Overview
- The free Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festival is running this weekend in Golden Gate Park with no tickets required and schedules posted on the official festival website.
- Organizers announced last-minute changes that include Rilo Kiley replacing Alison Krauss & Union Station on Saturday and Robert Plant added for a Sunday night set.
- Dry Branch Fire Squad leader Ron Thomason, a fixture who has played every festival since 2003, is scheduled to retire after his 2026 performance.
- Multiple artists will perform tributes to Dolly Parton, who previously played the festival in 2005, as the event broadens beyond strict bluegrass.
- The festival remains funded by Warren Hellman's endowment and for the first time partners with SF PorchFest to run a dedicated Saturday stage, reflecting tighter local collaboration as the event’s lineup has contracted since its 2016 peak.