Hardly Strictly Bluegrass 2026 took place in Golden Gate Park on Fri, Oct 2, 2026 – Sun, Oct 4, 2026. It is a free event. You can learn more about it at https://hardlystrictlybluegrass.com/.
The weather during the festival in 2026 was superb. For all the days the wind was light out of the west. On Saturday it was even hot and sunny getting up to the high-eighties. Many people did retreat to the shade by the trees. Come Sunday some high clouds moved in, it got cooler and the temperatures dropped.
There are basically two approaches to HSB. One is to travel light and get in as many acts in as possible, roaming from one stage to the next. The other is to bring a tarp or blankets, chairs and a small cooler full of food and drinks and park at a single stage. If you get to the festival early, it is easy to get a great spot. This year we did a bit of both. On Friday we parked at the Banjo Stage and enjoyed the mostly country music. My buddy Steve was in town and we went all three days. It’s a pretty amazing free festival.
SHOWS ATTENDED
FRIDAY
Larry Williams and Teresa Williams
Reckless Kelly
Marty Stuart and His Fabulous Superlatives
My Morning Jacket
Lukas Nelson
SATURDAY
Anna Moss
Mavis Staples
AJ Lee and Blue Summit
Buddy Miller
John Craigie w/ The Coffis Brothers
SUNDAY
Miko Marks
Darrell Scott String Band w/ Rob Ickes
Jesse Welles
Punch Brothers
Emmylou Harris
Without further ado, here are the 2026 Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival SF Journal Awards.
Outstanding Set: Jesse Welles
Sunday was probably my favorite day. It started at the Banjo Stage. Miko Marks had her full band, complete with background singers and was sounding great. We made it over to the Tower of Gold Stage to hear Jesse Welles where we met up with a friend. We had near front row seats close to the stage. People like to compare Jesse Welles to Bob Dylan as his music is both popular and political. He often rambles on with at sort of stream of conscious, free verse approach to lyrics. While Dylan was often oblique and metaphorical, Jesse Welles is direct and his songs are often like a collage of actual news headlines. He does not fane away from using the names of the villains in our midst. The names of Trump and Hegseth make it into his songs some of which are so full of words and move by so fast it is a lot of information all at once. How he flawlessly remember the words to all of his tunes is remarkable. He is part Country, part Folk and a lot of Rock and Roll. His band simply killed it.
Outstanding Soloist: Jesse Welles
We were pretty music blown away by his guitar playing and all-around musical ability.
Best Hair: Jesse Welles
I am not sure what Jesse actually looks like as he has this large mop of brown hair that covers half his face and often wears sunglasses. All you see is his lips and chin. I predict there will be a few folks may be getting dressed up in a Jesse Welles costume this Halloween with the wig and jean jacket.
Best Festival Dog: Large Shepard Mix at the Banjo Stage
I have no idea why anyone would bring a dog to music festival with fifty thousand people. I know that any dog I have owned in the past would go absolutely crazy. But at the Banjo Stage on Friday were two shepherd-mixes just chilling next to their owners, smiling in the sun.
Best Bluegrass Groove: AJ Lee & Blue Summit
AJ Lee & Blue Summit have been out on the road a lot the last few years. What their original songs lack in depth, they make up for in solid instrumental acumen. It is great that some local Bay Area bands are finally getting the big stages at the festival
Bob Wills “No Mumbling” Award: Jesse Welles
Bob Wills took the approach that if you are playing music keep the customers on the dance floor; do not be mumbling between songs. Jesse Welles keep the tunes going – one after another. It was a tight set.
Best Vocal Harmonies Award: Background Singers for Miko Marks
Miko Marks has an interesting musical story. Getting into the music business later in life, she started gigging in middle age. She embraces her family history in the west. You can read more about it at https://oaklandbca.org/
It is one of those untold stories about how African Americans are an integral story to the West. Out on the lonely plains and in the mountains more often than not many Black folk were embraced as part of the settler communities once white folk realized that their Black neighbors were indispensable to the community’s survival. For instance, A Black Woman’s West: The Life of Rose B. Gordon by Michael K. Johnson chronicles Rose B. Gordon’s life in small town Montana. There are surely many more similar stories that have never made it to print.
During the festival, many acts paid tribute to Dolly Parton who passed away this year. I have never been a big Country Music fan, save for a few artists and Dolly was never on that list but Dolly sure did have a lot of fans. Miko Marks did an incredible interpretation of I’ll Always Love You.
Singer that Sounded a Bit Like Willie: Lukas Nelson
Lucas can channel is pops Willie and can sing his songs with that high reedy voice. He is a great musician.
Best Harmonica Playing While Playing Guitar:
Willy Braun on “Wicked Twisted Road”. He really did the most intricate guitar/harmonica playing during the fest. There were a lot of people playing harmonica on a rack this year but Willy’s work was the best.
HSB 2026 GALLERY
