Treasure Island Music Festival

It’s really hard to write a good review when you’re so deeply and utterly depressed that the amazing experience you had on Sunday has come to an end. I’ve come to live for live music. That’s something I never thought I’d say, and actually my friends still tease me about a really terrible experience I had at a Fun. concert at the Indy a few years back when I really thought I would never be able to go to a festival, venue, or even be in a large crowd again. Yea, it was that bad.
Anywho, I’ve had some great musical experiences since then, so on Sunday I was pretty amped when I met up with my crew at Cable Car City Pub for ashotandabeer, cut-​to, walking right on to the shuttle at Bill Graham, cut-​to, NOT waiting in line to get into the music fest and NOT waiting in line for the restroom or to buy brewskies while Jose Gonzales chilled us out with us über-​chill melodies. Cooling out and not waiting were the trends of the day. We wandered from one great band to another, which was easy since there are only two stages. There were many people, but not a crazy amount and everyone seemed to be on the same level of chill as us.
This was the most mellow and enjoyable music festival I’ve been to so far. Not to mention some of my favorite bands played (Jose, as mentioned, Father John Misty, Deerhunter, Panda Bear, The National). My crew was EXTRA stoked for Chvrches, who I’m not super familiar with but they rocked it! And the lovely frontwoman came back out to sing «I Need My Girl» with The National which was AMAZING! (I told my roommate who couldn’t make it this year and she got goosebumps and was seething with jealousy!)
So now, as I listen to my «Treasure Island» playlist on my iPod on the bus, I have to really focus to not shed a mini tear at the memory of this perfect, beautiful event and count down the days till next year. Very well done, Treasure Island, that was a superbly fantastic event, well-​organized and staffed.

Kudos SF for throwing a darn good music festival. Mini Coachella for the NorCal crowd. Extra weird, cool points for being held on a man made island called Treasure Island that connects to the landmass via a bridge.
The 2015 music line up was great. DJ style dance stuff the first night culminating with Deadmau5 who killed it, and band action the second night, finishing with Chvrches and The National. I was exposed to lots of cool new music as the two stages allowed one band to finish and another to immediately come on. BigGrams, collaboration between Big Boi (of outcast fame) and Phantogram was my favorite new band discovery along with Jose Gonzalez.
I loved seeing the toddlers in tow at the festival as «kids under three enter for free.» It was so rad to see young hip parents enjoying the festival with their babies attired in huge noise muffling headphones. I tried to snap a photo of every toddler I saw because it was such an adorable and novel sight.
Another novel sight for this SoCal gal was the proliferation of men in tights. These NorCal guys rocked a variety of fun hip tights with an unabashed fashion sense. Kudos to them.
Food was advertised as being reasonably priced and when we got there the prices are definitely higher than mainland prices but not exorbitantly so. It helped that Kettle Chips sponsored the event and gave away chips all weekend. Genius marketing move on their part, especially after checking out the lame Wells Fargo attempt to reach the festival going demographic.
Wells Fargo gave out glowstick wristband (with cheesy Wells Fargo labeled on them) but only to those who banked with the bank. That move alienated the people who didn’t bank with them and did nothing to bring awareness to those who weren’t already their customers. Fail Wells Fargo, fail.
The port a potty bathrooms were not well maintained as they ran out of toilet paper towards early evening on day one-​completely not cool. Day two I found the flush toilets over by the Comedy Tent (a major pro-​tip) and returned to those often.
The comedy tent was totally cool. Beautiful setup with the elegant, enclosed white tent hosting entertaining Funny or Die comics. Great place to escape from the the wind or cold weather for a bit.
The festival had lots of cool art installations. We enjoyed the burning man type vehicles which allowed us to perch up high and enjoy a birds eye view of the festival. I’m happy to discover that the vehicles were structurally sound because there were times when everyone was rocking out (jumping up and down to the music) and we all looked at each other with the anticipation of falling through the roof but that never happened.
Loved the DIY booths. For a fee you could build your own flower headband, make jewelry or decorate your own t shirts. Lots of festival goers, guys and gals, were sporting the floral wreaths atop their heads.
As a SoCal gal that hates being cold I came prepared to fend off the dipping evening temps. Beanie, down jacket and a sweater were packed away in our backpack and brought out to layer as needed. There were many ill-​prepared festival goers who dressed only for the sunshine and regretted it immensely as night came on. Luckily, there was a vendor selling space blankets and people tried to wrap these blankets around themselves in a totally non fashionable way to keep warm. Moral of the story-​when you’re cold you don’t give s sh*t about how you look so come prepared with a jacket you own, even if it doesn’t match the cute festival outfit you have picked out to tramp around in. The vendor sold out of their entire supply of space blankets on night one because it was so flippin cold.
On day two Martin Doherty of Chvrches walked through the crowd unnoticed by everyone except for me and my buddy. After trying to decide if we were going to go up and talk to him, we found him working his way through the crowd to take a picture of the bridge and backdrop of the city. It was so cute that we caught him being a tourist. He was nice enough to chat with us a bit and pose for a pic.
We went and checked out the silent disco for a bit but I decided that it was kind of lame to be listening to music in headphones while there are live performers putting on a show. The silent disco seemed like a popular option for many people, though, as people wound down and wanted to just chill.
It’s great that unlike Coachella you can buy single day passes and skip a day if the bands playing just aren’t your thing.
The shuttle bus set up was flawless. Extremely smooth and well executed. It was kinda fun to shuffle through the crowds at the end of the night recapping with fellow concert goers on what performances were extra epic. Also cool was the hot dog vendors offering up cheap Mexican style street dogs as you waited in line, even if you didn’t buy a dog the smells of onions and peppers offer up a nice end of night enticement.

