Hardly Strictly Bluegrass returns to Golden Gate Park

The Hardly Strictly Bluegrass free music festival started Friday in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park and will run through the weekend.

The festival is taking place through Sunday on multiple stages at Hellman Hollow and Linley and Marx meadows in the park, with Emmylou Harris, Cat Power, Patti Smith, Yo La Tengo, and Steve Earle among the top headliners.

Entrances to the festival opened at 11 a.m. Friday and will open at 9 a.m. Saturday and Sunday. There are five food vending areas as well as a general store offering drinks, snacks and other items like sunscreen and cellphone chargers, according to organizers.

The annual Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festival was first held in 2001 and was founded by investment banker Warren Hellman, who died in 2011 at the age of 77 after a long bout with leukemia. That year, the city renamed Speedway Meadow in Golden Gate Park as Hellman Honor in honor of his contributions to the park and the city.

Harris, who played at the first Hardly Strictly and also played two songs at Hellman's memorial service, will close out the festival Sunday evening on the Banjo Stage.

The full schedule of performers and other information about the event can be found at hardlystrictlybluegrass.com.