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Photo Credit: Jay Blakesburg [Download Hi-Res Photo]
Hardly Strictly Bluegrass (HSB) today shares new additions to its lineup for the 2026 edition in San Francisco’s iconic Golden Gate Park from Friday, October 2, to Sunday, October 4. The free festival, now in its 26th year, presents a wide array of top performers spanning many different genres. The new additions to the lineup include Miko Marks, Alison Brown, Crosby Collective, Fantastic Cat, The Record Company, Tony Kamel & Kym Warner, Wreckless Strangers, Steve Poltz, The Third Mind and Martha Scanlan & Jon Neufeld. The lineup was teased with an exclusive medley that is now streaming on the official Hardly Strictly Bluegrass app and website. Additional performers will be announced soon.
“Hardly Strictly Bluegrass happens right across the bridge from me, as I live in Oakland, CA. It’s been a longtime dream of mine to play HSB, and that dream came true in 2024!” says Miko Marks.
“My band and I are so excited to return, play, and spend the entire weekend with fans and friends—while making new ones along the way. I’m looking forward to connection, chatting with other artists and fans, slowing it all down and being present for what has been such a generous gift to the Bay Area for more than 25 years. See y’all soon, HSB!”
In July, the lineup kicked off with AJ Lee & Blue Summit, Gillian Welch & David Rawlings, Hiss Golden Messenger, Kathleen Edwards, My Morning Jacket, Old Crow Medicine Show, El Khat, Tyler Ballgame, William Tyler & Yasmin Williams, and John Craigie w/ The Coffis Brothers. Aaron Lee Tasjan, Darrell Scott String Band w/ Rob Ickes, Dug, Mama's Broke, A Tribute To Joe Ely with The Flatlanders and Friends, Alison Krauss & Union Station F: Jerry Douglas, Kam Franklin, Ismay, Jesse Welles, and Sierra Hull were announced in early August. The announcement of Los Lobos, Langford, Hogan & Timms, Mavis Staples, Marty Stuart and His Fabulous Superlatives, Bandits On The Run, Tift Merritt, Meels, Moonalice, Anna Moss, ¿Qiensave?, and Lukas Nelson quickly followed.
Hardly Strictly Bluegrass will kick off its 2026 edition with a very special festival eve benefit concert honoring legendary singer and songwriter Steve Earle – who has performed at each edition of the much-beloved San Francisco free music festival since HSB’s second year in 2002. The tribute is set for Thursday, October 1 at The Masonic in San Francisco, CA. “An Evening Honoring Steve Earle” will see the 3x GRAMMY® Award-winner joined by some of his closest friends and collaborators including Buddy Miller, Cait O’Riordan, Elizabeth Cook, Emmylou Harris, Gillian Welch & David Rawlings, Jackson Browne, Joan Baez, Hot Tuna, Larry Campbell & Teresa Williams, members of Los Lobos, Lukas Nelson, Molly Tuttle, Peter Rowan, and other guests. Buddy Miller will serve as the show’s musical director, with Reckless Kelly, featuring Greg Liesz as the backing band.
Tickets for “An Evening Honoring Steve Earle” are available here.
The tradition of “Out of the Park” concerts will continue this year, once again benefiting Sweet Relief, Bay Area Musicians’ Fund. Many of the artists listed in the initial lineup will be performing nighttime shows at some of the Bay Area’s favorite venues, including Gillian Welch & David Rawlings at The Fillmore, Molly Tuttle at the Bing Concert Hall at Stanford, Old Crow Medicine Show & Ismay at Sweetwater, Hiss Golden Messenger at The Little Saint (Healdsburg), and many more.
On September 13, 2026 at 4:00 pm, Book Passage in Corte Madera, CA hosts Tricia Hellman Gibbs, Avery Hellman of Ismay, and photographer Jay Blakesberg for a live musical performance and conversation with author Michael Shapiro to celebrate Hardly Strictly Bluegrass at 25: The Big Twang! — a photography and essay collection marking 25 years of San Francisco's free music festival in Golden Gate Park, with a foreword by Emmylou Harris and an afterword by Steve Earle. The book features Jay Blakesberg's photography alongside interviews and essays by Aidin Vaziri, Frances Dinkelspiel, Sylvie Simmons, and Tricia Hellman Gibbs. Admission is free with open seating, and copies of the book will be available for purchase with a signing line following the presentation. RSVP here.
HARDLY STRICTLY BLUEGRASS 2026
Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, CA
October 2-4, 2026
FOURTH LINEUP ANNOUNCEMENT
Miko Marks
Alison Brown
Crosby Collective
Fantastic Cat
The Record Company
Tony Kamel & Kym Warner
Wreckless Strangers
Steve Poltz
The Third Mind
Martha Scanlan & Jon Neufeld
THIRD LINEUP ANNOUNCEMENT
Los Lobos
Langford, Hogan & Timms
Mavis Staples
Marty Stuart and His Fabulous Superlatives
Bandits On The Run
Tift Merritt
Meels
Moonalice
Anna Moss
¿Qiensave?
Lukas Nelson
SECOND LINEUP ANNOUNCEMENT
Aaron Lee Tasjan
Darrell Scott String Band w/ Rob Ickes
Dug
Mama's Broke
A Tribute To Joe Ely with The Flatlanders and Friends
Alison Krauss & Union Station F: Jerry Douglas
Ismay
Kam Franklin
Jesse Welles
Sierra Hull
INITIAL LINEUP
AJ Lee & Blue Summit
Gillian Welch & David Rawlings
Hiss Golden Messenger
Kathleen Edwards
My Morning Jacket
Old Crow Medicine Show
El Khat
Tyler Ballgame
William Tyler & Yasmin Williams
John Craigie W/ The Coffis Brothers
ADDITIONAL ARTISTS TO BE ANNOUNCED
OUT OF THE PARK CONCERTS:
Molly Tuttle - Bing Concert Hall Stanford - Sep. 28
AJ Lee & Blue Summit & Bandits on the Run - Sweetwater - Oct. 2
Gillian Welch & David Rawlings - The Fillmore - Oct. 2
John Craigie & Anna Moss - GAMH - Oct. 2
Tyler Ballgame - Café Du Nord - Oct. 2
El Khat - The Freight - Oct. 3
Old Crow Medicine Show & Ismay - Sweetwater - Oct. 3
Kathleen Edwards - The Guild - Oct. 4
Jimmie Dale Gilmore at Hopmonk (Novato) - Oct. 5
Hiss Golden Messenger - The Little Saint (Healdsburg) - Oct. 6
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