It’s year No. 25 for Northern California’s biggest music festival — Hardly Strictly Bluegrass.

So, grab your picnic blanket, invite some friends and get ready to enjoy three days, Oct. 3-5, of great music on multiple stages at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco.

Oh, and you know what you can leave at home? The money that you’d usually need to buy tickets, since this festival — which was founded in 2001 by billionaire philanthropist and mega-music lover Warren Hellman — is still free to attend.

And they aren’t kidding with that Hardly Strictly Bluegrass moniker. While Americana acts do represent a good portion of the annual festival’s lineup, this year’s scheduled performers also include Cuban/funk star Cimafunk, jazz singer Samara Joy, Cambodian pop/rock act Dengue Fever and free-jazz/ro

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