SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — It’s a sweet 16 done San Francisco style.
This weekend, Outside Lands is back for its 16th year at the city’s Golden Gate Park.
Mitzi Cardenas came up from Southern California with her boyfriend just to see the festival.
“I have friends in town. I missed Chappell Roan at Coachella, so this is my second chance to see her. And my boyfriend paid for the tickets, so it’s a free trip for me,” Cardenas said.
While they might have come from SoCal, other attendees, like Jessica Smith, live here in the city.
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“On the bus, I realized I’ve been going to festivals for 20 years, but finally to check the backyard one off the list,” Smith said.
This year’s Outside Lands features a huge range of both old and new experiences.
Everything from some of the best food and drink the Bay Area has to offer to a re-creation of San Francisco City Hall.
“I love the variety. I love that you can go from stage to stage and see just a huge variety of acts. For me, sometimes it’s harder to find newer artists,” said Kristin Balmet.
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Festival organizers are expecting around 225,000 people to descend on GGP over the course of the weekend.
In preparation, city officials are encouraging people to use public transit.
“It’ll definitely save you some money. You don’t have to worry about circling for parking. And we will be increasing service on specific lines to get to Outside Lands,” said SFMTA spokesperson Erica Kato.
The festival is one of the biggest social events of the year in the Bay Area.
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It’s impact is so large, city leaders say it will contribute as much as $75 million to the local economy.
“This attracts other events into San Francisco. People wanting to move to San Francisco, people wanting to open businesses in San Francisco,” said Rodney Fong of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce.
And with the weekend now in full swing, many attendees say they’re looking forward to having a good time.
“The camaraderie that comes from festivals and knowing that everybody around you is there for the music, and you like the same artists and you connect through that,” Smith said.
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