Great year at Treasure Island. Everything was streamlined and organized. Unless you are VIP, you need to take a bus from Bill Graham Civic. This was actually entirely painless and took a total of about 5 minutes from when I arrived to when the comfortable bus pulled away. And I actually enjoyed being a passenger for once while driving over the Bay Bridge. The band lineup this year (2015) was quite impressive, however I really would like the headline acts to play for longer than 1 hour. They should do at least a 90-​minute set. The beer selection was horrendous– shame on APE for only offering $ 10 Heineken and Newkie Browns in a city that is becoming known for craft beers. What a shame. The line to grab the bus home was orderly and a lot more efficient and quick than I thought. Good job on that. I will return.

This is hands down the best festival I’ve ever been to. Logistically, all of the little kinks that are usually «part of the festival charm ;)» are worked out at Treasure Island, which leaves you with a full weekend to spend on seeing and experiencing actual entertainment!
Grounds/​Location: ⁵⁄₅. Treasure Island is a beautiful venue. With the picturesque views of San Francisco in the background, you can watch Karl the Fog roll in as the sun sets, and see the lights of the Bay Bridge and the financial district as you listen to the after-​dark headliners. The grounds were very well maintained. There were plenty of appropriately labeled waste receptacles, so littering didn’t seem to be a big issue. The bathrooms (port-​o-​johns), seemed to be serviced in between day 1 and day 2, and they were located a distance away from any eateries or stages. The festival ground are pretty small, which means its easy to walk between stages and get to anywhere you need to be, in under 5 minutes.
Price: ⁵⁄₅. Under $ 200 for a 2 day festival. Also, this seems a particularly incredible cost for the experience because of how they did the scheduling (more on that below).
Safety: 3.5÷5. They did pat you down upon entry, and the process was pretty quick. Once inside the festival, it was not apparently obvious where you could find help if needed, but the venue was so small that I’d probably have just headed for the exit.
Food: ⁴⁄₅. Alcohol was a bit pricey, but most of the mixed drinks had generous amounts of alcohol, plus they had beer and wine. Food vendors were excellent. I got to try Arancini Bros, which are normally only in NY, and that was excellent.
Stages: 3.5÷5. They were great, and close to each other. It was easy to see from anywhere in the festival, regardless of how far back you were in the crowd. The comedy tent was also great, and very enjoyable to spend time in. However, the lighting at the two main stages was OBNOXIOUS. I understand strobe lights during deadmau5, but for The National, or Father John Misty? It seemed as if the lighting technicians had very few tricks they could pull, so whenever a band was playing a more «exciting» or «upbeat» part of a song, they defaulted to strobe lights.
Crowd: ⁴⁄₅. A mostly chill crowd. Mostly the typical SF 25 – 38 Double Income No Kids couples or singles. Crowd was not very visibly diverse, but neither was the line-​up.
Scheduling: ⁵⁄₅. NO OVERLAPPING MUSIC SETS!!! Praise the festival deities! No choosing between FKA Twigs or Big Grams, or Chvrches vs. Deerhunter! You can literally see every live act if you want to. Instead of the normal festival bill where you’re excited to see ~1/​3 of the bands, but then of that ¹⁄₃ you can only see ¹⁄₃ to ½ of those because of timing, you can see everyone that you want. This meant that in addition to seeing those bands, I got to go try other things that are always *available* at festivals, but I wouldn’t normally do, like the comedy tent, or the crafts, or the silent disco. A++++++ with scheduling, Treasure Island. Which brings me to:
Non-​Music Entertainment: ⁵⁄₅. Awesome job. Artists, vendors, crafts, comedy tent, silent disco, various art installations, ferris wheel, non-​traditional seating (a giant sailboat, and a pimped-​out school bus), photobooths, you name it. Very creative space, which I actually got to experience. Loved it.
Logistics: ⁵⁄₅. Another A++++. You took a bus from the Civic Center to get to the fest, and there was no line to get in or get out, even after the headliner. As said previously, the scheduling was perfect. The bathrooms were ample and far away from stages. The waste receptacles were appropriately spaced. I don’t even know what else to say here. Good job, Treasure Island! You took all the really really really annoying things about festivals that people usually put up with bc they have no other choice, and made all of those things go away.
Overall: If you can’t tell, I loved this festival. I plan to go again.

The last time I went to this music festival was back in 2009. I love how it still has small feel to it unlike the other music festival I go to in SF, OutsideLands. There’s food trucks now so there’s more selection for food. The main stage, called Bridge, and located fairly close to the other stage called Tunnel so it’s easy to walk back and forth between shows. The Silent Disco is something new that wasn’t there during 07. A neat concept where everyone is listening with headphones to the DJ that spinning. They have comedy shows now too but. There’s also local vendors selling clothing and art. I bought a parking pass so I could just drive and park on Treasure Island but it looks like the shuttle bus line was organized well and traffic going in and out of Treasure Island was managed nicely too. Bottom line is, what a beautiful, picturesque place to watch music shows. All the artists I’ve seen always give props to that. And why not? Nice to watch the sunset with the Bay Bridge and San Francisco as your background as you listen to good music.

Lots is space, great music, awesome vibe, positive people, amazing view of the city and both bridges. Watching the sunset while enjoying some electro was just a bonus! Too bad this year was the last edition of it. A bit windy as always at Treasure Island, but the overall environment is too nice to get bothered by it.

