Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Unveils New Additions to 2026 Lineup

Hardly Strictly Bluegrass 2026 has added new artists to its lineup for the forthcoming free festival in San Francisco at Golden Gate Park on Oct. 2-4.

The new additions to the lineup include Langford, Hogan & Timms, Mavis Staples, Los Lobos, Marty Stuart and His Fabulous Superlatives, Bandits On The Run, Tift Merritt, Meels, Moonalice, Anna Moss, ¿Qiensave?, and Lukas Nelson. Additional artists joining the festival will be announced at a later date.

“Hardly Strictly has become a legend all its own. It’s considered a rite of passage to play the show. It’s been a while since our band has played the festival. I’m truly looking forward to the visit,” says Marty Stuart.

In July, the lineup kicked off with AJ Lee & Blue Summit, Gillian Welch & David Rawlings, Hiss Golden Messenger, Kathleen Edwards, My Morning Jacket, Old Crow Medicine Show, El Khat, Tyler Ballgame, William Tyler & Yasmin Williams, and John Craigie w/ The Coffis Brothers.

Aaron Lee Tasjan, Darrell Scott String Band w/ Rob Ickes, Dug, Mama’s Broke, A Tribute To Joe Ely with The Flatlanders and Friends, Alison Krauss & Union Station F: Jerry Douglas, Kam Franklin, Ismay, Jesse Welles, and Sierra Hull were announced this month.

“We’re lucky to have so many incredible artists grace the meadows of Golden Gate Park. It’s the favorite time of year for our entire Hardly Strictly family, which makes it especially bittersweet when one of those artists takes the stage for a final time,” said Olivia Hellman, granddaughter of Warren Hellman. “This year, we’ll have the honor of hearing Ron Thomason sing his HSB swan song, one last gathering in the meadow with an artist who meant so much to Warren and the festival.”

For the 2026 iteration of the storied festival, Hardly Strictly Bluegrass will begin with a “special festival eve benefit concert” honoring legendary singer and songwriter Steve Earle on Oct. 1 at The Masonic in San Francisco, CA. Earle has performed at each edition of the free music festival since HSB’s second year, dating back to 2002.

Dubbed “An Evening Honoring Steve Earle,” the 3x GRAMMY Award-winning artist will perform alongside some of his closest friends and collaborators, including Buddy Miller, Elizabeth Cook, Emmylou Harris, Gillian Welch & David Rawlings, Jackson Browne, Hot Tuna, Larry Campbell & Teresa Williams, Molly Tuttle, and other guests.

Buddy Miller will serve as the show’s musical director, with Reckless Kelly, featuring Greg Liesz as the backing band.

Furthermore, the “Out of the Park” concert tradition will also continue this year. The series of shows will benefit Sweet Relief, Bay Area Musicians’ Fund.

Tickets for “An Evening Honoring Steve Earle” are available here.

HARDLY STRICTLY BLUEGRASS 2026

Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, CA

October 2-4, 2026

THIRD LINEUP ANNOUNCEMENT

Los Lobos

Langford, Hogan & Timms

Mavis Staples

Marty Stuart and His Fabulous Superlatives

Bandits On The Run

Tift Merritt

Meels

Moonalice

Anna Moss

¿Qiensave?

Lukas Nelson

SECOND LINEUP ANNOUNCEMENT

Aaron Lee Tasjan

Darrell Scott String Band w/ Rob Ickes

Dug

Mama’s Broke

A Tribute To Joe Ely with The Flatlanders and Friends

Alison Krauss & Union Station F: Jerry Douglas

Ismay

Kam Franklin

Jesse Welles

Sierra Hull

INITIAL LINEUP

AJ Lee & Blue Summit

Gillian Welch & David Rawlings

Hiss Golden Messenger

Kathleen Edwards

My Morning Jacket

Old Crow Medicine Show

El Khat

Tyler Ballgame

William Tyler & Yasmin Williams

John Craigie W/ The Coffis Brothers

OUT OF THE PARK CONCERTS:

Molly Tuttle – Bing Concert Hall Stanford – Sep. 28

AJ Lee & Blue Summit & Bandits on the Run – Sweetwater – Oct. 2

Gillian Welch & David Rawlings – The Fillmore – Oct. 2

John Craigie & Anna Moss – GAMH – Oct. 2

Tyler Ballgame – Café Du Nord – Oct. 2

El Khat – The Freight – Oct. 3

Old Crow Medicine Show & Ismay – Sweetwater – Oct. 3

Kathleen Edwards – The Guild – Oct. 4

Jimmie Dale Gilmore at Hopmonk (Novato) – Oct. 5

Hiss Golden Messenger – The Little Saint (Healdsburg) – Oct. 6