Tatiana Gutierrez
Reporter
The sound of bands warming up and performing will reverberate all throughout Golden Gate Park in mid-August during the three-day Outside Lands festival. Attendees can expect to hear a diverse lineup of artists and experience a wide array of attractions.
“We try to book a variety of bands that have great fan bases in San Francisco,” Ken Weinstein, director of media relations for Outside Lands, said. “We also like to turn our fans onto new artists every year.”
Performers vary from Metallica and Neil Young & Crazy Horse — both new to Golden Gate Park — to Stevie Wonder, who is returning to the stage after several years. All three are headliners for this year’s festival.
“We choose the artists in different ways,” Weinstein said. “We always have our dream artists that we try to book every year — the legends that you always want playing in your city.”
Weinstein said he expects the festival to sell out this year because of the lineup.
Eager Beaver, special three-day and advance three-day tickets, are already sold out. Three-day $225 and VIP $495 tickets are now the only tickets available.
Tickets will only be harder to get as it gets closer to the festival, according to Weinstein.
“What ticket I buy really depends on the lineup, but I think its worth it,” freshman Sabine Kelly, who attended last year and plans to go again this year, said. “Being able to go with friends for a whole day or even two or three days is a great experience because the atmosphere is really relaxing, which is perfect for the summertime.”
Outside Lands raised a total of $4.3 million for the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department last year and had a $68 million impact on the city through tourism as a whole, according to the Outside Lands press release.
Outside Lands takes place Aug. 10–12 on stages all over Golden Gate Park. Tickets are available online as well as The Independent box office on Divisadero Street and the Fox Theater in Oakland.
“We strive every year to improve on what we’ve done in the past,” Weinstein said. “We tweak all the systems and try to make the event run as smoothly as possible.”