Alright, I’ll give reviewing a music festival a shot. Bear in mind that even though I’m a concert vet, this was my first time at Treasure Island Music Fest and at a music festival in general.
Also, don’t expect any music reviews from me here. If you’re on here reviewing specific music acts, then just stop. That reflects on the artist themselves, not the event as a whole.
That being said, I had a hell of a time here. The sound was really what made it special. Other than a one song glitch on Janelle Monae’s set, the sound was on point for both days. I thought they did a real good job with the set up of the festival, especially with both concert stages being where they were. It was a quick walk from one stage to the other, which was much needed because the artists would literally perform back to back without any gaps in between.
As for the other festivities around the festival not music related, there was plenty to do. Especially if there were a few bands performing consecutively that you weren’t interested in at all. There were many rows of clothing brands to check out, and plenty of artwork as well. There was even a section of the festival that was pretty much elementary school arts and crafts, and you could get a chance to learn and make different things, like lanterns and patches.
Food and bathroom wise, there were lots to choose from. It felt like typical fairground food, plus random food trucks. There was a whole huge section for bathrooms, but they were those port-​a-​pottys so it’s like a roulette wheel picking a clean one. Even though I never had to wait for the bathroom once, I still got unlucky once picking the bathroom that someone got a little too gross in.
The crowd itself is your typical concert crowd. You’ll probably inhale random substances, get pushed around a little, and get stuck next to that awkward dancer, but that happens everywhere right?
Parking was a little bit of an issue both days. First day, event staff had no idea what they were talking about when it came to where to park. I bought one of their two day parking passes, and when I drove up to the event, I got literally 3 different responses from random staffers there. One person even told me that the parking pass I paid $ 70 for wasn’t good enough and I had to buy another. Also, getting out of the event was a nightmare both nights. Staffers were rude and were yelling at each passing car. Definitely could have used a little bit more organization here, but at least I wasn’t stuck in that huge line for the buses.
In all, I had a great time here. Depending on the line up, I may or may not be here next time around, but it was definitely an experience I won’t soon forget.

Went to see Outkast and Janelle Monae. Bought my tickets online as well as the parking pass for $ 40. Unfortunately the day that I went to go to this festival the exit had a detour which ended up costing about 45 minutes of extra driving time but eventually we got to the place safe and sound, parked, and made our way into the venue. The first few acts were not very engaging but XXYYXX and Jungle pick things up with the quickness. The venue itself is beautiful there is plenty of shops and food and overpriced beer and wine but you can’t come to the festival at this and not expect to spend money so I can’t really complain I had a good time I did spend about $ 60 on literally five drinks and the sound man messed up Janelle Monaes mic first but thanks to the crowd we got it fixed. She was very professional about it. Then came Zedd which was fun for the first 10 minutes, but that type of music is so repetitive to me I just wasn’t enjoying it halfway through the set it actually was starting to become a little annoying. But, 9:15 PM… Outkast arrived and killed it. The sound system was top quality, the lighting effects were pretty awesome and the security was pretty cool interacting with the crowd and answering questions without being rude to the newbies. Overall it was my first festival experience and one that I will always remember.

