Navigating the festival

Admission

Hardly Strictly Bluegrass 15 is a free event that takes place 10:30 a.m.-7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 2, and 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 3, and Sunday, Oct. 4, at Hellman Hollow and Marx and Lindley meadows in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. No tickets are required. For updated schedule and more information, go to www.hardlystrictlybluegrass.com.

Transportation

Public transportation to Golden Gate Park is highly recommended. Several roads in the park will be closed during the festival, including JFK Drive, Transverse Drive and Middle West Drive.

Folks heading to the north side of the park from downtown should take the 5-Fulton bus (or the 5L, which should be a tad faster), which picks up riders at McAllister and Larkin streets, one block up from the Civic Center BART and Muni Metro station, and drops them off at 30th Avenue and Fulton Street.

For those who prefer train to bus, or the south side of the park to the north, the N-Judah provides access to the Sunset District side of the park. Festival-goers can pick up the N-Judah next to the Caltrain station at Fourth and King streets — or at any of the downtown stations — and take it to any number of stops adjacent to the park.

Muni will be running extra trains and buses on both the 5-Fulton and N-Judah lines between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. all weekend.

If you opt for bike over bus, there will be parking, both self-serve and valet, at multiple locations. Rules

No smoking. No busking. No camping. No solicitation. No saving spaces. Coolers, small blankets and short-backed chairs are allowed. Eat and drink

No alcohol will be sold, but alcohol is allowed per park rules. Food vendors will be on site. Families

Hardly Strictly Bluegrass is a family-friendly festival, but children and leashed dogs need to be comfortable with large crowds, loud music and weather that may vary from cold and foggy to hot.

— Aidin Vaziri