Outside Lands 2025 lit up San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park from August 8–10 with a weekend stacked full of surprise cameos, new music drops, and genre-bending performances that kept the crowd moving from gates open through the late night noise ordinance. And of course San Francisco native, Karl the Fog made his own surprise appearances, co-headlining all three days with a moody and atmospheric set.

Friday wasted no time setting the tone with almost monday premiering a brand-new track, “enjoy the ride” that instantly hooked the early crowd, Marina delivering a shimmering set that felt like a dream, and Role Model sparking one of the festival’s first viral moments by bringing out Troye Sivan as his “Sally” of the day during his hit song “Sally When the Wine Runs Out.” All of this and then some with Thundercat laying down his signature bass grooves before Still Woozy jumping into the crowd to mosh with fans. Doechii commanded the stage like a headliner with razor-sharp choreography and cinematic visuals, only for Doja Cat to close the night by premiering her fiery new single “Jealous Type” alluring to a poppy-80s sound and later throwing a surprise pop-up show at a tiny SF club for an intimate preview of her upcoming album, Vie.

Saturday was a marathon of back-to-back highlights, kicking off the morning with Vampire Weekend, who somehow made two sets in one day feel like entirely different worlds. Flipturn rocked their packed field with a bit of letting the barricade in on the set with a drum solo on the barricade over fan’s heads. Royel Otis blended fresh tracks off their latest album Hickey, with irresistible covers like “Linger” and “Murder on the Dancefloor,” and Wallows had Dylan Minette sprinting down the catwalk, letting a fan sing the bridge of “OK,” and letting Vampire Weekend know they were the best openers they could’ve ever asked for. Ludacris busted out Justin Bieber’s “Baby” to an already screaming crowd. Tyler, The Creator closed with an explosive performance, debuting fresh tracks from Don’t Tap the Glass (“Big Poe” and “Sugar on My Tongue”), weaving in classics like “EARFQUAKE” and “ARE WE STILL FRIENDS?”and finishing off night two with the kind of fireworks-and-pyro finale that left ears ringing and faces lit in neon glow.

Sunday showed the festival’s full range. Arcy Drive kicked things off at Lands End with straight-ahead alt-rock, while Cassandra Coleman offered a softer indie-pop set across the park. Rebecca Black pulled double duty with first a live set, then a DJ set at Dolores Stage that turned into a warm-up for Anderson .Paak & The Free Nationals. FINNEAS teased songs off his a new project with Ashe (The Favors), giving the crowd a preview of their fall tour. Bleachers kept the energy high, sparking crowd surfing and even signing a potato for a fan. Glass Animals closed out the afternoon with smooth, dance-ready tracks and slipped in a new song to add to the weekend’s streak of first listens. The night ended with a split headliner moment between Anderson .Paak bringing out Bay Area legend E-40 for a hometown celebration, all while Hozier took to a small B-stage in the middle of the crowd to sing “Cherry Wine” as the fog mist drifted through the park. It was a calm, fitting close to three days of music, surprises, and fog.

Outside Lands 2025 delivered on everything a Bay Area festival promises: big names, unexpected cameos, and enough new music to keep playlists fresh for months. But it also proved that part of the magic is in the in-betweens: the surprise club shows, the fan-mic moments, the potato signings, and the way Karl the Fog always finds the perfect lighting cue. Three days later, the stages are empty, the grass is trampled, and the mist has cleared or at least until next year, when the music (and Karl) inevitably roll back in.