Feb 09, 2023

Bluegrass Festivals To Get To

One of the best parts of the bluegrass music scene are the bluegrass festivals. People from all around the world come to listen to great music, camp, and best of all, jam! Some festivals are more geared towards the star lineups that perform on the main stage and others really shine in the middle of the night when the jamming takes off! Either way they are all fun to go to for all ages!

Below are some great bluegrass festivals that I highly recommend trying to get to. This is just a snapshot of some of the great festivals, but definitely not all. There are too many to list here. They are listed by the date they occur. Before making plans to go to a festival, be sure to check their websites as dates and other information can change.

Wintergrass

February 23-26, Bellevue, WA

Wintergrass isn't stricktly a bluegrass festival as they also feature some great old time musicians, songwriters, and more. It takes place in the Hyatt Regency Hotel and Westin Hotel. This is one of the finest winter time festivals and features a lot of jamming spaces even though it is an indoor festival.

WinterWonderGrass

March 3-5, Steamboat, CO
March 31-April 2, Palisades Tahoe, CA

A newer festival that has two locations, one in Steamboat, CO and the other in Lake Tahoe, CA. Both in incredible locations where you can combine a ski vacation and a bluegrass festival getaway! Features some killer bands, but isn't restricted to just bluegrass.

MerleFest

April 27-30, Wilkesboro, NC

As we get into spring the festival season really starts to get going. MerleFest was founded by legendary musician Doc Watson and in 2023 is celebrating its 35th anniversary. Merlefest is as well not strickly a bluegrass festival, but it does still book some of the best bluegrass musicians performing today. It also features a fantastic instrument tent where makers of bluegrass instruments come to show and sell their wares. Deering Banjos will be there as well so come say hi!

DelFest

May 25-28, Cumberland, MD

DelFest is held at the beautiful Allegany County Fairgrounds in Cumberland, MD (2.5 hrs from Baltimore and DC). The festival originated from the desire to create a family-friendly music festival celebrating the rich legacy of McCoury Music while creating a forum for world-class musical collaborations and to showcase fresh new talent with a down-home feeling. Produced in association with High Sierra Music, DelFest always offers a quality festival experience stamped with the unique McCoury touch.

Telluride Bluegrass Festival

June 15-18, Telluride, CO

Celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2023, Telluride Bluegrass Festival is one of the premier bluegrass festivals running. Located in the stunningly beautiful location of Telluride, Colorado, you couldn't ask for much more. The lineup consistently is filled with a who's who of the top bluegrass stars performing today. You should definitely try to make a pilgrimage to Telluride Bluegrass at least once.

ROMP Festival

June 21-24, Owensboro, KY

Celebrating its 20th year, ROMP Festival will return to Owensboro‚Äôs Yellow Creek Park June 21-24, 2023! Daviess County‚Äôs Yellow Creek Park, a 150-acre facility famous for its nature trails, winding creek and fishing lake, and sweeping tree-lines, plays host to ROMP each year. A full line-up of artist-led instrument workshops takes place throughout the day, as ROMP artists interact with fans and players of all ages and skill levels. Other workshops and forums include songwriting, clogging and flat-foot dancing, yoga (all levels), and bluegrass jamming 101. Additional offerings at ROMP Festival include organic and farm-to-table food vendors, craft vendors featuring Kentucky Proud products, art installations and professionally-led children's activities.

Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival

July 12-16, Oak Hill, NY

Located in upstate New York, Grey Fox is one of the northeast's strongest and longest running bluegrass festivals. This is a fantastic camping festival that features some great jamming and the lineup is always very strong. One of the highlights of the festival are the small stages where multiple performers might jam or do a small tribute set.

RockyGrass

July 28-30, Lyons, CO

Put on by Planet Bluegrass, the same people who put on the Telluride Bluegrass Festival, RockyGrass has the perfect balance of great lineups, beautiful location (it even has a river running through it that you can tube down during the festival!), great camping, and fantastic jamming. RockyGrass also features a camp for the week before the festival where you can learn from some of the greats who will be performing at the festival later that week!

Walnut Valley Festival

September 13-17, Winfield, KS

The Walnut Valley festival is known mostly for two things, the national championships for individual bluegrass instruments and the huge amounts of great jams that take place all day and night during the festival. If you are a player and are looking for a great jamming festival, this is one of the best!

FreshGrass Festival

May 19-20, Bentonville, AR
September 22-24, North Adams, MA

FreshGrass has two festivals, one in Arkansas and the other in Massachusetts. They describe their festival as ""A Wonderland Of Traditional and Cutting Edge Roots Music"", so it features a heavy dose of bluegrass, but also features a lot more. The North Adams festival is located in and around an old print manufacturing factory which is home to MASS MoCA (Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art). It is a fantastic place to listen to some great music with the fall foliage in full swing. If you have a chance, come visit this festival at either location.

Below is a more complete list of bluegrass festivals happening in 2023. There are festivals all around the world, so wherever you are you should be able to find a bluegrass festival!