Electric Zoo 2018 - Saturday
photo by Amanda Hatfield

Outside Lands bans Native American headdresses ahead of 2019 edition

The 2019 edition of Outside Lands hits San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park from August 9-11, featuring Paul Simon, Childish Gambino, blink-182, Kacey Musgraves, and more. With the festival’s kickoff weeks away, the event’s organizers have unveiled a list of banned items from the festival grounds. Aside from the usual no-gos in terms of permissible items (weapons, fireworks, drones, etc), also included on the banned items list are “American Indian Headdresses.”

According to SFGate, the festival first implemented the rule last year, but elaborated on their decision ahead of this year’s edition. In an official statement, a spokesperson for Outside Lands explained the reasoning for the ban, saying, “Out of respect for Native American heritage and culture we do not allow headdresses at Outside Lands. We are committed to creating a safe, respectful and inclusive environment for all festival-goers to have the best experience possible.” The festival has also included totems on their banned items list.

The trend of non-indigenous Americans sporting Native American headdresses has been a controversial talking point at music festivals for years, with other festivals, including Canadian fest Bass Coast, enacting similar bans in the past. The issue also came up during a lineup change for The Flaming Lips several years ago.

Festival passes for Outside Lands are still on sale, which includes various single-day and 3-day options.