Festival organizers at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass shut every entrance gate simultaneously for the first time in the free event’s history. The one-hour capacity hold on Saturday afternoon affected tens of thousands of music fans enjoying the annual outdoor weekend concert in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park.
Festival Organizers Lock Gates for One Hour
Festival spokesperson Jim Merlis confirmed that all entrance gates were shut down starting at 4:45 p.m. as organizers felt the park was at capacity. Crowds swelling across Golden Gate Park forced festival organizers to take an unprecedented step on Saturday afternoon. The sudden closure lasted for one hour.
According to Merlis, individual gates had experienced temporary closures during past iterations of the event, but this is the first time that all the gates have been closed simultaneously. Staff at the festival observed dozens of attendees waiting near the east entrance hoping to gain entry just after Gillian Welch and David Rawlings finished their performance at the Banjo Stage around 5 p.m.
Mayor Lurie Estimates 60,000 Fans at Park
An Instagram post shared by San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie placed the weekend attendance at 60,000 people enjoying free music this weekend in Golden Gate Park, while festival organizers traditionally decline to publish official crowd estimates or capacity figures. The park is reaching capacity for Saturday night-be safe, everyone, and have a great time,
Mayor Lurie wrote on social media.
Temperatures climbed into the low 80s and reached an 84-degree peak in the park on Saturday as the massive turnouts coincided with intense heat. Organizers urged attendees to monitor their health, wear hats, seek out shade, and stay hydrated.
Rilo Kiley Fills Sunday Schedule After Cancellation
The group, known for their 2002 record Take Offs and Landings,
performed at the Towers of Gold stage from 4:50 p.m. to 5:55 p.m. They filled the schedule slot left vacant by Alison Krauss, who cancelled her appearance to secure necessary vocal rest. The heavy Saturday afternoon congestion followed a late-breaking lineup change that added early-aughts indie rock band Rilo Kiley to the bill.
Organizers did not expect repeat gate closures for the remainder of the weekend despite Saturday’s capacity crunch. The festival continued through its Sunday evening close with performances from Emmylou Harris, former Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant, and the Punch Brothers. We do not anticipate this being a problem today,
Merlis said on Sunday.