Arturo Hilario
El Observador
Another August, another sonic journey within the beauty of Golden Gate Park for thousands of attendees as they listen to their favorite artists, discover new ones, and delight in the fog and mist of a San Francisco Summer weekend.
Outside Lands Music Festival took place August 7-9 was the 17th in-person festival; if you count the COVID virtual version, Inside Lands 2020, it brings the total up to 18 installments.
With it came the usual new restaurant pop ups, change to certain activations and stage locations within the park, and new activities and art installations. The music of course, was the main event, and this year’s lineup was as eclectic as ever.
Charli Strokes XCX
Headlining the weekend were Charli XCX, The Strokes, and RÜFÜS DU SOL with other popular artists like The XX, Baby Keem, Turnstile, Geeze and DJ duo Griztronics providing supporting slots throughout the three days.
With both Charli XCX and The Strokes having recently released albums, the hype was real for those two artists and they delivered on their respective closing sets, Charli XCX on Friday and The Strokes on Saturday.
Although they both represent very different eras and genres of music, they were both excellent and put on a finely tuned and entertaining show. Charli XCX is a true pop star that went above and beyond to showcase her 8th studio album, Music, Fashion, Film with elaborate stage sets, lighting, and costuming for herself and her backup dancers.
It was no surprise why her set was the most attended on Friday night, even while great options like Modest Mouse and Griztronics played at the same time on other stages within the park.
The Strokes, who took Saturday night’s main billing, captivated the crowd with their jumpy brand of indie post punk rock, bringing out the hits and reminding people why they can still rock a stage and get people dancing.
Since their electric and genre defining debut 25 years ago, the band has managed to stay relevant despite large gaps in their album releases. In April 2020 they surprisingly released their first album in 7 years, titled The New Abnormal, which became a rebirth in a sense for a band whose last few albums might have not had the best reception.
Bandalos Chinos performs at the Lands End stage on Saturday August 8, 2026 at the Outside Lands Music Festival in Golden Gate Park. Photo Credit: Arturo Hilario / El Observador
It’s because of their resume and recent albums that they take on headlining duties for a second time at Outside Lands, their first being in 2021.
At one point in their set, frontman Julian Casablancas began talking about their record coming in a distant second in sales to a certain other pop star who was at Outside Lands. In a surprise to everyone there, he introduced Charlie XCX to come and duet the “Take it or Leave It”, the closing track off their 2001 debut album Is This It.
This rocking collaboration between the headliners was a magical moment and showed that despite the differences in age and sound, the two icons of their respective genres are fans of each other’s work and artistry.
Latinidad All Around
As a newspaper of Latino focus, we couldn’t very well leave out all the great acts we saw that have their roots in Latinidad.
This year saw plenty of artists who were US-based Latinos or were Latinos from Spanish-speaking countries. They were all chosen not only because of their roots but because they represent the best of new and beloved Latin sounds from around the world, and are definitely worth seeking out and seeing live when they are in your area.
Not for Radio, Silvana Estrada, Bandalos Chinos, Chezile, and NEZZA were just some of the highlights of Latinos performing at Golden Gate Park, with some making their debuts, to others who have performed here with alternate bands, and one who is a young Latin Grammy Award winner.
Not for Radio is the project of María Zardoya, the Puerto-Rican vocalist whose main band, The Marías, is an indie pop darling who played at Outside Lands in its 2022 edition. Zardoya and her newer solo project played a sultry and cinematic set amongst the trees of the Sutro Stage on Sunday evening to the cheer of the crowds.
Bandalos Chinos are an Argentine indie pop band that opened up the day’s music on Saturday afternoon, bringing with them an infectious electro pop sound that had people dancing and smiling to the energy of the six-piece group.
Chezile is the project of Alejandro Sanchez, who is an American singer-songwriter from Albuquerque, New Mexico. His parents were regional Mexican musicians and although his sound is much more bedroom pop than regional Mexican, being surrounded by that inspired his pursuit of music and left a lasting impression on him. His set on the Panhandle Stage had people sitting on their blankets swaying and enjoying the soulful songs.
Silvana Estrada is a Mexican singer-songwriter from the state of Veracruz whose powerful voice and eclectic sounds blend traditional music from Mexico like Son Jarocho, with jazz, classical and Latin folk. She has been likened to artists like Natalia Lafourcade, Julieta Venegas, and Mon Laferte, the big three of Mexican/Latin alternative pop, although she herself sees them as collaborators instead of comparables.
Estrada’s performance was indeed a mix of sounds, styles and emotions, ranging from fun and playful to dark and sorrowful, the performance was captivating and showed why she won Best New Artist at the 23rd Annual Latin Grammy Awards. Her star will only rise from here, and it was incredible to see her perform to such an intimate crowd at a large festival. And she made sure to mention “F*CK ICE” at the end of her set in solidarity with the Latinos in the US.
Finally, we can’t finish this highlight of Latino performers at Outside Lands 2026 without mentioning the San Jose, California born local who had two incredible R&B performances at two sets this year, Colombian-Dominican artist NEZZA.
Her Latin R&B and Spanglish pop sounds flowed through the trees at her smaller Duboce Triangle stage set, feeling like a whimsical adventure while her earlier set at the second largest stage of the festival, Twin Peaks, was her first time performing for a crowd of that size, while simultaneously being her first music festival in the Bay Area.
NEZZA went viral last year for her poignant performance of El Pendón Estrellado, the Spanish version of The Star-Spangled Banner, at the beginning of a Los Angeles Dodgers game in LA, right in the middle of the 2025 ICE protests happening through that city and across the country. Although she was told not to perform it in Spanish by someone on the team, she did so in protest anyway.
This ended up sparking fierce conversations about what it means to be American, despite the fact that the lyrics to the Spanish version of the song are official lyrics commissioned by the US federal government.
Despite controversy, NEZZA went on to get acclaim for her performance and her activism, and a short documentary called La Tierra del Valor premiered at the Sundance Film Festival this year.
More coverage for Outside Lands is coming soon, including an interview with Silvana Estrada.
Outside Lands 2027 is happening August 6-8, 2027. Sign up for Eager Beaver Presale is available for the lowest priced tickets starting now, but that deal is only available until August 18.
