Hardly Strictly Bluegrass 2014

Join over 800,000 people in San Francisco for the 14th annual Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival. Despite it’s name, the festival is not a dedicated bluegrass festival and hosts some of the finest (unpaid) artists from all over the world.

The Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festival is a FREE event with a BYO booze policy. It’s an excellent festival and one you should put on your calendars if you can.

Videos

Video Highlights of Hardly Strictly Bluegrass

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History

The Annual Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival was founded in 2001 by venture capitalist Warren Hellman who even today continues to keep the festival a completely free and none-commercial event even even after being offered many sponsorships by various corporations over the years.

Originally the festival was founded for strictly bluegrass music but from the very first festival musical genres were mixed. It wasn’t until 2004 when ‘Hardly’ was added to the festival name to help clarify what one could expect withing the festival; Previously the name stood as ‘Strictly Bluegrass’.

The first years festival in 2001 attracted 20,000 people over 2 stages.

In 2011 the festival attracted around 750,000 people over 6 stages and was dedicated in memory of Hellman’s Friend, Hazel Dickens who died a few months earlier yet had performed at HSB every year since it started.

Warren Hellman Oral History on Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival

A number of performers attend the festival each year. Some notible artists who’ve played more than 5 times at the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festival are as follows:

Kevin Welch & Kieran Kane & Fats Kaplin

Hazel Dickens

Guy Clark & Verlon Thompson

The Del McCoury Band

Earl Scruggs

Dry Branch Fire Squad

Emmylou Harris

Gillian Welch

Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder

Robert Earl Keen

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Photo Gallery

More Photos in the ‘Gallery‘ Tab below.

Lineup & Schedule

The 2014 Hardly Strictly Bluegrass (HSB) lineup has not yet been announced (expected early September 2014).

Check back regularly for further updates…

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If you’ve heard any rumors of who might be playing or headlining then please leave them in the comments section below.

who do you want to perform at this years fest?

Show the 2013 Hardly Strictly Bluegrass lineup...

Jesse Dee

The Felice Brothers

Robert Ellis

Moonalice

Jim Lauderdale

The Flatlanders

Sonny & The Sunsets

The Wood Brothers

Dave Alvin with Greg Leisz

Steve Martin and Steep Canyon Rangers

Father John Misty

Laurie Lewis And The Right Hands

Dry Branch Fire Squad

Robert Earl Keen

Yungchen Lhamo

Edie Brickell

Fats Kaplin

Tim O’Brien with Bryan Sutton & Mike Bub

Paul Kelly

Kieran Kane

Alison Brown

Jake Bellows

The Deep Dark Woods

Shovels & Rope

Nicki Bluhm & the Gramblers

Nick Lowe

Whispertown

Conor Oberst

Emmylou Harris

Della Mae

The Evens

Jesse DeNatale

Sallie Ford & The Sound Outside

Sturgill Simpson

Bonnie Raitt Steve Earle and the Dukes

The Brothers Comatose

Tift Merritt

Bettye LaVette

Darrell Scott

Justin Townes Earle

Jon Langford

Patty Griffin

Evolfo Doofeht

Time Jumpers

Richard Thompson

Mike Bub

The Devil Makes Three

Chris Isaak

Tim O’Brien

MC Hammer

The Cave Singers

Mark Lanegan

The Waterboys

First Aid Kit

Supermule

Kevin Welch

Calexico

Manchester Orchestra

Billy Bragg

Kat Edmonson

Bryan Sutton

Mike Farris and the Roseland Rhythm Revue

Boz Scaggs

Joy Kills Sorrow

Spirit Family Reunion

Peter Rowan

Mike Scott & Steve Wickham Natalie Maines

The Forest Rangers

The Forest Rangers with Katey Sagal

The Warren Hood Band

Seldom Scene

Kieran Kane, Kevin Welch And Fats Kaplin

Ryan Bingham

Jon Langford & Skull Orchard

Buddy Miller and Jim Lauderdale

Tumbleweed Wanderers

Jerry Douglas

G. Love & Special Sauce

Peter Rowan Bluegrass Band featuring Yungchen Lhamo

Poor Man’s Whiskey

Loudon Wainwright III

The Handsome Family

Elvin Bishop

Trampled by Turtles

Peter Rowan Bluegrass Band

String Cheese Incident

L.P.

Steep Canyon Rangers

Steve Martin

Tim O’brien And Darrell Scott

The Go To Hell Man Clan

Martha Wainwright

Freakwater

Dave Alvin

Low

Ralph Stanley And The Clinch Mountain Boys

Buddy Miller

Los Lobos

Allah-las

Gogol Bordello

Pieta Brown

Katey Sagal

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Tickets

There are no tickets for Hardly Strictly Bluegrass as it is a FREE event.