Over the weekend I had the opportunity to go to Treasure Island Music Festival again, courtesy of Obfessed. As mentioned in other reviews, getting to the concert itself was a breeze. I had no problem getting to the island once again, thanks to the non-​existent lines to board the shuttles at Bill Graham. While I was there, I even got 2 free drink vouchers to use at the festival from Levi’s just because I happened to be wearing a Levi’s vest, which was pretty awesome.
On Saturday, I got there a little late so I missed XXYYXX, which was a bummer. However, I saw pretty much everyone else I wanted to see and from a good spot too, I might add. I suggest veering to the right of the main stage and finding a spot in front of the VIP section. It may look crowded but there is almost always an ample walkway amount of space to get you to a decent spot near the front. I ended up in the 4^th or so row when watching Zedd and Outkast, and also had no problems getting to a good spot on Sunday to watch Banks either.
One major thing I’d like to point out is the Global Inheritance Trashed booth. Having been to a lot of other concerts, I had seen the Global Inheritance booth a countless number of times. I actually ended up participating in it this year because I had wanted a shirt and it seemed much more gratifying to earn my shirt by recycling rather than just forking over the $ 30. The way that it works is that you can pick up recyclables to earn points which you can then use to redeem prizes such as Treasure Island Music Festival merch, reusable North Face water bottles, Jansport backpacks, Beats by Dre, etc. You can earn 1 point for every 2 cups or 1 point from every can/​bottle. For both the shirt and poster, it came out to some 200 points, which I easily and quickly accumulated just by picking up cups and whatnot immediately following a set. It’s basically a really easy way to get free merch while both helping the environment and without having to do much either. I highly highly highly recommend it!
Pretty much my only real issue with this festival is how they go about handling the return shuttles. If you choose not to stay for the entire duration or leave early on in the day, there’s no real problem getting back to Bill Graham. However, if you stay until the very end, which is what I did for the first day, prepare to wait for around 2 hours just to board the shuttle. There’s essentially only one long line that snakes around the length of the parking lot. Although there are more than enough buses present and the lines are moving the entire time, there is only one real exit which explains why the process is so inefficient. If I would’ve known how long the wait would be I would’ve at least bought something to eat, wore more comfortable shoes, or even just mentally prepped myself beforehand. Not only are you super exhausted from the concert but adding an additional hour or two just standing in line waiting doesn’t help either. I’m hoping they fix this in the future but if not, I would suggest leaving maybe half an hour before the last set ends. I was able to quickly get a ride back on Sunday, as I left at around 8:30 as opposed to waiting until the very end. Other than that, I had a great time and can’t wait to see what Treasure Island has in store for next year :)
Pros:
acts don’t conflict, free shuttles to/​from Bill Graham, not overly crowded, beautiful view of SF
Cons:
parking can be a hassle since it’s on an island, can get very chilly

