San Francisco's Outside Lands Music & Arts Festival A Feast For The Senses

Get your culinary and concert groove on this August in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park.

It’s one thing to be able to hang out in Golden Gate Park and see bands like Sigur Ros, Skrillex, Neil Young & Crazy Horse, Beck and The Foo fighters. It’s another to be able to nibble on wood-fired flatbreads, artisan sandwiches, and sample a bounty of fine wines while rockin’ out.  Yes, it’s the world’s only gourmet music festival, and where better than San Francisco whose residents consistently elevate the art of fine living and culinary good taste.

Now in its fifth year, Outside Lands Music & Arts Festival features rock stars, renegades and up-n-coming bands over the course of three days.  Rocks icons Neil Young & Crazy Horse and Metallica will both perform for the first time in Golden Gate Park, along with bands such as Justice, Norah Jones, Grandaddy, Bloc Party, Die Antwoord, Amadou & Mariam, Fun., The Walkmen, Two Gallants, Alabama Shakes, Tame Impala, Sharon Van Etten, Bomba Estereo, Tennis, White Denim, Caveman and more.

Food and fine potables play an equally important role in this festive summer gathering with over 100 options from farmer’s market fare and food trucks to kegged wines and craft beer .  A Taste of the Bay area will host 47 restaurants for gourmet bites like Korean tacos, chicken curry plates, hot links, Carolina pulled pork, and crispy bacon and syrup funnel cakes. And Wine Land will spotlight pours from over 31 vineyards such as Robert Sinskey, Caymus, Ridge, Orin Swift, Bonny Doon, The Scholium Project, Kermit Lynch and more. Dancing concert-goers can cool off with coconut chai lattes, mint mojito iced coffees or snickerdoodle frozen yogurt sandwiches.

In addition to the global beat and cuisine,  the three-day party includes art installations by groundbreaking talent, theatrical circus performances, chill lounges and Eco Lands, an environmental education area featuring workshops to teach urban dwellers how to grow their own food and more.

Outside Lands runs August 10 – 12 and tickets are still available.  Three day passes cost $225 with VIP tickets for $495 that include access to the Polo Club shaded lounge, massage facilities, better viewing and special food and drink.

The festival promoters also do the right thing by giving back to help preserve the city’s Golden Gate Park; last year they raised $4.3 million for the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department. We dig that.

Photos by Cameron Neilson.