A festival with the best views in the Bay Area returns to its mountaintop perch this fall. Sound Summit, the daylong event atop Mount Tamalpais, comes back to the historic Mountain Theater on Saturday, September 12. Cinematic folk-rock troubadour Father John Misty headlines with his full band, five years after he played the festival as an intimate acoustic set.
The lineup runs deep. Harmony-driven indie rockers Guster join the bill, alongside Talking Heads co-founder Jerry Harrison and his 50 Years of Talking Heads project, surf-noir psych-rockers La Luz, and Bay Area funk ensemble Angeline Saris & The Snack Machine. Perennial emcees Brian Murphy and Paul McCaffrey, the longtime KNBR duo Murph & Mac, return alongside KPFA’s Tim Lynch, with Andy Cabic of Vetiver spinning as all-day DJ.
The event pairs world-class music with a conservation mission. Produced annually by Roots & Branches Conservancy, Sound Summit has raised more than $300,000 over the past decade for Mount Tamalpais State Park, funding trail restoration, historic preservation, fire prevention, water conservation, and other vital park work.
Founder and producer Michael Nash calls staging the event high above the Bay a continually nourishing adventure, pointing to the spirited crowd who climb the mountain for a day unlike anything down on the ground and the camaraderie that comes with making the trip. Past Sound Summits have featured Wilco, Lord Huron, The War On Drugs, Sierra Ferrell, Bob Weir & Phil Lesh, Herbie Hancock, and many more.
It’s shaping up to be a great party with a purpose, perched 4,000 seats high above the Bay.
Lineup:
Father John Misty — full band
Guster
Jerry Harrison’s 50 Years of Talking Heads
La Luz
Angeline Saris & The Snack Machine
Event Details:
Date: Saturday, September 12, 2026
Gates: 10:30am
Music: 11:30am – 7:00pm
Venue: The historic Mountain Theater, Mount Tamalpais State Park
Tickets are on sale Friday, June 12 at 10:00am PDT via SoundSummit.net
Adults: $149.50
Youth 12 and under: $74.75
Children 2 and under: Free
Reserved Mountain Parking: $75
Round-Trip Shuttle from Mill Valley: $35