Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Unveils First of 2026 Lineup
Hardly Strictly Bluegrass (HSB) is very proud to share the initial lineup for its 2026 edition in San Francisco’s iconic Golden Gate Park from Friday, October 2, to Sunday, October 4. Now in its 26th year, the free music festival will once again present a truly eclectic bill of top performers spanning an array of genres, including 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. The lineup was teased with an exclusive medley streaming now on the official Hardly Strictly Bluegrass app and website. Additional performers will be announced soon.
“Hardly Strictly Bluegrass has been on our radar for years because it is a gift to the people of the Bay Area…a chance for all to enjoy the ritual of live music free of charge. We’re honored to get the invite this year, and we can’t wait to feel the energy of such a special event,” said Patrick Hallahan of My Morning Jacket.
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 San Francisco, CA’s The Masonic, “An Evening Honoring Steve Earle” will see the 3x GRAMMY® Award-winner joined by some of his closest friends and collaborators including Buddy Miller, Elizabeth Cook, Emmylou Harris, Gillian Welch & David Rawlings, Jackson Browne, Hot Tuna, Larry Campbell & Teresa Williams, Molly Tuttle, and other guests. Buddy Miller will serve as the show’s musical director, with Reckless Kelly, featuring Greg Liesz as the backing band.
“We can think of no better way to bookend our silver anniversary than celebrating 25 years of Steve Earle at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass. We are so fortunate to have legacy artists like Emmylou and Steve who have embraced our annual gathering since the beginning. We wanted to recognize their efforts with concerts benefiting charities that are important to them. This year’s proceeds go to the non-profit Sweetwater Spectrum, a community that provides adults with autism or similar intellectual/developmental disabilities with innovative, community-based, long- term housing. Our final flourish is that Buddy Miller will be with us as musical director once again, bringing his unique, special sauce to this tribute,” said executive producer Sheri Sternberg.
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 The Fillmore, Molly Tuttle at the Bing Concert Hall Stanford, Old Crow Medicine Show & Ismay at Sweetwater, Hiss Golden Messenger at The Little Saint (Healdsburg), and many more.
HARDLY STRICTLY BLUEGRASS 2026
Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, CA
October 2-4, 2026
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 – Cafe 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 at Hopmonk (Novato) – Oct. 5
Hiss Golden Messenger – The Little Saint (Healdsburg) – Oct. 6