Outside Lands 2024 Was a Unique Festival Experience

For better and for worse, Outside Lands 2024 was a true reflection of San Francisco. But would we attend again?

As a San Francisco resident of 10 years, having Outside Lands Music Festival in my backyard always felt like a privilege. For many residents, though, it always felt just out of reach.

Year after year, Outside Lands brings an abundance of talented and diverse artists to the Bay Area for a weekend of music, food, and friends. This year’s lineup was no different, albeit with some letdowns. Earlier this year, Outside Lands announced that Tyler, The Creator would no longer headline the festival and would be replaced by Sabrina Carpenter. While she is at the top of her game in the pop realm, it was a complete turnaround for those who planned on seeing Tyler, The Creator.

Attendees thankfully still had plenty to look forward to with everything from house and techno to pop, hyperpop, hip-hop, and a handful of indie bands. I personally saw it as an opportunity to find new artists and explore the festival grounds as a first-timer. I decided to take a page out of our own book and approach the festival experience a little differently this time.

Photo by Skyler Greene

Day one consisted of exploring the festival grounds and food vendors, realizing just how unprepared we were for all the walking.

I decided to see where the first day took me, and that turned out to be all throughout the festival in well over 30,000 steps. Although the festival map was released days before the weekend began, nothing could have prepared me for the incredulous amount of walking, and the resulting ungodly blisters. With six stages, photo ops, merch booths, and Wine Land, there was plenty to see as I bounced around.

I started out my day with Snakehips at the Twin Peaks stage, feeling the nostalgia of hearing “All My Friends” live. Local SF legend Underscores then turned the Panhandle stage into a mosh pit with tracks like “Spoiled Little Brat” and “Old Money Bitch.” The night continued with a high-energy bass house set from Knock2, albeit with some technical difficulties, and a tech house party with the duo Sidepiece.

While day one of Outside Lands was fun, the real highlight turned out to be the Romy/Devault afterparty at 1015 Folsom that night. With three floors of banging music and an uncontainable dancefloor, it was the place to be for all the girls, gays, and they.

Day two of Outside Lands brought fashion, foot traffic, and sunshine.

Day two began with our queer queen Romy at the Sutro stage for a chilling live set filled with tracks from her Mid Air album, and one spectacular live version of “Angels” for the OG The xx fans. It truly felt like a once-in-a-lifetime moment seeing her bounce around on stage and sing her heart out on “Strong” as the clouds broke to let the sunshine in.

Another thing that fascinated me on day two was seeing how creative attendees got in order to brace against the unpredictable weather and terrain, while still expressing themselves to the fullest extent. Outside Lands fashion sparked creativity, celebrated queer identities, and highlighted the effects of pop culture across fashion trends. This included everything from Barbie themes to hipster style to raver fashion to Chappell Roan‘s undeniable influence to the typical North Face jackets that overtake San Francisco.

As with any festival, overcrowding always rears its ugly head at one point or another. This time, it came up as we embarked to the Sutro stage to see Channel Tres. Almost immediately, we found ourselves in standstill traffic in the entryway with no movement and no one monitoring the foot traffic. We eventually made it through and found a perfect spot to enjoy the set, but avoided that entryway as much as possible.

Day two continued with artists about whom I was curious but not previously familiar. This led to finding some of my favorite new artists and bands, including Men I Trust, a Canadian indie band that stole my heart immediately with their dreamy sound and their lead singer’s enchanting vocals.

Day three of Outside Lands was for the queers.

Upon arriving on day three, it was easy to see just how excited Outside Lands attendees were for Chappell Roan. Far and wide, fans had taken over the Polo Fields while donning the signature pink cowgirl hats and other creative outfits in support of their favorite artist.

While she wasn’t quite what I prefer, I caught some of her set and then headed over to the Dolores stage. I got there just in time to catch local legend and drag queen Brown Angel singing against gentrification and San Francisco tech culture while dancing to Vin Sol‘s house beats. A beautiful testament to the local queer community, the Dolores stage truly deserves more and we hope to see it grow even more next year.

As a true basshead at heart, I knew I couldn’t miss our main man Daily Bread. I headed over to the Panhandle stage for that OG West Coast bass, where I found myself among friends from the local basshead community.

The evening continued with an open mind and heart, wrapping up with Kaytranada at Twin Peaks. Initially, the crowd proved to be a challenge with attendees pushing their way to the grossly overcrowded stage. After a few minutes, however, the crowd thinned out, making room for us to dance — and dance we did. And as the man himself said, there’s no party like a Katranada party.

While I attended Outside Lands with an open mind and left with a full heart, I’m left uncertain that I would attend again.

The festival itself holds a special place in this city that I call home. It does a great job of reflecting the city of San Francisco in the good and the bad, from the overly expensive food and entry to the overcrowding, while also shining a light on the diverse local queer community, which is as San Francisco as it gets.

However, the pros must outweigh the cons, and this year’s Outside Lands experience didn’t quite do that for me. Regardless, Outside Lands 2024 was a unique experience and an opportunity to expand my palette. I look forward to next year in hopes that the lineup will be stronger and the experience will be unforgettable once again.

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