Venue

San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park attracts over 13 million visitors to it’s 1,017 arches (412 ha) of beautiful park landscapes each year. The Golden Gate Park is the 3rd most visited park in the United States and is free to enjoy by members of the public all year round. Quick Fact: The Golden Gate Park is 20% larger than Central Park in New York, dimentions 4.8km x 0.8km.

Within the Golden Gate Park you’ll find an oasis of flowers, trees, lakes and beautiful landscapes. There are a couple of small museums located within the park itself along with many places to participate in sporting activities. The park was first opened in 1870 with the view to provide a natural getaway from the growing city of San Francisco for years to come.

Originally the area was covered in sand dunes but is now host to over 75,000 trees. More detailed information on the Golden Gate Park and here on Wikipedia.

Address: 1199 9th Ave, San Francisco, CA 94122, United States

Phone: (415) 661-1316 / (415) 831-2700

Parking: Yes

Restrooms: Yes

Food

There will be in excess of 50 food and drink vendors at the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festival this year offering the best food the Bay Area has to offer. Most of the food vendors are spotted around the park itself.

Most people who come to the festival decide to bring a picnic with them along with some beer and wine to help enjoy the festival to the max.

Note that there is NO alcohol being sold within the park, however, alcohol (beer & wine, no hard liquor) is allowed to be bought into the grounds so long as park rules (bbq rules) are respected and that all rubbish is taken back with you after each day. A waste management team will sweep the park grounds after the last concert each evening and remove everything that is left so please do not try to ‘reserve’ space by leaving personal possessions.

Flights & Transportation

The closest international airport to the Golden Gate Park is San Francisco International Airport (SFO).

Distance from San Francisco Airport to Golden Gate Park is 25 km (15 miles), transport time around 25 minutes in a car or taxi.

Currently 26 airlines operate from San Francisco Airport including:

To get the best flight deals I would use SkyScanner‘s official search widget below.

Transport options from San Francisco Airport to Golden Gate Park.

Hotels & Accommodation

The cheapest hotel and accommodation options I could find in and around San Francisco during the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival (early October) are shown below (Click HERE for a complete list).

*** Hotel prices rise exponentially as you get closer to the festival dates. Book early to avoid disappointment. ***

If you are on a super shoe-string budget then search HostelWorld and get a bed in San Francisco for as little as $27.50!

Check out the nicest hotel in San Francisco >>

I would recommend checking San Francisco hotel reviews on TripAdvisor prior to placing any booking. Alternatively, why don’t you try something different and rent someones apartment during the festival period at AirBnB?! Click here for a free £15 credit towards your first booking!

Note that there is NO TENT CAMPING at the HSB Festival. However, if you really did want to camp, either in a tent or your RV/Motorhome, then you can check out the nearby facilities at The Presidio – Rob Hill Campground or the RV park by Candlestick park.

Interview

We currently have not been able to interview anybody at HSB fest, if you work for the festival and would like to answer a few questions for this section of your listing, please contact me so that we can get something arranged, thank you.

Outside of the Festival

If you’re coming from afar to visit the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festival then you might want to take a few days out and experience the other highlights that San Francisco has to offer. I’ve put together a small list of the best things to do in San Francisco. Enjoy!

Marin Headlands

Go for a drive, walk or hike along one of the most beautiful coastal paths in the USA, the Marin Headlands.

Take the time out to see the rodeo beach, mammal center, point bonita, the missile batteries, golden gate view point & scenic drive.

If you decide to rent a bike and go for a ride then please be warned that some of the hills are pretty steep. The former US Army base along the way is part of the Golden Gate National Recreation area. Reviews on Yelp.com.

Golden Gate Bridge

Take a walk across the most photographed bridge in the world, the Golden Gate Bridge. The views of the city and surrounding area from the Golden Gate Bridge are some of the best in San Francisco. A couple of interesting facts and figures for you:

Total length: 8,980′ (2,737 m)

8,980′ (2,737 m) Longest span: 4,200′ (1,280 m)

4,200′ (1,280 m) Construction started: 1933

1933 Elevation: 220′ (67 m)

220′ (67 m) Height: 746′ (227 m)

Alcatraz

One of the most famous prisons in the world, Alcatraz was a federal maximum security prison from 1934 until 1963, it was later closed due to the high running costs and security issues. The Alcatraz tour is an award winning tour that operates 7 days a week.

The Alcatraz night tour is probably one of the best and free for children under 5.

If you require any further information on this festival or would like to leave a message for others then please use the comments section below.

NB. You also find photo galleries, live festival news, transport information in the tabbed section below. All festival listings are changing continuously, check back regularly.

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