The artist lineup for the 2025 Outside Lands music festival in San Francisco is a direct counterpoint to the anti-gay narratives sweeping the United States.
It’s an *interesting* time in America regarding all things gay rights. Since January, the federal government has been gung-ho on pushing back on queer-forward policies and, in some cases, outright erasing historical moments in the fight for gay civil rights. Transphobia is rampant; bisexual erasure continues on; the future of gay marriage seems more precarious with each and every Supreme Court ruling.
But in a delightful surprise (and perhaps serendipitous counter-narrative to the White House’s recent anti-gay stances ), the lineup for Outside Lands 2025, revealed today, March 25th, shows an impressive list of healing acts who are either openly queer or outspoken allies.
“Once again, exceeding the standards of what a music festival can be,” reads a press release from Outside Lands’s longtime public relations firm, Grandstand Media. “Outside Lands 2025 will offer top-tier talent, including: John Summit, Anderson.Paak & The Free Nationals, Vampire Weekend, Gracie Abrams, Doechii, Glass Animals, Jamie xx and Gesaffelstein, plus Bleachers, Ludacris, Jorja Smith, the Bay Area’s own Still Woozy and many more.”
Among the Grammy award-winning mainstage acts, Doja Cat and Doechii have both spoken out (and written music about) their experiences navigating the world as bisexual women; coincidentally enough, Doja Cat’s masterful Coachella performance and Doechii’s notable Grammy performance both touched on sexuality through a lens of black excellence. Headlining act Hozier’s 2013 hit “Take Me to Church” was celebrated for calling out the Catholic church’s viewpoints on homosexuality and same-sex marriage.
The festival’s smaller stages will also see lofty queer representation and allyship. Marina, the songbird behind queer anthems like “Primadonna,” “How to be a Heartbreaker,” and “Froot,” attributes much of her success to queer people and has remained an active ally of gay rights. Rebecca Black (who’s proven she’s much more than just her viral single “Friday”) and Big Freedia (who’s returning to Outside Lands after a years-long absence and will perform alongside San Francisco’s Gay Men’s Chorus) are also among the queer touchstones on this year’s lineup. The list of queer acts and queer-allied performers goes on and on — longer than for any Outside Lands lineup in recent memory.
Outside Lands 2025 is doubling down on its allyship to queerness by expanding its Outside Lands City Hall — the exclusive wedding venue inside the festival grounds that officiates legal weddings — which will see new options (think reception at Wine Lands, private cabanas or box suites, and more); a portion of all proceeds from City Hall at Outside Lands will be donated to Lambda Legal, a legal and education fund dedicated to LGBTQIA+ civil rights.
The 2025 Outside Lands lineup is an absolute iridescent banger, the likes of which the festival hasn’t seen in years. Y’all can see the full lineup on the Outside Lands website, and tickets for the general public will go on sale starting tomorrow, March 26th, at 10 a.m. PT.
Feature image: Courtesy of Outside Lands
