There is, as usual, a robust-seeming transit plan for getting Outside Lands concertgoers into and out of the outer Avenues. But depending on when you head west or when you try to leave the concert grounds, your transit experience may vary.

The SFMTA is promising extra buses and trains to handle the crowds. And after the poorly conceived and even more poorly executed plans for that July 4th fireworks show at the Golden Gate Bridge, which left thousands stranded on the north side of the city, the agency is hoping not to disappoint the mayor or generate more bad headlines about the festival.

As SFist noted following the July 4th debacle, the SFMTA has a history of over-promising where these things are concerned, and there are bound to be problems when 75,000 people suddenly want to get from one side of the city to the other. More N-Judah trains servicing the south side of Golden Gate Park would help, but it kind of feels like we've heard this all before, and there never seem to be enough — or frequent enough — trains.

And if we have any essential advice for you, it's this: Bring a layer, or two.

Here's what the SFMTA is promising this year:

• The 5R-Fulton rapid line will be doing the heavy lifting throughout the day Friday, Saturday, and Sunday bringing people from downtown to the main entrance gates (at 26th Avenue) on the north side of the park.
• All these Muni buses and trains are free for festival-goers — your wristband counts as proof of payment. If boarding an N-Judah to head out to the festival from a downtown subway station, flash your wristband to an agent at the entry gate, using the gate closest to the agent kiosk.
• N-Judah riders should take the train to 30th Avenue or 34th Avenue and walk north into the park. Extra N-Judah trains are being promised between 3 pm and midnight each day, but they will likely still be spaced apart by more than five minutes.
• Bus shuttles back to downtown at night will all be lining up on the north side (Fulton Street), with the express shuttles (5X) to Civic Center lining up with the first buses to leave at Fulton and 30th Avenue. For catching the regular 5R at the end of the night it's probably wisest to try from 36th Avenue, but these are supposed to make all regular 5R stops along Fulton and McAllister.
• For the first time, the SFMTA is also encouraging festival-goers to walk the extra four blocks from the northside exits to use the 38-Geary line, which will relieve some of the pressure on the Fulton line.
• Lyft is the official rideshare partner, but all rideshares need to be called to and from the same pickup/dropoff areas — Balboa & 30th Ave (adjacent to George Washington High School) on the north side, and Irving Street between 25th and 27th Avenue on the south side.
• Waymo pickups and dropoffs will be restricted to an area bounded by Balboa Street to the north, 20th Avenue to the east and Kirkham Street to the south (on the north side), and it's unclear what Waymo restrictions will be on the south side, if any.

General Tips for Getting In and Out

• General Admission pass holders should enter at 25th or 26th Avenue (at Fulton), particularly at prime entry times on Friday and Saturday — even though the gates are closer to 30th Avenue, the entry line may back up far enough that you will need to backtrack anyway if you try to enter here.
• The VIP entrance is at 36th Avenue on the north side; enter by passing Spreckels Lake and following signs.
• The box office, if you need it, is on the north side near 26th Avenue.
• GA pass holders entering from the south side of the park should use 30th Avenue or 34th Avenue to access the gates located at Martin Luther King Jr Drive & Metson Road. The VIP entrance here is in the same location.
• Finding space on a 5R bus anywhere past Civic Center on the way to the festival each day will be challenging — the 38-Geary is your friend.
• Leaving at night on the south side, it's wisest to get the furthest out toward the ocean that you can and board the N-Judah, in order to avoid watching packed trains pass you by.
• Don't call your Uber/Lyft too early — it's an uphill climb to Balboa Street and there will be a lot of cars milling around. You don't want yours blocking traffic while it waits for you.
• Cell service may get spotty, especially when everyone is trying to find each other and call cars at the end of the night, which means you might be stuck using public transit whether you like it or not — not to mention surge pricing can get insane.

Below is the official SFMTA public information poster.

Related: SF Muni Should Admit They Can Not Handle Large Crowds at High-Demand Events