SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 1 (San Francisco News Online) — Outside Lands will mark its 18th year Aug. 7–9, 2026, returning to San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park with a lineup led by Charli XCX, The Strokes and Rüfüs Du Sol.
The festival began in 2008. Its official history page tracks the event through posters, photographs, videos and past lineups, placing the 2026 edition in a run that now spans nearly two decades of music and arts programming in the park.
What is planned for 2026?
The three headliners represent different parts of the festival’s musical range. Charli XCX is known for electronic-influenced pop, The Strokes for their role in the early-2000s rock revival, and Rüfüs Du Sol for their electronic sound and live performances.
The wider bill includes The xx, Baby Keem, Turnstile, Death Cab for Cutie, Wet Leg, Modest Mouse, Clipse, Tinashe, Empire of the Sun, Djo, Dijon, GloRilla, Ethel Cain, Sierra Ferrell, Lucy Dacus, Lane 8 and Boris Brejcha.
The organizers later added Grace Ives, Kerala Dust, the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus and Etari. PinkPantheress was also added after the initial lineup announcement, according to an announcement from the festival organizers.
The festival has not released a complete day-by-day schedule in the information available for this article. The status of The xx as a principal headliner is also described differently in event listings, while Charli XCX, The Strokes and Rüfüs Du Sol are consistently identified as the main headliners.
More than a concert
Outside Lands is built as a music festival, but its program also includes food, drinks, visual art and other cultural events. The official festival materials identify areas and programs including Wine Lands, Beer Lands, Grass Lands, Taste of the Bay Area, GastroMagic, Dolores and the SOMA dance space.
The festival’s nonmusic offerings are part of its identity in San Francisco. Food programming focuses on Bay Area restaurants and chefs, while Wine Lands and Beer Lands center on regional and national producers. Grass Lands is the festival’s cannabis-focused area. The event also includes art installations and street performance.
The organizers have described the 2026 program as extending across seven stages. The available information does not include an official attendance figure, economic-impact study or complete list of art installations.
Berkeley-based Another Planet Entertainment has produced Outside Lands since its 2008 debut, according to event-production information cited by SeatGeek. That connection places the festival within the Bay Area’s broader live-music network, alongside the region’s concert venues and other large-scale events.
What is the ticket status?
The official Outside Lands website currently says tickets are sold out. Earlier ticket information listed a waitlist and limited single-day availability, but that information predates the current status shown on the festival’s home page.
The official site lists the festival dates as Aug. 7–9 and the location as Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. It does not provide, in the supplied information, a full schedule or detailed transportation and neighborhood-impact plan.
For San Francisco, the festival’s 18th year is both a return and a marker of longevity. Outside Lands has continued to combine large touring acts with food, art and local cultural programming in one of the city’s most recognizable public spaces. Its 2026 edition will test that format again, with a new lineup and the same Golden Gate Park setting that has defined the event since 2008.
