Photos and review by Chloe Catajan
@riannachloe

Another Outside Lands is in the books, with Charli xcx, Turnstile, and The Strokes coming out with some of the weekend’s most memorable performances in Golden Gate Park. In between is a lot of talk revolving around the crowd’s divided age demographics, the weather, and how to dress for said weather. It’s an inevitable part of San Francisco summers—both the good and the bad—but here are some moments that made the fest a little more special than the last.

A Friday in the pits

It doesn’t get better than opening up the pit on a Friday afternoon (in other words, during what would be typical work or school hours).

Day one of Outside Lands had a strong start set to the sounds of grunge, pop punk, and hardcore. Die Spitz and Bay Area natives The Story So Far made waves with heavy riffage, the daylit greenery of Linley Meadow providing a mystical backdrop for scenes you’d normally see in smaller, dark clubs. But not even a massive field could stop the flow of crowdsurfers and circle pits, which only continued to multiply. 

This was especially the case with Turnstile’s set, an undoubted talking point of the entire festival weekend. Thousands packed before the Sutro stage to watch the Baltimore group play a hardhitting set that mixed songs off NEVER ENOUGH, GLOW ON, and deep cuts “Drop” and “I Don’t Wanna Be Blind.” 

In viral videos filmed from the upper hill, the circle pits resembled multiple hurricanes forming. To actually be in the middle of it all, however, was an evident catharsis as fans screamed along to lyrics, jumped around with smiles on their faces, all while remaining overall respectful to each other.

The pure joy was a beautiful thing to see, and even more so to experience.

The Tumblr optimism era is alive and well

With recent news of a Myspace revival, I can’t help but wish the same for Tumblr. Myspace introduced my adolescent self to the indie sleaze scene, led by OGs like Uffie and CSS, and now, by Outside Lands acts Charli xcx and Snow Strippers. It was great for music discovery and causing drama over someone’s Top 8, but it doesn’t quite compare to reblogging pretty pictures with song lyrics about how grand life can be. 

Many of the Outside Lands acts this year soundtracked those Tumblr years, now referred to as the “millennial optimism era” thanks to a viral trend. Empire of the Sun took the Lands End stage and had upwards of 24,000 people genuinely “Walking on a Dream.” The xx closed out Twin Peaks Saturday night with indietronica staples off their self-titled, I See You, and Coexist.  And The Temper Trap performing “Sweet Disposition” at Sutro during golden hour felt like magic.

Of course, each artist performed songs all across their catalogs, all of which were met with pure bliss from the crowd. This optimism era continues to live on, clearly.

In fandom fashion

Festival fashion proved to be a non-negotiable for fans, despite the relentless cold throughout the weekend. Attendees donned their fandoms loud and proud, making it clear who they were there to see.

Lime green accents, “I Heart” shirts, and black leather were telltale signs of a Charli fan. Goose hats, balloons, and plushies appeared in flocks for Geese’s set. And while many Death Cab for Cutie fans wore a tour tee or Postal Service merch, one group showed up with a huge crow masterpiece.

An honorable mention goes out to matching group outfits, which included everything from matching prints and patterns to Minions and wizard costumes.

Sutro stole the spotlight

While the main action in previous years happened primarily on the Lands End and Twin Peaks stages, Sutro really stole the spotlight this time around. It’s where the highly-anticipated sets from Turnstile, Pinkpantheress, and Modest Mouse took place. It also hosted the two Death Cab for Cutie performances that bookended Sunday at the stage.

Death Cab performed the album Plans in its entirety, which was especially enticing for fans who might have missed out on the 20th anniversary shows the band played last year. The early slot drew people in droves, making an unusually busy start to the final day of a music festival.

The band’s chops were in top-notch form, especially on a beautiful live arrangement of “Your Heart is an Empty Room,” and even with frontman Ben Gibbard waking up to no voice that day. He explained that festival first aid staff gave him a steroid shot that helped him bounce back as best as possible, but enlisted fans for help on the high notes of “Different Names for the Same Thing,” who of course happily obliged. 

Maria Zardoya of The Marias brought her solo project, Not for Radio, to the Sutro Stage as well, and proceeded to present fans with a stunning work of art. Her set design resembled a lush, mossy forest, where she played with themes of white swan, black swan, all to the sounds of her signature dreamy melancholia. 

Outside Lands 2026 was fun for attendees from all around the world, with food, merch, and vendor booths being top notch this year. People at home even got a great view from their couches with Amazon Prime livestreaming each day of the festival. Golden Gate Park in San Francisco is a special place on its own, and the fest makes it even more sacred each year by bringing the combination of extraordinary bands and beautiful fans together into the same space for three days, with the simple goal of having a great time through music. Big congratulations to Another Planet Entertainment and to The Oriel Company for coordinating an amazing sold-out extravaganza which was loved by hundreds of thousands of people. Can’t wait for you, OSL 2027!