Category: Outside Lands
Outside Lands 2016 Survival Guide
Outside Lands 2016 is almost here! In less than a week, you’ll be able to experience live events, shows, food and other amazing activities. At ABCey Events, we’re looking forward to all the festivities and decided to put together an Outside Lands 2016 Survival Guide to ensure that you’d have an easier time. Our survival guide will prepare you with 10 pro tips and all the ins and outs of Outside Lands!
By Jennifer Fong, Jessica Li-Jo, Madeline Norling-Christensen, and Kristi Fujimoto
1. Pack Correctly
Now that you’ve got your tickets, what do you bring to Outside Lands? We would definitely recommend reusable water bottles that you can refill throughout the day, a blanket to sit on, a backpack to hold all your necessities, and cameras. All of these are a great starter pack to go to Outside Lands. Pack light and stay hydrated! To see the full list of do’s and dont’s of what to bring, check here.
2. Dress Smart
LAYER, LAYERS, LAYERS! For this 3 day music festival, you’ll want to dress comfortably in layers. One minute it’s sunny and the next, it’s foggy. SF weather is unpredictable! Yes, we all want to look Coachella cute, but this isn’t the time to forgo bringing a jacket. Also, keep it light because at the end of the day you’ll regret lugging around a heavy jacket! Did we mention to dress in layers? It’s that important.
Comfortable shoes are ALSO a must! Make sure your shoes can handle it all. With so many acts on 7 stages/places located throughout Golden Gate Park at different times, you’ll be rushing to get to them all and standing a lot. So avoid sore feet with comfy shoes!
3. $$$
Every place you can pay with cash, you can pay with your card. But don’t be that person who holds up the line! Cash is simpler without worrying about tips or needing reciepts. All of the vendors at the festival will accept cards and cash, but that’s not all! This is what’s new. You can now use your wristband as payment! You heard that right- you can add funds to your account using the Outside Lands App! So take advantage of this foodie feast this weekend and indulge! In additions, for every $75 you add to your wristband, Outside Lands will give you $5. But this offer is only available before the festival so go, go, go!
4. Nom Nom Nom
One of the best things about Outside Lands (besides the music) is the FOOD! Over 75 San Francisco restaurant partners and food trucks will be serving round’ the clock to make sure your taste buds are satisfied! Oysters, tamales, tacos, crab rolls, frozen custard bars, falafels, veggie dumplings, chicken and waffles…there is something for everyone, even the pickiest of eaters. Don’t miss out an incredible highlight of Outside Lands!
5. Go Mobile: Outside Lands 2016 App
If you’re going to Outside Lands, download the app now! Seriously, you will thank us later. Over 200,000 people attend this festival, so getting separated from your friends is basically inevitable. Don’t panic. With this app you can track your friends wherever they are! Also, this app has everyday’s entire lineup, so you’ll always know when and where your favorite artist is playing. You can add each each artist onto your own schedule and then share it with your #squad to keep everyone on the same page!
6. Your Lifeline, AKA Your Phone Battery
Were you really there if you didn’t Snapchat, Instagram, Tweet, or FB about it? Obviously not… Like most of the big festivals, Outside Lands has charging stations to save you. But try not to waste time and miss a performance by bringing a portable charger! Close apps you aren’t using, turn on low battery mode, and pray. Also, we’re warning you now: signal there SUCKS. 200k people are on every social media site and the Outside Lands app so expect a lot of lag. That being said…Don’t stay stuck to your phone. Take those important pics and then stop and experience the festival!
7. Simply Getting There
Getting to the city can be a hassle if not planned correctly. First off, don’t drive. Unless you’re willing to walk the extra mile (milesss), leave your car at home. However, you could bike easily from your far parking spot or where ever you are! You can rent a bike from these suggested places and there is even a secure bike valet at the park! In addition, there is also a shuttle service for $48.00 from Bill Graham Civic Auditorium to the park! Also, you can try taking public transportation. Services like Bart, AC Transit, Muni, Golden Gate Transit, and CalTrain run all day every 15-30 minutes. But public transportation will be super packed. So if you want to avoid the crowds, you can always conveniently use Uber, Lyft or even Rideshare. For additional information regarding transportation options, see here!
8. Living Situation
No need to wake up extra early to beat the morning traffic to get here. If you’re from out of town, think of Outside Lands as a vacation by staying at an SF hotel! So to help you out, Outside Lands 2016 has partnered up with certain hotels to give you great discounts! The hotels and their discounts are here: Hotel Zetta , Hotel Zeppelin , Hotel Abri , Joie De Vivre , Cavallo Point, and Stanford Court. In addition, all of these hotels are accessible through Muni. To learn more, click here.
Passion Pit fans rock out at Outside Lands in Golden Gate Park on Saturday Aug. 11, 2012 in San Francisco. (Photo by Alison Yin//Invision/AP)
9. Much More than Music
Take a break from music and check out what else Outside Lands has to offer. Take a minute (or 10) to enjoy everything that this one-of-a-kind festival has! From mini golf courses, to Wine Lands, Beer Lands, Eco Lands, magic, a Heinekin House, an arcade, and a the wide variety of shows other than music! Check out the Official Outside Lands 2016 Website for more info!
