Three Dates And Two Clocks
Hardly Strictly Bluegrass 2026 runs Friday October 2, Saturday October 3 and Sunday October 4. The site is Hellman Hollow, Lindley and Marx meadows in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco. The festival is free and takes no ticket.
Entrances open at 11 a.m. Friday and 9 a.m. Saturday and Sunday. Performances end at 7 p.m. on all three days. The schedule runs Friday 1 p.m. to 7 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Every day gives two hours before the first set.
Four Entrances
Four entrances serve the ground. JFK Drive and Transverse Drive. Fulton Street and 30th Avenue. JFK Drive and 36th Avenue. The South Polo Field entrance at Middle Drive and Metson Road.
Entrance screening runs body scanners and may search bags. SFPD, K9 and tactical units work inside and outside the venue.
Six Stages, Five On Friday
Six stages carry the programme: Banjo, Swan, Towers of Gold, Rooster, Arrow and Horseshoe Hill. All six stream on HSBTV.
The schedule lists no Rooster set on Friday. Friday runs the remaining five stages, and Saturday and Sunday run all six. Sunday closes with Emmylou Harris on the Banjo Stage at 7 p.m.
Water At Four Points, Food At Four Locations
Free water refills sit at four points. Near the permanent bathrooms between the Banjo Stage and Arrow Meadow. At McClaren Pass between the Horseshoe Hill and Swan stages. Beside the JFK Flats concessions. On the north side of the Swan crossover. Hydration packs of 2.5 litres or less and refillable water bottles come in.
Food and drink vendors work four locations. The FAQ names Arrow Meadow, JFK Food Trucks, JFK Flats and the Porch Stage Area.
A Cashless Site With No ATMs
HSB is cashless. Merchandise and food concessions take credit and debit cards, and there are no ATMs on site. Vendors sell food and non-alcoholic beverages. Beer and wine in non-glass containers come in, and hard alcohol and glass stay out. Lost and found runs at all four Info booths, and an on-site medical team is available.
What Comes Through The Gate
The bag rule allows one bag and one personal item per person. Clear bags have a 22 by 15 by 10 inch ceiling, and small bags, fanny packs and purses have a 6 by 8 by 3 inch ceiling.
Tables, umbrellas, tents, hard coolers, high back chairs, selfie sticks, poles and amplified sound devices are barred. Bicycles, scooters, skateboards and Onewheels stay out of the venue, and bike parking sits on the map. Dogs come in on a leash. A city ordinance bans smoking in every area of Golden Gate Park.
Transit Carries The Load
Extra Muni service runs on Friday, Saturday and Sunday at regular fares. Muni serves the north side of the park with the 5 Fulton, 5R Fulton Rapid, 31 Balboa, 38 Geary and 38R Geary Rapid. The south side has the N Judah train and the 7 Haight/Noriega bus. The 29 Sunset crosses the park on Crossover Drive.
Taxi stands sit on Fulton from 22nd to 24th. Ride-share drop-offs and pickups are pinned around Washington High School on 30th Avenue between Anza and Balboa, and on Balboa between 30th and 31st. Pickups sit on Irving between 25th and 27th Avenue.
Local PTAs expect to run paid parking on Saturday and Sunday only, first come first served. The organiser lists five lots from last year. George Washington High School at 600 32nd Avenue, Argonne at 680 18th Avenue, Lawton Alternative School at 1570 31st Avenue, Lafayette Elementary at 4545 Anza Street and the SFUSD Admin Campus at 750 25th Avenue. Each lot is independently owned, and the organiser states it cannot guarantee access at the published dates and times.
The Closures And The Egress Clock
JFK Drive closes between Transverse Drive and Bernice Rogers Drive. The 36th Avenue and 30th Avenue closes run between Fulton Street and JFK Drive. Transverse Drive closes between Crossover Drive and Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. Overlook Drive closes between Transverse Drive and Middle Drive West. Middle Drive West closes between Transverse Drive and MLK. Metson Drive closes between Middle Drive West and MLK. MLK runs westbound only between 25th Avenue and Chain of Lakes.
Vehicle and golf cart access on JFK halt at about 6:15 p.m. for crowd safety. Service resumes about 45 minutes later, and the carts stop at 7:30 p.m.
The Access Layer To Settle First
Parking for vehicles with disability placards sits along JFK west of Chain of Lakes, first come first served. The ADA shuttle stops at JFK and Bernice Rodgers Way, JFK and Chain of Lakes, JFK near the Gate 3 entry, and the Golden Gate Park Senior Center at 6101 Fulton Street.
Accessibility Ambassadors work a tent along JFK at 36th Avenue next to Gate 3. They distribute wristbands to guests with mobility issues, limited to the attendee with a disability and one companion. One wheelchair accessible cart and three standard carts run, and cart service ends at 7:30 p.m. Cart stops sit on JFK at Lloyd Lake for the Banjo and Arrow stages, Marx Meadow for the Rooster Stage, 30th Avenue for the Swan and Towers of Gold stages, and at the 36th and JFK event entrance.
The Bed And The Hotline
Camping is banned in Golden Gate Park. The organiser names Rob Hill Campground in the Presidio and an RV park by Candlestick.
The housing answer in the FAQ is a referral. Visitors call the Chamber of Commerce, use a travel site, or contact the San Francisco Convention and Visitors Bureau, and book through www.sfvisitor.org or the Visitor Information Center on 415-391-2000.
Engine puts San Francisco at $165 a night across 3.1 million public rate observations from May 2024 to April 2026, in par rates. October averages $176. The community hotline is 415-406-9014, monitored from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on October 2 to 4. Merchant corridors for a meal sit on Balboa Street, Clement Street and the Inner Sunset.