Outsidelands: Music Festival in Golden Gate Park

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Activity: Outsidelands Music Festival Golden Gate Park

Rating:  3 of 5 stars

Cost:  Daily tickets for GA $135 or $325 for the weekend

Website: http://www.sfoutsidelands.com/

Description: Outsidelands is a popular music festival in Golden Gate Park. Over the years it has become even more popular and therefore even more crowded. This festival is unlike others due to the scenery. For example, Coachella is hot and dry, Outsidelands is in a lush part of the park and can get pretty chilly. There is also a greater presence of wine vendors considering the proximity to Sonoma/Napa. 

Pros: line up was full of popular artists new and old (Elton John included), the food was delicious, the wine tent was a nice calm break from the music

Cons: in the late afternoon/early evening the park becomes VERY crowded and lines for the bathrooms are ridiculous-- essentially the same problems of any mainstream music festival

Recommended: Post college group of friends

Napa BottleRock: Festivus for the rest of us

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Activity: BottleRock concert in Napa Valley

Rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Website: http://www.bottlerocknapavalley.com/

Cost: ~ $100 per day GA and $49 for shuttle to SF and back roundtrip

Details: This is a concert is great for the late 20s-40s crowd. The crowd is more relaxed than the larger, famous festivals (Coachella, Governors Ball, etc.) and there is plenty of space to walk around without feeling constantly pushed/shoved. The stages are very short walk, but far enough that the music does not easily transfer to another stage.

The food stands are delicious, but the lines are quite long. The drinks include nice wines (clearly, based on the location in the Napa region), some craft beers, and some mainstream beers. 

Concert ends around 10pm including the silent disco most likely because it is in a residential area. Parking I heard was quite a problem so most people commute back to the city or stay in a nearby hotel for the night such as Sonoma. 

Recommended: adults looking for a concert without all the hassle

Featured: the last photo was featured as a repost on Fest300 instagram account :) Check out their accounts for ideas on upcoming festivals worldwide