Everything You Need to Know to Go to Outside Lands 2025
A stacked lineup, an enviable food slate, and an opportunity to commune with nature
It’s not just that Outside Lands takes place in San Francisco, it’s that the marquee music festival goes down in the best place within the incredible city: Golden Gate Park. When you're gallivanting through the park’s cypress groves, sweeping meadows, and winding pathways amidst the thrilling hoopla of the Polo Field, well, being there feels kinda magical.
In its 17th year, Outside Lands has evolved into much more than just a showcase for music. Sure, you’ll remember headliners like genre-bucking rap talents Tyler, The Creator and Doja Cat, EDM giant John Summit, or epic blues-rocker Hozier. But you'll also experience equally impressive attractions, stages, and “Lands” that are dedicated to buzzy local food and drink, legal cannabis, queer nightlife, Latinx culture, and more. There’s even a wedding chapel.
Notably, Outside Lands’ epicurean offerings are just as head-turning as the music lineup, and you won’t need a VIP pass to access most of them. This accessibility is core to what makes this fest so spectacular. When so many of the world’s delights seem to exist only on someone else’s photo feed, Outside Lands cuts the velvet rope for all to indulge. The results are reflective of the greater culture of the Bay Area, where the extravagant and the gritty have been mingling for decades. So gather ’round, for the ultimate guide to one of the best festivals in the country.
How do I get tickets and what will it cost?
Outside Lands runs August 8–10. There are options to purchase three-day passes as well as single-day tickets starting at $235. Avoid secondary markets early in the game and instead go directly through the Outside Lands ticketing page. For the full weekend, GA ($539) gets you into the festival, while GA+ ($799) adds expedited entry, plus a lounge with free soft drinks and more restroom options. VIP ($1,199; only waitlist available at press time) gets you into legit viewing areas at the three largest stages and also VIP villages with more food options, premium bars, and restrooms much nicer than those at your average festival. Meanwhile, Golden Gate Club passes ($5,299) are for high rollers who want unlimited food and drink, even better viewing areas right in front of each stage, golf cart transport, and other elite-level amenities.
What are the ticket options?
There are a bunch of ticket options, including 3-Day GA, GA+, and VIP Single Day GA, GA+, and VIP. The 3-Day passes range from $449 to $1029, and Single Day passes range from $199 to $499.
GA is precisely what it sounds like, while GA+ gets you expedited entry, an exclusive lounge with flushable bathrooms, complimentary water, soft drinks, and a full-service bar and food for purchase.
VIP gets you dedicated entrances, VIP viewing areas with dedicated bars, a courtyard lounge with exclusive food vendors, premium bars, upgraded restrooms, and more.
Hopefully, if you wanted a 3-Day pass, you’ve already snagged yours because they’re totally sold out unless you’re prepared to throw down for the 3-Day Golden Gate Club option, which gives you access to Ken Fulk’s Golden Gate Club, front stage viewing, travel from stage to stage in a fleet of golf carts, dedicated entrance, plus food and drinks from beloved Bay Area chefs and cocktail legends. That will cost you $4,899 + fees, but if you’ve got that kind of cash, it is a pretty baller experience. (See a video here.)
How do I get to the city?
Driving into San Francisco from other parts of the state or country is easy via Highway 101 from the north or south, or I-80 from the east. Flying in, your most direct option is to come into San Francisco International Airport (SFO), although Oakland Airport (OAK) is generally more mellow and also services a lot of flights into the Bay Area. A solid hour away, San Jose Airport (SJC) is technically also a viable option, but not really recommended unless flight prices are too good to pass up, or you plan on staying in the South Bay for a specific reason. You can take the BART train from either SFO ($6.55 one way) or OAK ($5.20 one way), or grab a taxi/rideshare upon arrival (prices vary greatly, but expect around $35-$50 from SF and $40-$60 from Oakland).
How do I traverse the city and access the venue?
