The 80-acre festival grounds feature art installations and exhibits by local artists and San Francisco-centric areas devoted to cannabis, activism and sustainability.

[6] Outside Lands began with a 2004 conversation between Allen Scott of Another Planet Entertainment, a Berkeley-based promoter, and Rick Farman, a founder of Superfly, the creators and producers of Bonnaroo.

[8] To respond to neighborhood concerns, Another Planet and Superfly set up a multi-lingual community hotline, and in partnership with the city, developed a transportation system that included shuttles and dedicated bus lines.

A multi-generational, multi-genre "panorama of alternative rock, indie pop, jam bands, conscious rap, progressive Latin and world-beat fusion," the festival sold out, with 130,000 attendees over the course of its three days.

The Beastie Boys, who were scheduled to headline on Sunday night, were forced to cancel two weeks out; just diagnosed with cancer, Adam Yauch was recovering from radiation treatments.

The Beasties were replaced by Tenacious D.[13][8] Livestreamed on YouTube,[14] the main stage artists in 2009 included Pearl Jam, the Black Eyed Peas, and the Dave Matthews Band.

A performance by Tom Jones—a superstar in the 1960s—was a highlight; Jones drew a large and enthusiastic audience, establishing what would become a tradition of legacy artists at Outside Lands.

"[17] 40 artists performed at Outside Lands in 2010, including Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars, My Morning Jacket, The Strokes, and Bob Weir and Phil Lesh's band, Furthur.

[18] The lineup was commended for its eclecticism but criticized because overlapping sets, as well as the time it took to traverse the festival grounds, made it impossible for attendees to see full performances on the primary stages.

LAist praised the festival's organization, crowd control, and planning based on its amenities, as well as the transportation options such as city-wide shuttle services and free valet bike parking.

[19] In 2011, Outside Lands returned to a three-day schedule with headliners including Arcade Fire, Muse, and Phish, who closed the Friday night show with a two-set, three-and-a-half hour performance.

An organic farmer's market, a sports bar, and a food truck forest were also introduced, and a wooded area that shortened the time required to travel between stages, McLaren Pass, was opened.

[20] Headlined by Neil Young and Crazy Horse, Stevie Wonder, and Metallica—"easily the loudest band to ever hit the main stage"—Outside Lands sold out again in 2012.

Sixty artists performed, including Jack White, who did a surprise pop-up show in McLaren Pass with the Peacocks, his all-female band.

[23] McCartney played for nearly three hours on Friday night; his set included fireworks (during "Live and Let Die" ) and a performance of "Yesterday" with the Kronos Quartet.

Gastro Magic, a series of live shows that brought high-profile chefs together with comics and musicians, debuted on a dedicated stage in McLaren Pass.

[31] Comics including members of The Daily Show news team, Tig Notaro, and the Upright Citizens Brigade' performed on the Barbary Stage.

In addition to Lana Del Rey, Lionel Richie, and Anderson .Paak, The Muppets house band, Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem, played live for the first time ever.

[36] Roy Choi took over an area overlooking the main stage for "Feast in the Trees," a four-course pop up dinner on Friday night.

A review in the East Bay Express noted that the 2019 lineup was "its most diverse and inclusive ever" and that the "best performances of the weekend were not from the white male-fronted rock bands of yore but from women, people of color, and queer artists.

[48] The fifteenth anniversary edition of Outside Lands took place on August 11–13 with performers including Kendrick Lamar, the Foo Fighters, ODESZA, Lana Del Rey, The 1975, Megan Thee Stallion, Zedd, Janelle Monáe, Maggie Rogers, and Fisher.

[51] In May 13 2023, two or three additional days of concerts at Golden Gate Park to take place over the weekend following Outside Lands were proposed by San Francisco Mayor London Breed.

Susan Feniger cooked with Adam Duritz, and Action Bronson "spit bars" and talked about his cookbook, An Annotated Guide To Eating Well.

)[63] Among others, in 2021, GastroMagic brought Elizabeth Falkner together with The Strokes' Albert Hammond Jr. to make cream puff and James Beard Award-winning chef Kwame Onwuachi cooked for Chali 2na of Jurassic 5.

[64] GastroMagic's highlights in 2022 included Nyesha Arrington and Kali Uchis making red pepper arepas and Salt Tank preparing chicken parmesan sandwiches for Philip Rosenthal and his daughter Lily.

[67] DJs Invisibl Skratch Pikl, with guests Cut Chemist, Dan the Automator, Del the Funky Homosapien and Cellski, performed on the Cocktail Magic stage.

[69] In addition to cannabis products, Bloom offered an oxygen bar, and Flow Kana's Farm to Bong provided produce such as eggplant that could be used to create smoking devices.

[71] "A stoner's paradise," in 2022, a communal mural was painted by attendees; Stiiizy sponsored a snack-stocked bodega, and local restaurants set up booths to sell foods such as grilled cheese.

The menu was curated by socially equitable cannabis brands in partnership with the Equity Trade Network and Martin Olive of the dispensary Vapor Room.

[75][51] Since its inception, Outside Lands has worked with Clean Vibes, a company that provides waste management, recycling, and cleanup services for outdoor festivals and events.