A foggy Golden Gate Park welcomes thousands as Outside Lands kicks off

“Here Comes the Sun” was blasting, somewhat optimistically, from the sound system at the main entrance as folks started to trickle into the Outside Lands grounds at Golden Gate Park on Friday morning. 

The three-day festival officially sold out this year as it celebrates its 15-year anniversary with headliners Kendrick Lamar, Foo Fighters and Odesza. (On Friday morning, three-day general admission wristbands were selling for a whopping $2,000 on StubHub, with VIP tickets asking over $6,000.)
 
As the gates opened at 11 a.m., the thick fog threatened to turn into rain. Some early festivalgoers lined up to get a photo taken with a 20-foot-tall fiberglass statue of mascot Ranger Dave, while others sped to the nearby beer tent. 

At the Grasslands field, now in its fifth year on the south side of the Polo Fields, the line for pre-rolled joints was far longer than the vape pen booth. Some early imbibers smoked and played cornhole in the designated “consumption area.” In the Cocktail Magic field, the neon-orange Aperol spritz stall seemed to be doing the best business.

Over at the freshly decorated technicolor windmill, damp influencers politely waited their turns to get their selfies. (Friday’s look and pose of choice: rose-tinted sunglasses, cheeky smile, exaggerated wink, back arched, peace sign for the ‘gram.)

The glittering Outside Lands lettering in the middle of the Polo Fields was backed by a chalkboard, inviting folks to answer some prompts like “What’s your favorite memory?” and “Why do you love Outside Lands?” (Early answers included “beautiful people” and “da weather.”)

Local acts kicked off the music at around noon. First on the bill on the Lands End stage Friday was San Francisco star La Doña. Over on the Panhandle stage, Oakland’s King Isis opened proceedings. Most of the chatter across the grounds seemed to be, unsurprisingly, about Kendrick Lamar’s headlining set on the Lands End stage at 8:40 p.m., though Janelle Monae’s sunset performance was also getting some hype.

Festival organizers say they have sold 225,000 tickets this year, and nearly 100 artists will take to the many stages. (Take a look at 13 of our favorites here.)

For those not wishing to battle the fog (or fork out $2,000), the Amazon Music livestream will be featuring many of the acts’ performances, including those of Lana Del Rey, Megan Thee Stallion, Maggie Rogers and The 1975, over the weekend.