While San Francisco has a decent public transit infrastructure, many in the city prefer to use rideshare services like Uber and Lyft to eliminate the guesswork. That said, if you take the time to learn how to use BART to get into SF, and MUNI's light rail trains and buses to get around once you're here, you’ll save considerable cash during your stay. Also, the Bay Wheels network of single-use bicycles is widely available throughout the city. Their e-bike options offer a very efficient way to cruise down main thoroughfares without worrying about traffic, or to scale San Francisco’s notorious hills without breaking much of a sweat. It’s worth the growing pains of getting to know the bike lane system. Now, about getting in and out of Outside Lands…
There are two primary gates, along with adjacent VIP entrances. The Main Gate is on the Richmond District side of the park off of John F. Kennedy Drive near 30th Avenue, while the South Gate is on the Sunset District side at Middle Drive and Metson Road. There’s also an ADA Entrance at 36th and JFK. Know, though, that San Francisco’s streets are anything but straightforward. The city is seven square miles and there’s a lot happening within. Thus, arriving and leaving the festival can be tricky. Here’s what you need to know about your six options:
- Rideshare/taxi: Taking a car service to the festival is a lot easier and more reasonably priced than getting one out of there. At the end of the night, tens of thousands of people are trying to summon drivers and prices surge like crazy, often into the $100-plus range. That said, the designated rideshare pick up/drop off points are at Balboa Street and 30th Avenue (Richmond side) and Irving Street between 25th and 27th (Sunset side.)
- Bike: We’re not gonna downplay it. Biking is the single best way to get to and from Outside Lands. There’s a massive bike rack on JFK off of Crossover Drive that stretches back for blocks, and a smaller one at Martin Luther King Jr Drive near the South Gate. There’s also a Bay Wheels station right by the racks on JFK that seems to accommodate more rentals each year. The best part about biking is that you can leave the fest easily and make it home, to a bar, or an afterparty on your own terms. Don’t forget a helmet!
- Shuttle: Outside Lands offers a pre-paid shuttle service that runs between the festival entrance and Bill Graham Civic Auditorium near the Civic Center BART station. This is a good option if you’re taking BART into the city. Shuttle passes don’t go on sale until July, but in the past they’ve charged $26 for single-day access or $39 for the weekend.
- Walk: If you can plan a long walk ahead of time, it’s a pleasant way to arrive. More likely than not, when you’re done for the night, you’ll be heading through Golden Gate Park to avoid the congestion of up to 70,000 people per day trying to leave the grounds.
- Public transit: MUNI is $3 per ride, but often free for Outside Lands attendees. The N-line train drops off at Judah Street and 25th, a short walk from the South Gate. But fair warning: the train will be a tight fit on your way out. The 5R-Fulton rapid bus picks up and drops off at Fulton Street and 30th or 25th. At the end of the night, there's increased service and it’s a fun—if claustrophobic—ride into the heart of the city with your fellow revellers.
- Drive: There is no parking lot at Outside Lands, so driving is not a great idea. If you must, though, you’ll have to look for parking in the surrounding neighborhoods and the earlier you arrive, the better your chances. Good luck with that.
Where should I stay?
AirBnB is a decent option, but if you’re not loving the selection or prefer a more traditional brand of hospitality, we can recommend the aptly named Proper Hotel, far and away the best place to stay if you plan on taking the shuttle to the festival—it’s just a seven-minute walk from the stop. Also, the rooms have a modern luxury feel that won’t totally break the bank, while Charmaine’s Rooftop Bar & Lounge has one of the best views of the city, perfect for a post-festival nightcap.
An official festival partner, Hotel Zelos offers attendees 15 percent off the lowest going rate and is literal steps away from the N-line stop at Powell Station, making a journey into Outside Lands easy. It’s in a historic building, and the partially open-air Dirty Habit bar is a high-grade watering hole with over 600 different whiskeys to choose from and a proper kitchen. But if you’re looking for legacy with a musical twist, the Stanyan Park Hotel is situated within a boutique Victorian in the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood, a few blocks from the storied Grateful Dead house (710 Ashbury Street). The Stanyan is literally across the street from Golden Gate Park, too, meaning it’s an exceedingly chill walk or bike ride into the fest.
And for a high-end experience, Four Seasons Embarcadero has every amenity. A speedy elevator takes you up to the luxe, high-rise rooms that make you feel as if you’re sleeping above the clouds (or at least the fog). Plus, you can take a morning walk over to the Ferry Building Marketplace for a culinary sampling of the city’s best bites before heading into the festival.
How’s the music looking?
Outside Lands 2025 comes packed with another loaded lineup. After bailing on last year's headlining set, hip-hop auteur Tyler, The Creator will make his grand return. Doja, Anderson .Paak and Doechii round out a top-heavy hip-hop slate. Jamie XX, Gesaffelstein, and Summit top the list of electronic acts, while more indie-leaning producers like Floating Points and DJ Koze are set to play at the ever-evolving SOMA stage. Also, indie-rock favorites Vampire Weekend return for their third and fourth Outside Land appearances, performing both an opening set on the Lands End Stage early in the day, and a closing set that night. Also, celebrated genre shape-shifter Beck will perform backed by a full symphony.
