Tens of thousands of concertgoers are expected to flock to San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park this coming weekend for the sixth annual Outside Lands Music & Arts Festival, a three-day fete that is among the largest such events in the country.
Paul McCartney, Nine Inch Nails and the Red Hot Chili Peppers are among the headliners for the festival, which takes place Friday through Sunday, and is now completely sold out, according to organizers.
In addition to the some 80 musical acts spread out over the long weekend, the festival will also feature comedians, a DJ dome, and a wide variety of local wineries, breweries and restaurants.
A portion of the proceeds from Outside Lands ticket sales will benefit the San Francisco Recreation & Parks Department; the festival has raised more than $4 million for the city entity during the previous incarnations of the event, according to figures released by promoter Another Planet Entertainment.
In addition to directly donating money to benefit Golden Gate Park, the festival will also host several environmental, charitable and non-profit organizations, such as Garden For The Environment, Friends of The Urban Forest and Oxfam, along with many more to share information with attendees.
One of the concert stages-the Panhandle Stage-will be powered entirely by solar and alternative energy, which organizers say will help avoid producing roughly 4,225 pounds of carbon dioxide during the 3 days of the event.
Festival organizers, along with SF Surfrider, Surf For Life and local clothing company San Franpsycho are also hosting an Ocean Beach clean-up on Saturday morning.
Residents of the Sunset and Richmond neighborhoods are being advised that there will be several road closures in Golden Gate Park, and organizers have set up a community hotline for residents to call with any concerns or issues having to do with the festival.
Festival-goers are strongly being encouraged to take public transit to Outside Lands; MUNI will be running extra buses, and a pre-paid shuttle service to and from the park to the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in downtown San Francisco is also available. For more information, visit www.sfoutsidelands.com or call the Community Hotline: (415) 750-3842.
Sean McCourt, Bay City News
