Hardly a patch of grass could be seen among all the blankets sprawled out at Golden Gate Park this weekend, as attendees of the 24th Annual Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival basked and danced in the sun. The three day event, which took place on some of the hottest days San Francisco has seen all year, drew an estimated 750,000 and featured free performances from over 70 artists, including Emmylou Harris and Steve Earle.
The event was spread out across the park, with stages at Hellman Hollow, Marx Meadow and Lindley Meadow. There were six stages: the Arrow Stage, Banjo Stage, Horsehill Stage, Rooster Stage, Swan Stage, and Towers of Gold.
The bright ring of banjos and guitars cut through the thin haze of dust and heat as people of all ages took in the festival. Young children blew bubbles while adults stretched out on blankets or in folding chairs, squinting in the sun and chatting between performances.
Sadie Cooper, a long time Bay Area resident, has attended every Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festival since 2002. “I have always been so proud of San Francisco for doing this. I just think it’s glorious,” she said.
Vivian Riehle, a junior at the University of California, Davis echoed Cooper’s sentiment. “People keep being like, oh, San Francisco’s culture is dying. […] But it’s here, we’re here,” said Riehle, who grew up in the city.
Lola Stevens, a senior at UC Davis, accompanied Riehle to the festival. “[There is a] really amazing energy, people are really helpful and yeah, everyone is beautiful, and the music is wonderful and the community is great,” said Stevens.
Venture capitalist Warren Hellman started the tradition of Hardly Strictly Bluegrass in 2001 as a gift to the city of San Francisco. He named the festival “Strictly Bluegrass” but as the festival invited more artists from different genres, “Hardly” was added to the name in 2003. Hellman created an endowment to continue the annual tradition after his death in 2011.
USF 2023 alumni Hannah Zeman and Isabella Alesandrini attended the event together. “I love that it’s free for everyone and that the entire community is brought together by music.” Zeman said, “Everyone is in a good mood and ready to enjoy the day and the artists, even if they’ve never heard of them before, and it’s a great way of discovering new music. The overall vibes are so unique and I love all of the different people who came to enjoy.”
At the Towers of Gold stage, Alesandrini said they discovered a new favorite artist in Haley Heyndrickx. “I loved the filipina representation,” they said, “She and the band were such troupers because they were playing in direct sunlight and it was so hot. It was really awesome to see more bands and artists of color, which I didn’t really notice as much last year.” At the festival, Heyndrickx gave the audience a preview of her upcoming album “Seed of a Seed” which will be released on Nov. 1.
San Francisco resident Melody Wright, who has attended the festival every year for the past five years, also discovered Heyndrickx at the festival, “I don’t always know all the groups, but every year that I come to Bluegrass I always walk away feeling like I’ve found a new group that I feel connected to […] it’s a beautiful festival.”
Wright said that her favorite performance of the weekend was the Milk Carton Kids, a California-based folk duo, who performed a soothing, mellow set over at the Swan Stage.
“I also loved hearing Robyn Hitchcock sing ‘Madonna of the Wasps,’” said Wright, “That’s a beautiful song, I love the eclectic nature of the music here.”
Hitchcock’s set at the Swan Stage consisted of a mix of folk and psychedelic rock. According to his website, the British singer-songwriter is a “surrealist rock ‘n’ roller, iconic troubadour, guitarist, poet, painter, and performer.”
Dave Tighe, who has lived in San Francisco for 20 years, said that he tries to make it to the festival every year that he can. “It’s a fun atmosphere,” he said, “I enjoy hearing new artists and enjoying the bluegrass genre.”
Tighe found a source of entertainment outside of the music too, “I ran into fellow jugglers and we juggled […] I knew I would find some at Hardly […] it was neat to do it as the festival was going on, and getting to enjoy the music in the background.”
Grant Brum, a senior at San Francisco State University said that he has attended the festival for three years in a row, but that this was his first time attending all three days. “I had a great time seeing folk legend Ramblin’ Jack Elliott who still played this year’s festival at 93 years old. I am also super amped to see Emmylou Harris.”
He continued, “My favorite part about Hardly Strictly is the intersectionality of genre. Every year has such a deep blend of country, blues, rock, folk, and psychedelia among the different stages.”
Steve Earle, a cornerstone of the bluegrass genre, has played at every Hardly Strictly festival since 2002. The crowd for Earle’s set with Molly Tuttle and the Golden Highway on Saturday evening filled Hellman Hollow as the setting sun lit up the stage. Earle’s 1988 hit “Copperhead Road” brought cheers from the crowd.
Natalie Thorpe, a junior art history major said “I think free concerts like HSB are so integral to the culture of SF. It reminds me of the hippie culture in the 70s where artists would play in the panhandle for free just to build community.”
She continued, “I feel such a sense of nostalgia and community here. I’m glad to be a part of it.”
Editor-in-Chief: Jordan Premmer, Chief Copy Editor: Sophia McCrackin, Managing Editor: Jordan DelFiugo, Opinion Editor: Dakota Duran, Scene Editor: Elina Graham