Almost didn’t go, but it was a very tremendous experience. The drive to the island was great as we’d never been there before. We came for the second half on Sunday and I saw four bands I’d barely heard of before. Massive Attack was the best — they are a superb concert band! I am now a truly diehard fan of theirs. It was really an evening to remember, including the food vendors, which included great variety and quality. Treasure Island Music Festival was a true haul!

One of my favorite music festivals!
Great crowd — good energy — intimate feels.
Shuttle bussing has gotten smoother as the years have gone by and the no overlapping artist gives me a stress free day.
The space is smaller than OSL so there is not as much trekking around.
Silent Frisco NEVER fails!
I love TIMF! Until next year :)

Treasure Island USED to be one of my favorite festivals, but after this year I don’t know if I’ll ever go back,
There are many great things about TI, and I would recommend it to anyone– who didn’t have any type of special need/​disability. Or who didn’t ever want/​need to interact with the staff for any reason. The staff here was BEYOND rude and pretty much made me feel ashamed for not being able to stand in the crowd all day like everyone else. The lack of accommodation and concern they had almost seemed as though it required some effort, and as if they enjoyed putting me down.
I’ve gone to TI for years, I love the layout, no overlaps, great artists, beautiful scenery, so many things make this festival awesome– but with my physical limitations now I don’t want to spend money to go somewhere and be mistreated for something I can control. I’ve never had issues with going to concerts otherwise since I’ve had cancer/​been handicapped and this honestly came as a bit of surprise to me. I realize it’s never going to be easy or quite the same experience, but I really would expect the staff (especially those volunteering to work with the disabled) to have a bit more empathy and consideration.
I’ve attached the email I sent to company. my apologies for typos

