Seventeen years in and Outside Lands still draws music fanatics with top talent.
Nearly every year since August 2008, the three-day independent festival has brought over 200,000 people to Golden Gate Park with star-studded lineups like this year’s headliners Doja Cat, Tyler the Creator and Hozier and Taste of the Bay food vendors like KoJa Kitchen, Smish Smash and Peaches Patties.
“I feel great to be here,” festival-goer Alejandro Matrinez, 20, told The Light. “I’m born in the Bay, lived here my entire life, never gone and I’m like 'I have the money to go, I’m gonna go.'"
Six-time attendee Jolee Parnell, 33, has seen it all, but the magic of Outside Lands, like discovering new artists, makes the trip from New York worth it.
“I’ve met a lot of people, it’s their first time here, which is so crazy to me,” Parnell said. “I feel like it’s such a staple to San Francisco, and it’s so interesting to hear that it’s people’s first time here.”
Left to Right: Jolee Parnell, Alejandro Martinez, Richard Corpuz, George Corpuz, Jowielle Corpuz, Maya Dizon and David Martinez attend Outside Lands 2025 at Golden Gate Park. | Anne Marie Kristoff/Ingleside Light
Walking from one of the festival's seven stages to the next, we caught glimpses of several performances by artists Thunder Cat, Bakar, Jorja Smith, John Summit, Beck with the Berkeley Symphony and Glass Animals. But The Light stuck around for stand-out performances from Tyler the Creator, Hozier, Doechii, Finneas, Still Woozy, Ludacris and Gracie Abrams.
We also attended Vampire Weekend and Rebecca Black’s first shows of the weekend and Anderson .Paak’s second performance with The Free Nationals and special guests E-40 and Cordae.
Doechii, Tyler the Creator, Finneas and Hozier shine on the Outside Lands Lands End main stage. | Anne Marie Kristoff/Ingleside Light
“When it comes down to it, I'm so excited for all their performances from all the artists, but like I don't know Tyler [the Creator] on Saturday, that’s what I’m most excited for,” Alaska native and current Bay Area resident George Corpuz, 20, said.
Aside from the music, we enjoyed many of the Outside Lands’ pop-ups like the NERDS candy booth with a chance to score free NERDS Gummy Clusters and NERDS-scented temporary tattoos, murals by various local artists and quick bites from Humphry Slocombe, Brenda’s French Soul Food and Hayz Dog.
First-time festival attendees Maya Dizon, 23, and David Martinez, 27, were ecstatic about all of Outside Lands’ amenities, but were most pleased by a San Francisco staple: its public transportation.
“Just walk here, take the bus here, take the train here,” said Russian Hill resident Martinez, who also shouted out the Bay’s culture. “That is the beautiful point about San Francisco, that there's public transportation.”
Festival goers enjoy Rebecca Black's first show at the Sutro Stage and performances at the new Duboce Triangle Stage. | Anne Marie Kristoff/Ingleside Light
Like many attendees who shared advice like bringing your own water bottle and layering up to handle San Francisco’s famous fog, Dizon, Parnell and Jowielle Corpuz highlighted the opportunity to get to know fellow festival-goers.
“Enjoy it,” San Juan Bautista resident Dizon said. “There are a lot of artists that you want to look forward to, but enjoy the little things like the stands or the people that you meet. Extend yourself to meeting new people. Extend yourself to doing new things.”
Anne Marie Kristoff (she/her) is a recent graduate from San Francisco State University's journalism program. She enjoys writing about the arts, entertainment and nature.