Further down the poster are some likewise enticing performances: U.K. R&B vocalist Jorja Smith promises sultry dance vibes, while Los Angeles future-funk bassist Thundercat brings his groove back to Golden Gate Park for the first time since 2017. Ludacris fills the legacy rap slot, while velvet-voiced indie songwriter Jessica Pratt returns to the city she once called home. Also: use the opportunity to get up on emerging names-to-know like Sacramento pop-punk band Destroy Boys, Bay Area rapper LaRussell, and New York electro-fusionists Fcukers.
Why is the food and drink such a big deal?
Outside Lands aptly dubs its food lineup Taste of the Bay Area—a festival within a festival. There are 95 different restaurants represented and 85% of them identify as BIPOC- and/or woman-owned, a testament to both the deliciousness and the diversity of the region’s offerings. In other words, this is hardly the same ol’ fest fare, with a veritable glut of well-curated options.
The Mission’s own Reem’s California has Arab-style lamb quesabirria flatbread wraps, Oakland’s Chef Smelly's serves up dungeness crab “surf and turf” garlic noodles, and Bodega has pancetta lo mein and a cup of pho broth to warm you up. A “Wings of the World” menu theme is also represented across multiple vendor stands that are part of the La Cocina non-profit kitchen incubator—this includes Afghani kabob wings from Sisters, habanero mole wings from Tonantzin, and adobado chiltepe-chimichurri wings from Xula. And in the VIP area, you can even get fried frog legs and embered oysters from Angler on the Embarcadero.
Meanwhile, don’t sleep on stalwarts like the Nepalese momo dumplings from Bini’s Kitchen, Jamaican beef hand pies from Peaches Patties, SF-meets-NOLA muffulettas from Sandy’s, and Humphry Slocombe’s famous Secret Breakfast ice cream (a.k.a. bourbon and corn flakes). There will also be a slew of hot pop-ups in the mix handpicked by longtime festival food curator Tanya Kollar including brisket arepas from Tex-Colombian BBQ concept Mezcla Eats’ and tteokbokki mac and cheese from the “ChinoLatino” hybrid Tacos Sincero.
Last but not least: drinks. Beer Lands is a dedicated area for suds featuring over two dozen standout local breweries like San Francisco’s Fort Point, San Leandro’s Drake’s, Santa Rosa’s Moonlight, and Livermore’s Altamont. And at Wine Lands, you can taste over 20 regional wines from nearby Napa, Sonoma, and Mendocino counties. Also, the Cocktail Magic zone brings together some of the best local bars and bartenders to craft fest-ready drinks at themed bars.
What else is there to do at Outside Lands?
You’ll get the best experience at Outside Lands if you carve out time to venture away from the main stages to check out the alternative programming. Grass Lands is a legal weed-a-palooza with stoner-friendly munchies and tunes where dispensaries and pot brands set up shop so you can snag gummies, pre-rolls, and vapes. Dolores’ is a queer-centric dance club on the far end of the Polo Field that pops off all weekend and is curated by local LGBTQ+ nightlife staples Fake and Gay, Oasis Arts, and Polyglamorous. And the Casa Bacardí is a two-level party that looks like a Miami villa and features Latinx artists.
Need a break from music? Check out City Hall, a literal wedding chapel on-site that debuted last year. Attendees can book a wedding ceremony at Outside Lands and even host a reception at Wine Lands. You also can make floral arrangements at Flower Lands, engage with community organizations at The Mission, or just wander a bit—virtually every nook and cranny of the festival’s footprint is filled with art installations and booths with more to discover.
Additional tips and what to wear
San Francisco is known for unpredictable weather and each year of Outside Lands has looked meteorologically different from the last. With that said, pack sunscreen for when the sun does come out, and have a decent coat or hoodie in store for the evening—temps hover in the mid-to-high 60s during the day, but can sink into the mid-50s later on. The fog will roll in and out on its own schedule and you’ll want to be ready for temperamental fluctuations.
In recent years, Outside Lands has beefed up its reusable cups and water bottles program. In a partnership with Clean Vibes, Outside Lands diverted 89% of its 321,000 pounds of 2024 waste through recycling, composting, and reusing. Do your part and bring a fillable bottle with you.
Wanna keep the party going? Outside Lands has also announced a slate of evening shows taking place at venues across the city. . If you’re only shelling out for a day pass, these gigs are a great way to tack on a little more live music without committing to the whole shebang.
Lastly, give off the vibes that you want to receive. There were times in the distant past when this festival was rife with people who simply bought a ticket without any intention of being part of a greater festival community. Over the past five to 10 years, though, Outside Lands has shaped itself into one of the most welcoming, diverse, and downright fun fests on the planet. So join the party and radiate positivity.