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My Morning Jacket, Gillian Welch & David Rawlings as well as Old Crow Medicine Show are among the first performers announced for Hardly Strictly Bluegrass 2026 in San Francisco.
The free, three-day music festival is scheduled to return to Golden Gate Park from Oct. 2-4, organizers announced Wednesday, July 22.
The opening group of performers also includes Bay Area bluegrass band AJ Lee & Blue Summit; North Carolina Americana outfit Hiss Golden Messenger; Canadian alt-country singer-songwriter Kathleen Edwards; Yemeni-inspired experimental group El Khat; retro-minded folk-rock singer Tyler Ballgame; instrumental guitarists William Tyler and Yasmin Williams; and folk singer and storyteller John Craigie, performing with the Coffis Brothers.
The first announcement continues Hardly Strictly's tradition of assembling a lineup that stretches beyond the bluegrass named in its title, moving among country, folk, indie rock, Americana and international music.
"Hardly Strictly Bluegrass has been on our radar for years because it is a gift to the people of the Bay Area," My Morning Jacket drummer Patrick Hallahan said in a statement. "We're honored to get the invite this year, and we can't wait to feel the energy of such a special event."
This year's festival, now in its 26th year, will begin with a previously announced tribute to singer-songwriter Steve Earle on Oct. 1 at the Masonic.
"An Evening Honoring Steve Earle" is expected to bring together Earle, Emmylou Harris, Jackson Browne, Buddy Miller, Gillian Welch and David Rawlings, Molly Tuttle, Hot Tuna, Elizabeth Cook, Larry Campbell and Teresa Williams, Shawn Camp, Stacey Earle and Victoria Williams.
Miller is scheduled to serve as musical director, with Reckless Kelly and pedal steel guitarist Greg Leisz serving as the backing band.
The concert celebrates Earle's long association with Hardly Strictly. He has appeared at every edition of the festival since its second year in 2002.
"We can think of no better way to bookend our silver anniversary than celebrating 25 years of Steve Earle at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass," executive producer Sheri Sternberg said in a statement.
Proceeds from the Masonic concert will benefit Sweetwater Spectrum, a Sonoma nonprofit that provides long-term housing for adults with autism and similar intellectual or developmental disabilities.
Organizers also announced the return of Hardly Strictly's Out of the Park series, which places festival-week concerts at venues throughout the Bay Area and benefits the Sweet Relief Bay Area Musicians Fund.
Among the scheduled shows are AJ Lee & Blue Summit and Bandits on the Run at Sweetwater Music Hall on Oct. 2; Welch and Rawlings at the Fillmore on Oct. 2; Craigie and Anna Moss at the Great American Music Hall on Oct. 2; and Tyler Ballgame at Cafe du Nord on Oct. 2.
El Khat is scheduled to perform at the Freight in Berkeley on Oct. 3, while Old Crow Medicine Show and Ismay are set to perform at Sweetwater Music Hall the same night.
Edwards is booked at the Guild Theatre in Menlo Park on Oct. 4, followed by Hiss Golden Messenger at Little Saint in Healdsburg on Oct. 6. Tuttle, who grew up in Palo Alto, is also scheduled to perform at Stanford University's Bing Concert Hall on Sept. 28.
Founded by the late financier and banjo enthusiast Warren Hellman in 2001, Hardly Strictly Bluegrass has grown from a bluegrass-centered gathering into one of San Francisco's signature cultural events. Admission has remained free throughout its run.
The full lineup and detailed festival schedule are expected to be announced in the coming months.
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