From future headliners to hometown heroes, here’s who deserves a spot on your schedule.
Outside Lands has always excelled at balancing blockbuster headliners with the artists you’ll be bragging about seeing before everyone else caught on. Every year, the biggest discoveries aren’t necessarily found at Lands End, they’re sometimes tucked away on smaller stages, where packed-in crowds discover sets that makes them devoted fans.
This year’s lineup is guaranteed to be stacked with those moments. Whether you’re looking for the next indie-rock obsession, a breakout pop star, or a Bay Area favorite playing on home turf, these are the 10 artists you shouldn’t miss when you make your way through Golden Gate Park this August.
1. JADE
If anyone is poised for a breakout festival season, it’s JADE. After establishing herself as one of pop’s most exciting new solo artists, she’s proving she isn’t interested in playing it safe. Her music is theatrical without feeling overproduced, balancing massive hooks with lyrics that carry a surprising amount of personality.
Outside Lands crowds have always embraced bold pop performances, and JADE has the kind of charisma that can turn an afternoon slot into one of the weekend’s most talked-about sets.
WHEN/WHERE: Lands End Stage Sunday August 9 3:45 – 4:45 PM
Don’t miss if you love: Charli XCX, RAYE, Sabrina Carpenter
2. Audrey Hobert
Some artists feel destined for festivals, and Audrey Hobert is one of them.
Her songs read like pages from a diary written with equal parts wit and vulnerability, making heartbreak feel oddly hilarious and growing up feel beautifully awkward. She has an effortless charm that’s impossible to fake, and her live show feels less like watching a performer than hanging out with the funniest person you know.
By next year’s festival season, don’t be surprised if she’s playing much bigger stages.
WHEN / WHERE : Land End Stage Saturday August 8 2:40-3:30 PM
Don’t miss if you love: Clairo, Remi Wolf, Phoebe Bridgers
3. Durand Bernarr
If there’s one artist guaranteed to leave Outside Lands with a few thousand new fans, it’s Durand Bernarr.
The Grammy-nominated singer has spent years building a reputation as one of R&B’s most captivating live performers, effortlessly blending soul, funk, jazz, gospel, and pop into a sound that’s as technically impressive as it is joyful. His vocals are nothing short of jaw-dropping, but what truly sets him apart is his infectious personality. Whether he’s riffing with the crowd or delivering impossibly smooth runs, every performance feels spontaneous, playful, and deeply authentic.
Durand Bernarr’s music celebrates individuality in a way that feels refreshing. Songs like “Stuck.” and “Overqualified” showcase his ability to pair razor-sharp musicianship with lyrics full of humor, vulnerability, and confidence. It’s the kind of catalog that rewards repeat listens, but it’s onstage where everything fully comes to life.
Festival crowds love artists who can instantly win over an audience, and few do it better than Durand Bernarr. If you’re looking for one of the most vocally impressive and downright fun sets of the weekend, this is one you won’t want to miss.
WHEN / WHERE : Lands End Stage Friday August 7 2:35-3:25
Don’t miss if you love: Masego, Lucky Daye, Anderson .Paak, Alex Isley
4. Mariah the Scientist
Mariah the Scientist has quietly become one of R&B’s strongest storytellers.
Rather than chasing viral moments, she lets vulnerability do the heavy lifting. Her performances have an intimacy that cuts through festival chaos, making even massive crowds feel surprisingly small.
If you’re looking for one of the weekend’s most emotionally rewarding sets, this is it.
WHEN / WHERE: Twin Peaks Stage Sunday August 9 6:50-7:50
Don’t miss if you love: Summer Walker, SZA, Ella Mai
5. Geese
Geese have built a reputation as one of indie rock’s best live bands of the moment and it’s well deserved.
Their performances feel spontaneous in the best way possible, fueled by explosive guitars, unpredictable energy, and frontman Cameron Winter’s magnetic stage presence. They’re the kind of band that turns casual listeners into instant fans by the second song.
