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!