(This is an old review that had for the 2009 Treasure Island Music Festival that I never posted. After this experience, I never attended another event.)
I kind of have mixed feelings here. I only went to the Saturday portion (and late, at that) but after what ensued, I was relieved that I hadn’t hung around all day. Either the concert setup is real small or they sold a TON of tickets b/​c it was super crowded. Every second involved either bumping into someone or stepping over a sitting/​sleeping person. Lest us not ignore the totally oblivious and obnoxious concert goers who pushed and cajoled their way to the front and obscured other’s vantage points. There really wasn’t anywhere to sit and my body got weary after hours of standing.
I really dug MGMT — more then many others. I thought they played very well live, the sound was just kind of dodgy. It was fun to watch the lead guitarist play a variety of instruments. The new songs (which would later become the album Congratulations) — not too sure about those. I thought MSTRKRFT were off the chain — FAR better the Girl Talk. I guess I just ain’t hip anymore — I couldn’t see what the fuss was. Or maybe I wasn’t drunk/​high enough. It’s a shame that I missed the early sale for the two day pass, as there were a variety of amazing veteran acts on the second day.
The shuttle situation was FROM HELL. Getting there was super easy (although navigating to AT&T parking at night was totally not fun). It was getting back that was an ordeal — one that took an hour and a half from the time the show ended. Maybe if I’d cut early I would have saved myself some grief, but I somehow had the impression that they held the shuttles until it ended. There is no other way to explain the line of thousands of people that had no end. This was enough to almost ruin the concert for my fiancée and I. I also wasn’t amused about having to constantly stumble over plastic cups and bottles scattered everywhere on the ground — sure, you can’t park on the island b/​c of pollution but it’s okay to dump a bunch of crap all over the ground. Whatever. Not sure if I’d go again — it’d have to be a real killer set to catch my attention. I think the shuttles and the obnoxiousness of the average young concert goer really hinged my enjoyment — also with the fact that I enjoy smaller venues and more intimate settings.

The smallest music festival I’ve ever been to!
My San Diego weather-​denial had me shivering like a chump. Bring LAYERS and LAYERS because it gets superrr cold at night!
They also have arts and crafts, some free, some for a price. I say utilize it if you get there early because you can make cool souvenirs out of it! (I made a cat koozy for my BFF).
Another cool thing that can probably only be experienced here is that you don’t have to miss an act. The times are staggered between the two main stages, and it’s easy to go from one stage to the other. This also helps with the sound, since there won’t be an overlap of musical acts. Definitely beats Coachella’s music-​sacrifices!
I’ll definitely come back if the line-​up was as good as 2013’s.

Best music festival I have been too!
The price point wasn’t too bad and the acts were amazing.
You can lay on the grass in between the two stages and when one was done just turn to the other side to catch the other show.
Also, it gives me more reason to trek out to SF :)
It’s like I don’t love the city enough
Would I be back?
Hell yeah

I’m a sucker for a good music festival, and Treasure Island lands squarely on the list.
TIMF might be pint-​sized compared to other California festivals, but that makes it all the more special. With just three stages and a Silent Frisco DJ space, it was never a challenge to get from one musician to the next.
In fact, you can throw down your blanket between the two main stages and not have to move all day long if that’s what you choose.
Or… you can get front row for Major Lazer, Little Dragon, Atoms for Peace, STRFKR, James Blake, and Sleigh Bells like me, because pint-​sized also means easier access to the good seats. ;-)
Beware the bitter night winds of the bay because that ish doesn’t mess around. By the end of the night I was wrapped up in three layers and still could have used more. At some point the festival started passing out those metallic emergency blankets to protect the poor souls who thought it a good idea to show up in nothing but crop tops and booty shorts. Noobs.
Props to using compostable cups and sending volunteers to steer attendees’ trash into the proper receptacle. I hate seeing post-​concert seas of plastic.

Outdoor music festivals are a dime a dozen these days and this music lover has been to her fair share in California. But I have to say there’s something about TIMF that makes it stand out from the others. Maybe it’s the small, manageable size and the fact that I never have to choose between bands because they’re all evenly spaced out between the three stages. Maybe it’s the fun of being on Treasure Island and exploring this part of SF that even natives never usually get a chance to visit. Perhaps it’s the free shuttle service which despite the long lines at the end of the night make it easy and convenient to get to and from the show safely. Or maybe it’s the eclectic lineup that the show boasts, this year including M83, the XX, Grimes, the Presets, and the Divine Fits among other great sets.
There’s no point in analyzing it too much… just buy your ticket next year, hop on that bus, and enjoy one of SF’s greatest yearly musical events!