This is your reminder not to skip the guitar bands this weekend.
WHEN/WHERE: SUTRO Friday August 7 5:50 – 6:50 PM
Don’t miss if you love: The Strokes, IDLES, Black Country, New Road
6. Ethel Cain
Sometimes the loudest performance is the quietest one.
Ethel Cain creates sprawling, cinematic songs that reward patience, and her live performances have a rare ability to completely silence a festival crowd. Her music sits somewhere between folk, slowcore, alternative rock, and Southern gothic storytelling, making every song feel like a scene from a movie.
I would assume during her golden-hour set it’lll be one of the defining moments of the weekend.
WHEN / WHERE: Lands End Stage Saturday August 8 5:20-6:20PM
Don’t miss if you love: Weyes Blood, Lana Del Rey, boygenius
7. The Story So Far (Bay Area Spotlight)
For Bay Area fans, this one feels like coming home.
Hailing from Walnut Creek, The Story So Far have become one of modern pop-punk’s defining bands without ever losing the emotional honesty that first connected them with fans over a decade ago. Their hometown shows always carry an extra layer of energy, and Outside Lands should be no exception.
Expect one massive singalong.
WHEN/WHERE: Sutro Friday August 7 2:55-3:40PM
Don’t miss if you love: Neck Deep, Knuckle Puck, Turnover
8. Marlon Funaki (Bay Area Spotlight)
San Francisco has quietly become home to one of indie music’s most promising young voices.
Marlon Funaki writes songs that feel like they’re soundtracking a foggy drive through the Sunset District, warm, understated, and effortlessly cool. His blend of indie rock and bedroom pop has earned him a devoted local following, and Outside Lands feels like the perfect stage for a wider audience to catch on.
He’s exactly the kind of artist Outside Lands has always championed.
WHEN / WHERE : Festival goers will have two opportunities to see Marlon on Sunday August 9 the first being at the Sutro Stage from 1:50 – 2:30 and at the Duboce Triangle from 6:15-6:45
Don’t miss if you love: Alex G, Slow Pulp, Hovvdy
9. Day We Ran (Bay Area Spotlight)
Every city has a band that locals can’t stop recommending.
In San Francisco right now, that band is Day We Ran.
Their dreamy guitars and heartfelt songwriting make them one of the most exciting acts to emerge from the Bay Area DIY scene, and they’re arriving at Outside Lands at exactly the right moment. Don’t be surprised if this ends up being one of the festival’s biggest word-of-mouth discoveries.
WHEN / WHERE : Festival goers will have two opportunities to see them on Sunday August 9 the first being at the Panhandle Stage from 1:25 – 2:05 and at the Duboce Triangle from 3:25-3:55
Don’t miss if you love: Snail Mail, Beach Fossils, Hazel English
10. Etari (Bay Area Spotlight)
Outside Lands isn’t just about bands, it’s also one of California’s best dance music weekends.
Enter Etari, a Bay Area DJ and producer whose club-ready sets effortlessly blend house, UK garage, and bass music into something impossible not to move to. While many attendees will flock to the festival’s biggest EDM names, Etari offers a chance to experience the sound of San Francisco’s underground electronic scene on one of its biggest stages.
Consider this your excuse to dance before sunset.
WHEN/WHERE : SOMA Sunday August 9 12:05-1:35
Don’t miss if you love: Sammy Virji, salute, Oppidan
The beauty of Outside Lands has never been just its headliners, it’s those moments festival goers stumble into by accident. It’s hearing a song you’ve never heard before and realizing you’ll be listening to it on repeat for the rest of the year. It’s catching a hometown band playing the biggest show of their career, or witnessing an emerging artist just before they become impossible to see in a smaller venue.
This year’s lineup is full of those opportunities. So while everyone else is planning around the headliners, leave a little room in your schedule for discovery. Odds are, your favorite set of the weekend won’t be the one you expected.
