| Hardly Strictly Bluegrass | |
|---|---|
  Hardly Strictly Bluegrass in 2015 | |
| Genre | Bluegrass music |
| Dates | First weekend of October (currently) |
| Location(s) | Golden Gate Park (San Francisco, California, U.S.) |
| Coordinates | 37°46′11″N 122°29′02″W / 37.7698°N 122.483848°W |
| Years active | 2001–present |
| Founders | Warren Hellman |
| Attendance | 750,000+ (over 3 days) |
| Website | hardlystrictlybluegrass |
Hardly Strictly Bluegrass (HSB), originally Strictly Bluegrass, is an annual free and non-commercial music festival held the first weekend of October in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, California. Conceived and subsidized by San Francisco venture capitalist Warren Hellman, the festival has been held every year since the first event in 2001.
From its outset, the festival has been subsidized by Hellman. Various corporations have offered to sponsor the event over the years, but Hellman always turned them down, saying in an interview, "I want to keep it entirely free and noncommercial".[1] After his 2011 death, Hellman's heirs and his foundation have continued to fully fund and oversee the festival.[2][3] For some performers, the unique fact that the event is unsponsored is very important to character. In an interview with Hellman, Ketch Secor of Old Crow Medicine Show said that part of what keeps the event focused on the music and the community is Warren's decision to ensure it is not "consumption driven" and the audience is not "bombarded with signage".[4]
Originally Hellman intended only to invite bluegrass musicians. But soon artists from other genres were invited to the event, and in 2004 the word "Hardly" was added to reflect its expanded scope.[5] The festival draws very large crowds, nearly equal in number to the entire population of San Francisco. In 2011, the festival drew an estimated 750,000 people over the course of the three-day event.[6][7]
- ^ "Strictly Awesome". East Bay Express.com. Retrieved October 5, 2012.
- ^ Sharpe, Josh (July 24, 2024). "Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Unveils First Of 2024 Lineup". BroadwayWorld. Retrieved August 12, 2024.
- ^ Holcomb, Courtney (November 4, 2016). "A History Of San Francisco's Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival". Culture Trip. Retrieved August 12, 2024.
- ^ "A Bay-Area Billionaire's Annual Gift of Music (Transcript)". NPR. Archived from the original on July 28, 2014. Retrieved October 5, 2012.
- ^ "Hardly Strictly Bluegrass". Official Website. Archived from the original on October 5, 2012. Retrieved October 5, 2012.
- ^ Peter Lattman (December 19, 2011). "Warren Hellman, 77, Investor Who Loved Bluegrass, Dies". The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 29, 2017. Retrieved February 27, 2017.
- ^ Harrington, Jim (October 2, 2011). "Review: Hardly Strictly Bluegrass honors a legend". mercurynews.com. Archived from the original on September 21, 2013. Retrieved October 2, 2011.