In my book, TiFM stands well above other bay area festivals for several reasons.
Tickets are relatively cheap for what you get. Since most single artist concerts around the bay run you about $ 40 – 50 bucks a pop, paying $ 150 for two days worth of artists is a good deal. Transportation via buses is very practical (although beware of the last show of the day) and stages/​vendors/​ticketing/​activities are seamlessly run like a well-​oiled machine.
Unlike its other music festival counterparts, the bands at TiFM are more indie and less mainstream; the vibe more chill and less strung out. It’s not overly crowded with pubescent teens who can’t handle their liquor or drug consumption (although there’s always a party foul or two).
Bands switch off one after the other between two stages, so you’re never running around and having to choose between artists amidst a crowd attempting the same thing. I’ve also found that everyone is respectful of personal space, regardless of how popular the band playing is. The stages are even close enough together that you can conveniently sit between the two and get a comfortable view of either one and never move, if you’re into that kind of thing.
If you prefer not mellowing about, fun activities are abound, including a Ferris Wheel, a Silent Disco, and lots of local artisans and artists to check out. Of course, foodie city that we are in, TiFM serves up tons of great eateries & food trucks that are sure to please.
And if that’s not enough, TiFM provides amazing views of San Francisco city scape. As Unilocal suggests, «Yay! I’m a fan.»

This year was my first time going to Treasure Island. I regret not going in the past years (especially after seeing the lineup) but I am absolutely glad that I chose to go this year. I was skeptical because the tickets were so expensive but the experience was so fun that it made the money worth it.
There were shuttles at the Graham Civic Center that gave free rides to the island. I paid $ 5 for all day parking in a lot one block down from the Civic Center. Very good deal.
The weather was spectacular. Wearing shorts and tanks in mid-​October? Only in California baby.
I was surprised to see how many food venues and extra activities there were (like pin making, hoola hooping, silent disco, crafts, etc.). For food there was Napa Valley Noodles, paella, pizza, garlic fries, Chairman Bao’s food truck, etc. I was sad there were no churros.
Treasure Island is awesome because of the beautiful view of the city and water.
Day 1 had some EDC type music (Porter Robinso, Araabmuzik etc.) and hip hop (Public Enemy and the Coup) and day 2 had more indie stuff (M83, the XX, Best Coast, etc.).
Alcohol is a bit pricey. $ 7 for a tiny cup of wine. And there isn’t a giant selection of alcohol. Pretty much 2 – 4 kinds of wine and a few kinds of beer.

Hello and greetings from a SoCal beach native!
Let’s start with that: I hate SF winds and SF nights and SF beaches and SF weather on principle and in truth. It takes flight from here.
Like Angus H., I inhaled a whole bunch of cigarette smoke and quite honestly really possibly other smokes. I was breathing as shallowly as I could, honestly really — I am a square. That said, everyone else here were circles with their hip colored pants and cut off tops and boots and neon colored glasses. So hip, I say, so hip –Or, I daresay, indie. (I said it) These are the kind of people who stare at the sunset and say things like, «This sunset is fucking beautiful, you’re a beautiful person, this is a beautiful fucking moment right now.» I’m not kidding! I’m also not a sunset person.
My friend and I drove through the SF traffic to treasure island around 4pm to easy parking and kids drinking out of their trunks. Darn, we said, now we will have to pay $ 10 for cheap beer. At least it was Heineken — some awful tasting Heineken at that. Food from outside is allowed but she didn’t check what was in my take out box (I only had egg custard, but I suppose I could have smuggled something). They have water inside so water from outside isn’t allowed; don’t bother unless it is sealed. Catch the drift.
There are two stages that you alternate running to, or you can sit in the middle, whatever. Among the amazing: M83, the XX, and Divine Fits! Wow I was pretty much mindblown!
You can also go to Silent Disco, which is amazing because everyone is just dancing to the beat and dancing for fun and getting into the music. Now this here is my crowd! Nobody is trying to grind up on each other and be creepy — that is called a nightclub. At random points we take off our earphones and observe our surroundings and realize that this looks freaking nuts! But then we put on our earphones and lose ourselves to the music again.
Come by in warm, hip clothing — this place is a riot, it’ll blow your mind!