Outside Lands began with a 2004 conversation between Allen Scott of Another Planet Entertainment, a Berkeley-based promoter, and Rick Farman, a founder of
Superfly, the creators and producers of
Bonnaroo. Another Planet and Superfly partnered with Starr Hill Presents to develop and produce Outside Lands. To respond to neighborhood concerns, Another Planet and Superfly set up a multi-lingual community hotline, and in partnership with the city, developed a transportation system that included shuttles and dedicated bus lines. Several additional measures related to security, and reducing waste were also implemented. It took more than three years to secure the necessary permits for the inaugural Outside Lands, which took place August 22–24, 2008.
2008–2012: Radiohead, Wine Lands, Taste of the Bay Area Sixty artists performed during the first Outside Lands. It was headlined by
Radiohead, who became the first band to play after dark in Golden Gate Park. A multi-generational, multi-genre "panorama of alternative rock, indie pop, jam bands, conscious rap, progressive Latin and world-beat fusion," the festival sold out, with 130,000 attendees over the course of its three days. Although there were sound dropouts during Radiohead's set and issues related to gatecrashers and crowd control, the festival was mainly a success. In 2009, the city permits were delayed and the festival lineup was not confirmed until April. The
Beastie Boys, who were scheduled to headline on Sunday night, were forced to cancel two weeks out; just diagnosed with cancer,
Adam Yauch was recovering from radiation treatments. The Beasties were replaced by
Tenacious D. the main stage artists in 2009 included
Pearl Jam, the Black Eyed Peas, and the Dave Matthews Band. A performance by
Tom Jones—a superstar in the 1960s—was a highlight; Jones drew a large and enthusiastic audience, establishing what would become a tradition of legacy artists at Outside Lands. The headliners proved to be less of a draw than those that performed in 2008, and in 2009 attendance dropped to 90,000. 40 artists performed at Outside Lands in 2010, including
Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars,
My Morning Jacket,
The Strokes, and
Bob Weir and
Phil Lesh's band,
Furthur. The lineup was commended for its eclecticism but criticized because overlapping sets, as well as the time it took to traverse the festival grounds, made it impossible for attendees to see full performances on the primary stages.
LAist praised the festival's organization, crowd control, and planning based on its amenities, as well as the transportation options such as city-wide shuttle services and free valet bike parking. In 2011, Outside Lands returned to a three-day schedule with headliners including
Arcade Fire,
Muse, and
Phish, who closed the Friday night show with a two-set, three-and-a-half hour performance. Headlined by
Neil Young and Crazy Horse,
Stevie Wonder, and
Metallica—"easily the loudest band to ever hit the main stage"—Outside Lands sold out again in 2012. During its first five years, Outside Lands generated $8.3 million in revenue for Golden Gate Park. In 2011 alone, its economic impact in San Francisco exceeded $60 million.
2013–2017: Paul McCartney, Gastro Magic, 10th anniversary Sold out for the fourth consecutive year,
Paul McCartney headlined Outside Lands in 2013. His two-hour soundcheck at Golden Gate the day before the festival gates opened could be heard throughout the adjacent area. McCartney played for nearly three hours on Friday night; his set included fireworks (during "
Live and Let Die" ) and a performance of
"Yesterday" with the
Kronos Quartet.
Nine Inch Nails and the
Red Hot Chili Peppers also headlined in 2013. In 2014, Outside Lands sold out in 24 hours. More than 100 artists, including
Tom Petty,
The Killers,
Willie Nelson and
Kanye West, played on seven stages. West performed in complete darkness. Hundreds of forged Outside Lands tickets were seized by the San Francisco police in 2014. They had been sold outside the festival grounds for as much as $1000. In 2015, the security at the park perimeter was increased, and
radio-frequency identification wristbands replaced paper tickets. Outside Lands featured
Elton John,
The Black Keys, and
Kendrick Lamar in 2015. The lineup was announced in a
Funny or Die video by
San Francisco 49er Aldon Smith. Comics including members of
The Daily Show news team,
Tig Notaro, and the Upright Citizens Brigade' performed on the Barbary Stage. The small stages built for newer artists were expanded across the festival grounds. In 2016, with only the partial lineup announced, weekend passes for the festival sold out in 45 minutes. The reformed
LCD Soundsystem performed on Friday night, and Radiohead returned to headline on Saturday. In addition to
Lana Del Rey,
Lionel Richie, and
Anderson .Paak,
The Muppets house band,
Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem, played live for the first time ever. Their five-song set included "
With a Little Help from My Friends" (with the Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir) and a cover of
The Mowgli's "San Francisco." Outside Lands marked its tenth anniversary in 2017 with Metallica,
The Who,
Gorillaz,
Solange and
Lorde.
