More Hardly, Less Bluegrass

This weekend in San Francisco, people spread their blankets across the grass, ate food with friends, took their pups for a walk and listened to some good music at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass. Some festivalgoers came for the music, while others came for the vibe.

After speaking with some of the attendees, one thing kept coming up. People enjoyed that Hardly Strictly was casual. They came for the music, yes, but they also came to hang out with friends, eat good food and meet cool people.

Doug Prewitt described the festival as having a good vibe and good music. He said Hardly Strictly has stayed consistent while still finding ways to add “a little flair.” Prewitt also said, “Because it’s Hardly Strictly, they stick to the core themes of country bluegrass, but because it’s Hardly Strictly, they color outside the lines a little bit.” For Prewitt, the festival is still connected to bluegrass and country music while also bringing in other acts that can attract different people.

Charlene Foote was attending Hardly Strictly for the second year in a row. Since she is a local, she came back for the smash burger she had eaten the previous year and to see Rilo Kiley. To Foote, the festival is more than just going to see the bands. “It has park day vibes and good music. People just come here to chill. It’s a casual music festival,” Foote said.

Another festival attendee was Alex Moushey. His reason for coming to Hardly Strictly was “for the chillin’.” That could be seen throughout the weekend, with families gathered around the park, people sitting on picnic blankets and kids playing with each other and rolling around in the grass. People did not have to stand around one stage all day. They could sit down, walk around, eat food or just enjoy being outside while music played.

Festivalgoer Jennifer Vaughan said her “favorite part of today was seeing all the people and friends from other festivals.” For Vaughan, seeing friends was part of the experience. People were not only coming to watch whoever was on stage. Some were also there because they knew they would run into people they had seen at other events.

While speaking with another festival attendee, David Pollard gave two simple reasons why he enjoyed Hardly Strictly: he could bring his dog and the event was free. Throughout the weekend, dogs could be seen walking through the park with their owners as people moved from stage to stage to see different artists. Between the stages, people stopped at food vendors or found areas of grass where they could sit down, relax and spend time with the people they came with.

When festivalgoers were asked if they were there for the “hardly” or the “strictly,” many of them smiled before saying they were there for the “hardly.” Their reasons were different. Some came to see specific artists, while others came to spend time with friends, eat food, bring their dogs or relax in the park. The bluegrass and country music were still part of the festival, but the people I spoke with showed that Hardly Strictly was about more than just the music in its name.

The “hardly” could also be seen through the different artists people came to see, like Mavis Staples, My Morning Jacket, Los Lobos and Robert Plant. Some attendees moved through the stages to catch the performances they were excited to see, while other festivalgoers stayed in the same area and listened to the music from their blankets. The festival did not have the vibe of people needing to focus on one particular genre or artist. People could choose what they wanted to see and have their own kind of experience with the festival.

With all the different reasons people had for going to Hardly Strictly, the bluegrass in the name only tells part of the story. Prewitt talked about the festival being able to “color outside the lines,” while for Foote it was for the “park day vibes.” Moushey came to the festival “for the chillin’,” Vaughan enjoyed seeing friends from other festivals and Pollard had a place to bring his dog and go to a free event.

By the end of the weekend, people were still moving between stages, sitting on their blankets, getting food and spending time with the people they came with. Some people came for a specific artist, while others were fine just being at the festival and enjoying the day. For some people it was the music. For others it was the food, the friends, the dogs or just being in the park. No one reason seemed to explain why people wanted to spend the day there. That may be why, when people were asked if they came for the “hardly” or the “strictly,” the “hardly” always came with a smile.

Story and photos by Michael Cruzada, aka Sprite, Panic 39 Magazine contributor.

Festival info: Hardly Strictly Bluegrass 2026

• When: October 2–4, 2026
• Where: Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, CA (Hellman Hollow and the Lindley and Marx meadows)
• Cost: Free
• This year: The festival's 26th year, with 71 concerts across six stages