Three days packed with music, food, art and likely some fog are set to begin in the far reaches of Golden Gate Park Friday afternoon with the start of the Outside Lands Festival.
The three-day music festival kicks off Friday with performances at stages at the Polo Fields and surrounding area. The event continues through the weekend.
The festival’s headliners include Kanye West, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, the Killers, the Arctic Monkeys, Tiesto, and Macklemore and Ryan Lewis.
Dozens of other groups, DJs and up-and-coming performers will entertain festivalgoers, who can also indulge in gourmet San Francisco food options.
Throughout the festival there will be food trucks, “A Taste of the Bay Area” event, Choco Lands, Cheese Lands, Wine Lands, Beer Lands and more tasty treats.
Other attractions beyond the music, grub and libations include an art festival with live paintings, musical theater, art performances and installations.
The Barbary will offer a sketch comedy lineup in its own tent, and there will booths set up within the grounds to shop for local crafts and wares from vendors.
Tickets for the sixth annual festival, ranging from $115 to $600, are sold out.
As part of a special event this year, the U.S. Postal Service is adding a Janis Joplin stamp to its Music Icons Forever Stamp series.
A first-day-of-issue ceremony will be held at 1:30 p.m. Friday at the festival’s Panhandle stage.
Outside Lands performers Kacey Musgraves and Nicki Bluhm will be at the ceremony with U.S. Postal Service officials and other dignitaries honoring Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Joplin.
An iconic rock star of the 1960s, Joplin’s most popular songs include, “Piece of My Heart,” “Ball and Chain,” and “Cry Baby.” She died in 1970 at the age of 27.
The artwork for the stamp features a portrait of the singer taken in New York City in 1970 by music photographer David Gahr.
To get to the bevy of attractions and performances at the park, a private shuttle organized by the festival is running between Bill Graham Civic Auditorium at Civic Center Plaza and the park each day between 11 a.m. and midnight.
There will be additional San Francisco Municipal Railway bus service on the N-Judah and 5L-Fulton lines.
Muni officials are advising riders to expect extra travel time on the N-Judah and all bus lines serving Golden Gate Park. Motorists are also advised about heavy traffic in the area.
More information about Outside Lands is available at www.sfoutsidelands.com.
Sasha Lekach, Bay City News
