Appeal coverage of Outside Lands: Overview, recaps for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, and our live coverage.
Turnout at this year’s Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival was considerably lower compared to last year, but organizers and San Francisco city officials were pleased with the outcome.
The three-day festival at Golden Gate Park drew an estimated 100,000 attendees, in comparison to 130,000 in 2008.
Allen Scott, vice president of Another Planet Entertainment, which produced the second annual event, said that organizers had prepared for a possible drop in attendance by offering a discounted “Eager Beaver” general admission and VIP ticket and a layaway plan allowing attendees to pay in four installments.
“We made great strides this year in making the festival better and easier for people,” Scott said.
Scott attributed the economy, particularly in California, as a possible cause for the decreased attendance. Nevertheless this year’s festival sold more VIP tickets than in 2008 and generated nearly $1 million for the city’s recreation and park department, and boosted the city’s economy by drawing business to restaurants and hotels over the weekend.
“In two short years, Outside Lands has quickly become both a part of the cultural fiber of San Francisco and a tremendous boon to our local businesses,” Mayor Gavin Newsom said in a statement.
