Here’s every Outside Lands after-party in San Francisco

Outside Lands routinely draws 75,000 people to San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park three days in a row every August, but music fans tend to party beyond the 10 p.m. noise curfew. So local venues—many of which struggled mightily during the darkest days of the pandemic—have smartly begun partnering with the festival to book talent for indoor performances later in the night. 

Although several have sold out already, the official Outside Lands’ Night Shows promise some 13 acts at eight venues around the city. Granted, it’s too late to snag a ticket to see chiller-than-chill disco duo Poolside on Aug. 10 at Bimbo’s 365 or early-aughts juggernaut Interpol play the entirety of Turn On the Bright Lights at the Independent on Aug. 11. But there are plenty of opportunities for people who didn’t plunk down a few hundred bucks for a wristband to have an opportunity to see their favorites. And festivalgoers with admirable tenacity can join them.

Virtually every show starts at 10 p.m. Keep in mind, Muni will be packed after 9 p.m., and ride-shares in the park will be hard to come by. So if you plan to stay at the Polo Fields through the last song, give yourself time to get to these venues!

Justin Jay
Monarch
10 p.m.
$30
Justin Jay is very hard to classify. At once a laid-back goofball with dazzlingly precise production, his sets can range from noise to live vocal loops to chill remixes of obscure 1970s R&B—and he’s not too aloof to sing about the girl who broke his heart, either. Bring your sense of adventure to Monarch, because who knows what you’re going to get.

DJ Diesel (aka Shaquille O’Neal)
1015 Folsom
10 p.m.
$50
Don’t be surprised that a 7-foot-1-inch former NBA player in his early 50s is trading his sports analyst suit and tie for whatever it is he wears on the decks, because Shaquille O’Neal spun in college and released a number of rap albums in the 1990s. Under his alias DJ Diesel, Shaq will get 50 minutes set on the Lands End Stage and a considerably longer set to move you at 10:15 later that night. Nothin’ but net!

Evan Giia
Rickshaw Stop
10 p.m.
$20
Illenium was a huge draw at Outside Lands 2022, so it stands to reason that his occasional collaborator Evan Giia will elicit crowds this year. The Brooklynite’s soaring vocals and poppy beats go down easy, but her Friday mid-afternoon slot means at least a few superfans will still be at work or school, so best to try again at Rickshaw Stop that night.

Donny Benét + Geographer
The Independent
10 p.m.
$29.50-$35
Cobra Man is sadly no longer on the bill, but the pairing of Australian retro king Donny Benét and San Francisco indie-synthpop band Geographer belongs at the Independent, which is arguably the only post-OSL festival within anything approaching walking distance.

The Polish Ambassador + Opiuo
The Midway
9 p.m.
$25-$90
SF-based electronic artist the Polish Ambassador isn’t actually playing Outside Lands; neither is the fist-pumping New Zealander Opiuo. But if you waited all day in line to get into the festival’s EDM-heavy SOMA Tent and need a bit more release, this one’s for you. Be warned: These two DJs go hard, so you might need to save yourself for Saturday and Sunday.

VNSSA + Nala + Martyn Bootyspoon
Public Works
10 p.m.
$15-$50
Two of the most exciting names to come out of the SF-based Dirtybird scene are rave goddesses VNSSA and Nala, who have been steadily building audiences on the festival circuit the past few summers. Combined with the U.K.’s Martyn Bootyspoon, they’re going to make Public Works feel like a proper camping-festival renegade. This is essentially the venue doing what it does best—and not for nothing, but it’s an insanely good value.

The Jungle Giants
Rickshaw Stop
10 p.m.
$25
Once the backbone of Outside Lands, indie pop has come to feel almost quaint. Touring the world ahead of their yet-to-be-released fifth album, Australian quartet Jungle Giants has staked a claim to the festival’s most intimate partner venue, Hayes Valley’s Rickshaw Stop. Let’s see how late they play, as the band is due to appear on the Lands End Stage at 1:10 p.m. Sunday.

Trixie Mattel DJ Set
Bimbo’s 365
10 p.m.
$50-$55
This Barbie is playing Bimbo’s. One of the campiest queens ever to graduate from the University of RuPaul, Trixie Mattel is a drag performer, actor and musician with several albums to her name. As this Outside Lands is by far the queerest to date, a Solid Pink Disco! excursion in North Beach is bound to be a bubbly, raucous Saturday night.

Lion Babe, Casmalia and David Harness
Public Works
9 p.m.
$15-$35
Saturday night at Public Works means another incredible group of acts who may not technically be on the Outside Lands lineup, but could easily sneak into the SOMA Tent and tear it up. NYC-based duo Lion Babe spins a hybrid DJ set in the main room with Oakland's own David Harness—a Public Works regular—while West Coast tech house dynamo Casmalia heads a roster of four DJs in the venue's loft. This one will certainly burn through any surplus energy you may have.

ÂME and Trikk
Great Northern
11 p.m.
$20-$25
Moody and cerebral, the German duo ÂME are long-standing shape-shifters, while Trikk is a Portuguese minimalist who merges falsetto vocals with jet-black synth tones. Everyone griping about Sunday night’s schedule—Odesza, the 1975 and Noah Kahan all play—may not notice that ÂME and Trikk are also on at that time in the SOMA Tent, but they proceed immediately to Great Northern for another back-to-back set. This is for anyone who wants to party all weekend then wrap up Outside Lands by listening to sonic art.

Correction: This story has been updated to note that the VNSSA, Nala and Martyn Bootyspoon party at Public Works is on Friday, Aug. 11.