Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Expands 2025 Artist Lineup: Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, Margaret Glaspy, Cimafunk, BALTHVS, Peter Rowan and Sam Grisman Project and More
Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, photo by Jay Blakesberg
Hardly Strictly Bluegrass has unveiled the third wave of its 2025 artist lineup. From Oct. 3 to Oct. 5, San Francisco’s premier roots music festival will return to Golden Gate Park for its 25th annual staging with a top-tier lineup of performers rooted in the tradition of bluegrass and reaching out to vast array of genres and styles. The second lineup announcement adds 10 new acts, bringing the total so far to 29.
The eclectic set of new entries to the highly anticipated event is led by the stadium-packing roots-rock powerhouse Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats; the bandleader’s passion for intimate, community-focused Americana festivals is well documented through his connection with Newport Folk Festival. Other exciting additions include indie-rock singer-songwriter Margaret Glaspy, whose recent treatment of “Jesus, Etc.” was a Relix Staff Pick, Cuban electro-funk dynamo Cimafunk, rising folk duo Paper Wings, vintage Americana torchbearer Kaia Kater, Bogotá-based psych-rock trio BALTHVS and the intergenerational bluegrass revival combo of Peter Rowan with Sam Grisman Project, playing the music of Old & In the Way and more.
“Hardly Strictly Bluegrass is always the great homecoming,” local legend Rowan offered in a release. “Sharing the stage with Sam Grisman and his band of young talented players, infused with the legacy of Old & In the Way, is a real treat. Warren’s legacy lives on.”
Other artists confirmed for Hardly Strictly Bluegrass 2025 include iconic Americana singer-songwriter Lucinda Williams, a collaborative set from Low’s Alan Sparhawk and Trampled by Turtles, Grammy-winning jazz vocalist Samara Joy, jamgrass pioneers The String Cheese Incident, bluegrass innovators the Dan Tyminski Band, vintage soul revivalists The Altons, genre-bending multi-instrumentalist Sinkane, Northern Caliornia jam staples ALO, blues firebrand Jontavious Willis, folk duo Watchhouse, beloved Australian indie singer-songwriter Courtney Barnett and I’m With Her, the Americana supergroup of Sarah Jarosz, Aoife O’Donovan, and Sara Watkins.
In the spirit of its founder, philanthropist Warren Hellman, HSB continues to honor and celebrate American roots music completely free of charge. For fans unable to attend, the festival will be available for streaming on the HSB TV platform (bitly). The festival also released an exclusive teaser medley of its performers, now streaming on the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass website.
“For 25 years, Hardly Strictly Bluegrass has been a testament to the power of music to bring people together—free, inclusive, and rooted in the spirit of community,” said Sheri Sternberg, HSB’s Executive Producer and Co-Founder. “What started as a humble celebration of bluegrass has grown into a beloved San Francisco tradition that honors the past while embracing the future. We’re proud to carry forward the legacy of Warren Hellman and look forward to gathering once again in Golden Gate Park for a weekend of unforgettable music.”
On the evening prior to the event, a special show will take place at the Masonic. A Tribute to Emmylou Harris & 25 Years of Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, will feature Emmylou Harris—the only artist to perform at every HSB—joined by Rosanne Cash, Sam Bush, Allison Russell, Margo Price, Patty Griffin, Rodney Crowell, Shawn Colvin, Steve Earle and others.
“For our 25th birthday, we’re turning the volume all the way up – the SF Symphony playing with Lyle Lovett at Davies Hall, a star-studded Emmylou Harris tribute at The Masonic, and Friday programming on our Rooster Stage,” said Executive Director John Caldon. “We’ve created a beautiful commemorative book of photos and stories, and have surprises you’ll have to be here to experience. This year is one big love letter to the music, the fans, and the joy that makes Hardly Strictly Bluegrass pure magic.”
Learn more about Hardly Strictly Bluegrass at hardlystrictlybluegrass.com. Get an inside look at last year’s festival here.
