Richmond & Sunset

1. 11:00 AM Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, enter at Fulton St and 30th Ave — Saturday Oct 3. Gates 9 AM Sat–Sun, 11 AM Fri; music ends at 7 every day. Free, six stages across Hellman Hollow and Marx and Lindley Meadows. Enter at Fulton and 30th Ave or JFK Drive at Transverse. KQED's guide puts maps, parking and the bag policy on one page; read the bag policy before you pack the blanket and food. Two hours after gates the meadows are filling, so pick a meeting point at the entrance, not 'by the stage.'
2. 11:00 AM–6:45 PM Six stages: Banjo, Swan, Towers of Gold, Rooster, Arrow and Horseshoe Hill — 71 sets over three days. Mavis Staples, Los Lobos and My Morning Jacket are on the weekend bill (we haven't matched them to days). Pull the day's schedule from KQED's guide or the festival's own, pick two sets you both want, and mind the walk: six stages across three meadows, mapped in KQED's guide. Wander the rest.
3. 6:51 PM Sunset, with the last sets still going — Sunset 6:51 PM Saturday Oct 3, and music runs to 7, so the last sets play into dusk. The park's west end fogs over first; clear light only if the sky cooperates. Leave at 7 with everyone, or ten minutes early for a seat on the bus.
4. 7:45 PM Dinner at The Richmond, 615 Balboa St — Saturday dinner 6–11 PM per its listing; confirm when you book on OpenTable or at (415) 379-8988. Short seasonal Californian menu. About 1.8 miles east of Fulton and 30th, between 7th and 8th Ave: ride the 5 Fulton east along the park to 8th Ave, then walk two blocks north to Balboa. A 7:45 table gives you 45 minutes to escape the crowd, which is not generous. Book before Saturday.

Why it lands: A free festival is easy to say yes to: no ticket to coordinate, and if the day isn't working, nobody has wasted money. It also has a built-in shape. Arrive late morning, pick two sets together, wander between six stages, and the day ends at 7 on its own. After eight hours outside, a booked table across town is something to look forward to.

Weather backup: Sunday Oct 4 has the same 9 AM gates and 7 PM finish, with sunset about two minutes earlier; Friday's gates open at 11. No 7:45 table at The Richmond? Book later: Saturday dinner runs to 11. Or spend Sunday on the Castro play below.