Article Contributed by Gabriel David Barkin
Published on 2026-10-06
Robert Plant and Suzi Dian | Hardly Strictly Bluegrass | San Francisco, CA - photos by Gabriel David Barkin
HSB. IYKYK.
Hardly Strictly Bluegrass 2026 is in the history books now following another successful three-day weekend in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. This year’s lineup included Robert Plant, Molly Tuttle, Jesse Welles, Los Lobos, Hot Tuna, My Morning Jacket, and (shocker!) Emmylou Harris. And then there were Steve Earle, Lukas Nelson, Hiss Golden Messenger, Punch Brothers. And… and… and…
It’s not just a music festival. It’s a freakin’ holy holiday for Bay Area fans of bluegrass, Americana, folk, rock, psychedelic music, and just about any genre that features instruments capable of being picked or plucked. Come one, come all, join the throngs. Tens of thousands of people of all ages grooving together in peace and harmony.
Your experience may vary. With all those stages competing for attention, everyone gets to be the star of their own adventure. Individual accounts abound elsewhere in the press and on social media, so I won’t bore you with my own version. Just enjoy the pics (including the full gallery, link at the end) and try your hand at this quiz.
THE "HARDLY STRICTLY SERIOUS" HSB QUIZ
1. 2026 was…
A. The first ever Hardly Strictly Bluegrass. Anyone who says different is trippin’.
B. The 26th Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, counting the first two “Strictly Bluegrass” years (before adding “Hardly” to the name) and also the two “virtual” years during the COVID pandemic.
C. The year Metallica shredded a bluegrass version of “Enter Sandman” on the Banjo Stage.
D. The only time HSB was held indoors at Ghirardelli Square.
2. Emmylou Harris has performed at…
A. No HSBs ever.
B. Only one HSB.
C. The first one, and now after a long hiatus, the 2026 version.
D. Every HSB, traditionally closing the Banjo Stage at the end of the festival. She also does an early morning soundcheck on Sundays that makes it worth showing up early.
3. How many members of Led Zeppelin have played at HSB?
A. None. Americans only please.
B. All four, if you count the holographic projection of John Bonham, who accompanied the three surviving members for a reunion show at HSB in 2008.
C. Two. Robert Plant played his fifth HSB this year, counting scheduled and surprise appearances over the years with a variety of lineups. John Paul Jones played mandolin as a member of Dave Rawlings Machine one year and has appeared as a surprise guest at least one other time.
D. Who is Led Zeppelin?
4. Who initially founded and funded HSB?
A. The event is produced by the city of San Francisco, using funds set aside for “Southern Hospitality, Y’all.”
B. A consortium of Elon Musk, Vladimir Putin, and OPEC as part of their effort to destroy the American fabric and poison the minds of our youth.
C. It emerged organically in 1979 when five bluegrass hipsters began jamming in the park and realized they could charge $50 a head.
D. Warren Hellman, a San Francisco investment banker, private-equity pioneer, philanthropist, and diehard banjo-playing bluegrass fan. Hellman died in 2011, but he had by that time set up an endowment to keep HSB going for at least 15 years "after I croak.” The Hellman Foundation has since announced its intention to keep it going even longer.
5. Which four luminaries have appeared at HSB?
A. Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, Merle Haggard, Kris Kristofferson.
B. Brandi Carlile, Steve Martin, MC Hammer, Patti Smith.
C. Cheap Trick, Elvis Costello, Bonnie Raitt, Tanya Tucker.
D. Cyndi Lauper, John Mellencamp, Randy Newman, Lyle Lovett.
6. What were the names of the stages at this year’s HSB?
A. The Globe, The Fox, and Radio City Music Hall Stage.
B. Jerry, Bobby, Mickey, Billy, and Phil.
C. Banjo, Swan, Arrow, Rooster, Towers of Gold, and Horseshoe Hill.
D. Orpheum, Warfield, Fillmore, and Fisherman’s Wharf.
7. What is the best way to decide which act to see when your four favorites are all on at the same time?
A. Don’t fight the crowd, just stay wherever you first threw down your blanket.
B. When in doubt, head for the Banjo Stage to see Emmylou – but get sidetracked by some band you’ve never heard of busking on the pathway.
C. Scramble frantically from stage to stage trying to catch one-and-a-half songs of each act. (The record run from Banjo to Towers of Gold is four minutes, see if you can beat that.)
D. Go with the flow. It’s all good.
8. Parking at HSB is …
A. A mathematical impossibility. Einstein proved this with a famous theorem.
B. About as plentiful as polar bears in Hawaii. (I checked, even the zoos there have no polar bears.)
C. Easy, as long as you’re willing to show up a week early and circle the neighborhood over and over.
D. It works if you work it. (True story: my wife and I invoke Warren Hellman as our personal parking god when looking for spots, and he comes through every time.)
9. HSB is…
A. The largest sponsor-free music festival in the United States
B. …that has no entry fees
C. …draws mega-thousands of people over three days each year, with per-day estimates ranging from 60,000 to well over 100,000
D. …and once featured bluegrass band The HillBenders playing a revamped version of The Who album “Tommy” from end to end.
10. Next year’s HSB will feature…
A. A ten-hour jam by Trey Anastasio, Yo-Yo Ma, and Pussy Riot.
B. A switch to an all-techno format.
C. The world premiere of “Facebook: The Opera.”
D. Who cares? I’m there no matter what.
ANSWERS
1. B
2. D
3. C
4. D
5. All of those acts have appeared at HSB.
6. C
7. Pick one. You do you.
8. All of the above.
9. Ditto
10. D, but A wouldn’t surprise me.
NOTES
For more photos, visit our galleries:
