🇺🇸 San Francisco, California, USA
Is It Cold at Night at Outside Lands?
Evening lows average 13°C across the main days, based on roughly 15 years of records at the site.
The short answer
Yes — nights at Outside Lands get properly cool. A typical low is 13°C, and the coldest festival night averages around 13°C (Sat 8 Aug). The gap between a 18°C afternoon and that is what catches people out.
Outside Lands has no campsite — you head home, to a hotel or to an apartment each night — so the overnight low matters for the last few hours on site and the journey back, not for how you sleep.
Bring one warm layer you can tie round your waist all day; it earns its place after midnight.
Night by night
| Night of | Low | High that day | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri 7 Aug | 13°C | 18°C | 0.0 mm |
| Sat 8 Aug | 13°C | 18°C | 0.0 mm |
| Sun 9 Aug | 13°C | 18°C | 0.0 mm |
Long-run averages, not a forecast. Individual years swing several degrees either side.
Staying warm for the last set and the way home
- Carry one layer all day. You'll leave in the coldest hour of the night, hours after you arrived in the sun.
- Windproof beats thick. A thin shell stops the evening breeze that actually makes you cold.
- Standing still is the problem. Late sets feel far colder than the walk between stages — dress for the standing.
- Plan the trip home. Waiting for transport soaked in sweat at 13°C is the bit people regret.
- A packable insulated jacket that squashes into a small bag is worth the space.
Why nights matter to the weather score
Our festival weather score treats overnight lows separately from daytime highs, because a warm afternoon doesn't make up for a cold, uncomfortable evening. Nights between roughly 10 and 24°C count as comfortable festival weather; below that the score starts to drop, and it drops sharply once lows fall under about 8°C.