Queens of the Stone Age cancelled and were replaced by
Cage the Elephant. The seventh consecutive sell-out, 78 restaurants, 40 wineries, and 28 breweries were on site.
Roy Choi took over an area overlooking the main stage for "Feast in the Trees," a four-course pop up dinner on Friday night.
2018–present: Grass Lands, Inside Lands, 15th anniversary 210,000 tickets were sold for Outside Lands in 2018, which featured
Janet Jackson,
The Weeknd,
Florence and the Machine, and
Janelle Monáe. A review in the
East Bay Express noted that the 2019 lineup was "its most diverse and inclusive ever" and that the "best performances of the weekend were not from the white male-fronted rock bands of yore but from women, people of color, and queer artists." New attractions included the
Alice in Wonderland-themed Bubble Tea Party and a talk series called
D.A.V.E: Discussions about Virtually Everything. Grass Lands, a curated cannabis experience, was also introduced. As smoking was prohibited in Golden Gate Park, no cannabis was sold. That year, the festival was headlined by
Twenty One Pilots,
Childish Gambino and
Paul Simon.
Bob Weir joined Simon on stage; although they had been friends for 52 years, it was the first time they performed together publicly. A record audience of 90,000 people turned up for Childish Gambino's set. As cannabis policies in California loosened, Outside Lands "made history", becoming the first major U.S. music festival to sell marijuana on festival grounds. Golden Gate Park allowed smoking in limited areas during the festival. The Grass Lands area was restricted to people 21 and older. In 2020, due to the
pandemic, Outside Lands was cancelled. Inside Lands, a virtual version of the festival featuring performance videos from the previous 12 years, was streamed on
Twitch. In 2021, Outside Lands was postponed until Halloween weekend. Attendees were required to either show proof of COVID-19 vaccination or proof of a negative COVID-19 test result conducted within 72 hours of entering the festival grounds. SOMA, a tent with continuous DJ sets, premiered in 2021; only fully vaccinated people were allowed inside the tent, and masks were required. In addition to
Lizzo,
Vampire Weekend, and
the Strokes,
J Balvin performed, becoming the first Latinx headliner at Outside Lands. "Taste of the Bay Area" featured 85 restaurants and more than 100 wines were offered at Wine Lands. Outside Lands was held on August 5–7, 2022. A "festival within a festival," artists including
Green Day,
Post Malone,
SZA,
Phoebe Bridgers,
Weezer,
Jack Harlow and
Kim Petras performed. The first tickets released sold out in 30 minutes. The fifteenth anniversary edition of Outside Lands took place on August 11–13 with performers including Kendrick Lamar, the Foo Fighters, ODESZA, Lana Del Rey, The 1975, Megan Thee Stallion, Zedd, Janelle Monáe, Maggie Rogers, and Fisher. 96 restaurants, food trucks, and pop ups, served over 700 menu items and 65 wineries and breweries were featured. As of its fifteenth anniversary, Outside Lands had injected more than $1bn into the local economy. In May 13, 2023, two or three additional days of concerts at Golden Gate Park to take place over the weekend following Outside Lands were proposed by San Francisco Mayor
London Breed. "Headliner-driven" events, promoted and produced by Another Planet. The proposed concerts would utilize existing Outside Lands infrastructure to minimize impact on the park. The events would begin in 2024. == Culinary experiences ==