10. Last Minute Tips: bathrooms, lockers, and rest!
Bathrooms
Waiting in line for the bathrooms sucks, and unfortunately you will be doing A LOT of this at Outside Lands…Because the bathroom lines are at least 20-30 people long, you’ll be waiting around for 30+ mins. So plan to go between sets and you won’t miss a thing!
Lockers
Rest assured if you want to pack a bit more. There are lockers for rent at Outside Lands. Instead of having to go to Outside Lands ridiculously early to beat the crowd to get a locker, you can now reserve a locker online! But don’t wait, they sell out fast – the large lockers are already all sold out!
Rest
Rally all day by taking rest stops throughout the festival! Bring a blanket or just plop on the grass, enjoy some food, and listen to some tunes. Be careful not to sit in the middle of major walkways, but this park allows for lots of space to lay out and enjoy the unique atmosphere!
What are you most excited for at Outside Lands 2016? Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook and on Twitter!
Outside Lands Prep Guide
Are you ready for Outside Lands next weekend?! In order to prepare, we’ve outlined everything you should do before and during the event in order to the get the most out of your experience. Whether you have a 1-day pass, or a 3-day pass, a little bit of planning can help reduce stress, so you can just enjoy yourself and hear some great music!
1. The Line-up: The first and most important thing to know is the line-up. You probably know that Kanye West is performing, and unless you only bought your ticket to see him (no judgement), there is a host of other great musicians, with headliners Tiesto, the Killers, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Macklemore and Arctic Monkeys. 
2. The Schedule: Narrow down your selection and plan your day out with OutsideLands.com’s handy schedule builder. You’ll notice that the Killers and Tiesto are playing at the same time, as are Kanye West and Arctic Monkeys. It’s cruel, I know, but its better that you know now, rather then frantically trying to go to both, being late for both, and seeing neither. Free time can be spent in The House by Heineken, where house music and cocktails will be plentiful from festival start to finish! 
3. The app: If you’re a tech junkie like us, you will really appreciate this next one: an OutsideLands app! Not only does it have the lineup, and a schedule builder that you can do last minute, it gives updates on when each event is happening. Furthermore, it has a locator that tells you where your group is! Our favorite part is obviously the food review section, but the app also includes a map, a countdown, and news! This app got some upgrades since last year, so let’s hope it lives up to the reviews! 
4. Accomodations: Hopefully, if you don’t live in the city, you’ve already figured out where you’re staying, but if you haven’t we’re here to save the day and found some places near the park that still have openings for you! The Carleton has rooms available, the Marriot Marquis SF has 5 rooms left, and Casa Loma Hotel only has 1! There’s no time to waste! If you do live in the city, this weekend is a good weekend to move in with a friend or a loved one because you can list your place on Air BnB and make a good chunk of cash for the weekend. It might be a little weird letting someone rent your apartment for the three days, but it’ll be worth it. Air BnB is a company that has been growing successfully over the last few years, and everyone we know who has tried it, on either end, has had pleasant experiences!
5. The Food: Don’t forget that outside lands is so much more than just a music festival! It’s a food festival! This includes Tastes of the Bay Area, Cheeselands and Chocolands! Chefs, restaurants, chocolatiers, creameries, patisseries, butchers, coffee companies, and an array of food trucks! The Bay Area is a premier food destination so having all these options available to try at outside lands is a dream come true.
6. Outsider Art is one of the main attractions at OutsideLands. This year, in conjecture with artist and curator Jeben Berg and Juxtapoz Magazine, they are offering a host of prolific artists and visual storytellers from around the world. The exhibition will feature live painting, musical theatre, art performance and installations! See the full schedule here.
7. The Wine: Outside lands also boasts of its WineLands, which features an array of wineries and vineyards from Northern California. Being just south of all the beauties of wine country, this event promises to bring the best of the best for us to try! Highlights include Benny Doon Vineyards, Menage a trois, and AP Vin. If you’re a wine connoisseur, be sure to check out WineLands! If you’re not a big wine drinker, don’t forget about BeerLands! Sierra Nevada will be doing a special promotion, and many other local breweries. San Franciscans are spoiled by our local beer, so this will be a great treat for out of towners!
8. The After Party’s: In case you miss someone you want to see, or you didn’t get enough the first time, many of the performers from outside lands are having night shows after the festival! There’s a full line up on the website, but some of the favorites are Mikal Cronin and Bear Hands on Thursday night, and Gold Panda and DoseOne on Saturday night! These tickets are going fast!
9. Doing Good: OutsideLands is teaming up for a good cause with San Franpsycho, SF Surfrider, Surf For Life, 5Gyresand Noriega-Lawton Merchant Association for their yearly beach clean up. This is before the festival starts on Saturday morning at 10 am and believe me I know, cleaning up the beach is the last place you wanna be after a late night out, but its for a good cause and you will be back having fun in no time. The beach is beautiful in the morning, and if you’re not from around here, the fog rolling in over the hills is sight to see! Plus, there’s free coffee.
10. Final Tips: The festival will be the most fun weekend of the year if you approach it right, but it could also be really rough. Most important pieces of advice are ones your mom always told you, and I’m going to remind you here. 1. Dress in layers and 2. Drink lots of water. On to the fun stuff…1. Make sure you check out the art shows (there are some really talented artists in the Bay Area) and 2. GO WITH THE FLOW.
We hope you have an amazing time at Outside Lands, and that this guide makes it a little more fun for you! Let us know what you’re excited for in the comments below or on Facebook and Twitter!