as so sweepingly cinematic. Yet, the “noir” part does give us pause, since — unlike those film noir classics of the ‘40s and ‘50s — we find so much hope on the album, even if sometimes it does have to fight an uphill battle against heartbreak and sorrow.
Info: 12:05 p.m., Lands End Stage
Listen to: ‘Unethical”
Day 2 (Saturday, Aug. 8)
Haute & Freddy
The L.A. duo, consisting of vocalist Michelle Buzz (“Haute”) and percussionist Lance Shipp (“Freddy”), appeals to fans of such ‘80s synth-pop acts as Erasure, Pet Shop Boys, Eurythmics, Yaz and Soft Cell. (And, really, it’s about time that fanbase got some new music, since – speaking from experience – you can only listen to “Upstairs at Eric’s” so many times.) We dig Haute & Freddy’s full-length debut, this year’s “Big Disgrace,” and look forward to seeing how their widely buzzed-about theatrical touches translate on the live stage at Outside Lands.
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Info: 1:25 p.m. Lands End Stage
Listen to: “Shy Girl”
Rio Kosta
Mike Del Rio and Kosta Galanopoulos randomly met up backstage at a festival in 2018 and immediately hit it off. They were both session musicians and producers, but felt like there was a real opportunity to join forces and make their own music. So, they blended their names and came up with Rio Kosta. Since then, the L.A.-based multi-instrumentalist/producer outfit has been busy creating a healthy buzz with a funky retro-soul/pop sound that has drawn comparisons to the likes of MGMT, Khruangbin and Jungle. The group’s debut full-length, “Unicorn,” shows there is vast potential here.
Info: 12:35 p.m. Sutro Stage
Listen to: “Unicorn”
Malcolm Todd
This bedroom-pop troubadour is another TikTok sensation, who rode the success of the 2023 singles “Art House” and “Roommates” on the star-making online platform right to landing a deal with Columbia Records. The L.A. native’s music mixes mellow pop and alt-R&B, but the description we most enjoy is credited to journalist Ryan Broderick, who reportedly dubbed Todd’s sound as “Kidz Bop Tame Impala.” And that’s something we’d most definitely want to hear! Earlier this year, the singer released the sophomore effort “Do That Again,” which follows his eponymous debut of 2025.
Info: 4:45 p.m. Twin Peaks Stage
Listen to: “Sweet Boy”
Audrey Hobert
Musical talent definitely runs in the Hobert family, which also includes the previously mentioned Malcolm Todd (Hobert). We actually prefer the sister’s music, which has a definite edge and makes us feel far less sleepy. Hobert’s background includes working as a staff writer on “The Really Loud House” (a Nickelodeon sitcom produced by her father, Tim Hobert) and writing songs with her megastar pal Gracie Abrams. Now, the pop singer-songwriter is concentrating on her own solo music career with the release “Who’s the Clown?” – the 2025 debut featuring the single “Sue Me.”
Info: 2:40 p.m. Lands End Stage
Listen to: “Phoebe”
Sienna Spiro
“Die On This Hill” is the kind of track that stops you dead in your tracks. The moment you hear Spiro’s voice rise up – sounding so strikingly new, yet making you wish you’d had the privilege of listening to it for decades – you just know you are on to something truly great. TikTok viewers figured that out back in 2021, when her viral videos began to cull a following. Yet, the soulful pop vocalist’s breakthrough came with the mesmerizing and heartbreaking love ballad “Die On This Hill,” which now has over a half billion spins on Spotify alone. Her full-length debut, “Visitor,” hit stores in July.
Info: 3:05 p.m. Sutro Stage
Listen to: “Die On This Hill”
Day 3 (Sunday, Aug. 9)
Jade
Attention fellow Little Mix fans: Here’s one set you really don’t want to miss at the 2026 Outside Lands. Because it gives you the chance to catch up on all that has been going on with Jade since the British girl group – which originally formed on the eighth series of “The X Factor” TV show in 2011 – went on extended hiatus in 2022. The answer is that she has been very busy fashioning a convincing pop music solo career, which has really taken flight with the smash hit single “Angel of My Dreams” and the 2025 parent album “That’s Showbiz Baby!” In fact, things are going so well for Jade as a solo artist that we’re guessing she won’t be in any rush for Little Mix to end its hiatus.
Info: 3:45 p.m. Lands End Stage
Listen to: “Angel of My Dreams”
Frost Children
One of the hottest names in hyperpop, Frost Children has been incredibly productive during its relatively brief recording career – releasing a dozen albums/EPs in half as many years. The latest full-length, 2025’s “Sister,” is in the process of taking to duo – consisting of siblings Angel and Lulu Prost – to the next stratosphere of musical stardom. The album builds upon the band’s previous full-length, 2023’s “Hearth,” striking an organic balance between electronic pop and emo rock. It also provides Frost Children with a true calling card in “Falling.”
Info: 7:50 p.m. Panhandle Stage
Listen to: “Falling”
Infinity Song
The four Boyd siblings — Abraham, Angel, Israel and Momo Boyd – are on a mission to bring soft rock back. They’re doing so via a feathery mix of semi-hushed, never hurried vocal harmonies, ‘70s AM radio pop instrumentation and lyrics that bend toward the ethereal. That sound has helped the group make a number of friends in high places, including Jay-Z, whose entertainment group Roc Nation has inked Infinity Song to a record deal. The quartet also contributed to Kanye West’s “Jesus Is King” album as well as participated in the rap icon’s Sunday Service Choir. Infinity Song owes much of its success to TikTok, which is where the Boyds’ “Hater’s Anthem” became a viral success story.
Info: 6:05 p.m. Panhandle Stage
Listen to: “Hurricane”
Balu Brigada
Here’s the band that you should put on the next time your hipster friends come over to the house for avocado toast. Drop the needle on the record – because, yeah, it’s got to be vinyl – and just watch your friends’ reactions as these Kiwis start grooving out some of the freshest indie-rock music of recent years. The overall sound is one part Strokes, two parts Vampire Weekend, one part Tame Impala – and all cool. The Auckland-born act has put out two EPs and finds itself ready for the big(ish) time with the release of the debut album “Portal.”
Info: 2:25 p.m. Lands End Stage
Listen to: “Backstreet”
Kingfsher
My Irish heritage absolutely dictates that I recommend catching this indie-folk trio, which has risen from writing songs together in a kitchen in County Tipprary to selling out arenas and other massive venues all around the Emerald Isle while conquering the Irish music charts. Indeed, these three Limerick lads – vocalist-guitarist Eddie Keogh, bango player/guitarist Eoghan “McGoo” McGrath and guitarist Eoin “Fitz” Fitzgibbon – filled Dublin’s 15,000-capacity 3Arena for two nights and, reportedly, the ticket demand was great enough that they could have added more shows. This is your chance to catch one of Ireland’s biggest new bands before they go gangbusters over on this side of the pond.
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Info: 4:15 p.m. Sutro Stage
Listen to: Diamonds & Roses
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