By The Numbers: Outside Lands Grosses Highest-Yet $29.6 Million

This year’s fest, which took place once again at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco Aug. 9-11, out-grossed 2017’s total of $27.9 million, which was the previous highest reported to Pollstar, and last year’s $27.7 million. 

Outside Lands is produced by Another Planet Entertainment, Starr Hill Presents, and Superfly Presents. 

This year’s lineup featured Anderson .Paak, Blink-182, Childish Gambino, Paul Simon, The Lumineers, Twenty One Pilots, Beck and many others. 

Along with the strong lineup, this year’s Outside Lands featured the first “Grass Lands” cannabis-themed area of the festival where fans could not only learn and celebrate the herb’s legalization but purchase and partake during the festival. Cannabis sales reportedly were in the seven figures, according to local media. 

As reported in a recent review in Pollstar, the Grass Lands location did brisk business with a couple dozen vendors hawking wares including $10 “dabs” and “nugs,” and a variety of edibles including chocolates and gummies, and several “cannabis consumption” areas that had the ambiance of smoky beer gardens, with festivalgoers relaxing at tables with their accouterments of choice and cups of THC-infused brew. At the “Farm To Bong” stand, one could learn to carve one’s own bong from an eggplant.

Of course, the artists were the real draw, with the semi-retired Simon’s set touching on decades of his finest work and being joined by Bay Area favorite Bob Weir for a surprise duet on “The Boxer,” while Childish Gambino’s set packed them in. 

The event has steadily grown, starting in 2008 with original and continuing partners Another Planet, Starr Hill Presents and Superfly, with a three-day festival debut grossing more than $11 million.

After switching to two days in 2010, the festival settled in for good at three days per event in 2011, when it grossed $12.9 million. It quickly grew to $19 million by 2014 and over the last 4 years has eclipsed the $25 million mark as one of North America’s biggest festivals reporting to Pollstar. 

While this year’s event reported its highest gross, each of 2015, 2016 and 2017 sold more tickets, at more than 210,000. 

Likewise, the lowest-priced ticket has risen, from $85 in 2008 to $155 in 2019.