Hardly Strictly Bluegrass celebrates 25 years as the Bay Area’s beloved free music festival
Zoey Osvald
The Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival celebrated 25 years of bringing free music to the Bay Area this past weekend. Nicknamed Hardly Strictly for short, the event attracts thousands of people every year to enjoy live music completely without charge in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco. A returning festival-goer said, “I think it’s one of the greatest things about San Francisco.”
The event is highly accessible, with many accommodations to ensure that everyone can enjoy the music. These include areas for wheelchair users to be able to see the show without struggling to get through the crowd, as well as a shuttle service through the park. Since everyone is welcome, Hardly Strictly draws a large crowd. People attend the festival alone or with friends. One returning attendee said, “I bring anybody who wants to come!” On top of that, many people take public transportation to get there, making it a very low-cost event overall.
Hardly Strictly welcomes a diverse audience every year. There are people of all ages, some even with dogs in their backpacks or parrots on their shoulders. The festival rounded up over 750,000 music lovers this year. The variety of personalities and aesthetics in the crowd is great; there’s truly something here for everyone.
The festival offered an extensive selection of foods and snacks, ranging from chicken tenders to Ghanaian Afro-Caribbean rice bowls. Hardly Strictly’s own food tents were spread throughout the park, accompanied by food trucks and stands from the Bay Area and San Francisco. Some returning food trucks included San Francisco’s own Bacon Bacon, Humphry Slocombe, and Kabob Trolley. Wherever you were, there was something to eat nearby.
The beloved Hardly Strictly Bluegrass is one of the most classic Bay Area events, and not something to miss if you live nearby. A Hardly Strictly fan said, “It’s a humongous gift for millions of people.”
