FESTIVALS - Music City Music Magazine

MerleFest 2026 Delivers

Liz FerrellMay 4, 2026May 6, 20260

You know you’re at a pretty special event when the Avett Brothers show up unannounced. By the morning of Saturday, April 25th, the 38th annual MerleFest had already offered up two days of uncommonly gorgeous weather, lawn games, fair food, and some of the best music on the planet....

Scruggs Fest Announces 2026 Line-up

Nancy PoseyMar 4, 20260

While addressing the 2026 Leadership Bluegrass class at Nashville’s CMA offices on T Tuesday, Claire Armbruster of Planning Stages Inc. alerted the participants of the pending announcement of the lineup for the Earl Scruggs Music Festival, to be held Labor Day Weekend (September 4–6) at the Tryon International Equestrian Center...

CEREMONY FEST TAKES OVER CANNERY HALL!

Britt BossertNov 25, 2025January 11, 20260

CEREMONY FESTIVAL @ CANNERY HALL 11/8/25 Ceremony Festival took over Cannery Hall on November 8th with the kind of electricity that reminds you why Nashville’s alt scene is growing so fast. From the moment doors opened, the venue felt alive — crowds weaving between stages, guitars spilling out of every...

MerleFest Announces 2026 Lineup

Nancy PoseyNov 13, 2025January 11, 20260

November 11, 2025 (Wilkesboro, NC) –– MerleFest, presented by Window World, released the initial lineup for its 2026 event, to be held April 23–26 on the campus of Wilkes Community College. Fourteen-time GRAMMY winners Alison Krauss & Union Station, featuring Jerry Douglas, will return to the MerleFest stage for the...

2025 AmericanaFest Serves up Music across Music City

Nancy PoseySep 16, 2025January 11, 20260

Nashville may have a few drawbacks as host city—not the least of which are traffic and parking—but with some planning, trial and error, and a good dash of serendipity, music lovers of all tastes can find more than enough entertainment during AmericanaFest each year. Indeed, for many the curse of...

Tamara Saviano @ Grimey’s for Book Signing

Nancy PoseySep 8, 2025January 11, 20260

The Americana Music Organization meets for its well-established annual convention and music festival in the greater Nashville area September 9–13, providing conference sessions for industry professionals with city-wide performances for roots music fans. The birth of the organization and its subsequent growth can be traced to a meeting of volunteers...

Countdown to 2025 Americana Music Festival

Nancy PoseyAug 29, 2025January 11, 20260

Nashville residents and tourists alike know that live music is available 24/7 in music city. Such events as CMA and Bonnaroo bring in hordes of visitors to the area, but few weeks are as jam-packed as the Americana Music Association’s AMERICANAFEST–a week of sessions for people in the music industry...

MerleFest 2025 Highlights

Nancy PoseyMay 3, 2025May 16, 20250

While first-time performers at MerleFest–particularly those outside the bluegrass genre–sometimes express concern that their music may be outside of audience expectations, regular festival-goers know the musical borders are wide. Wyatt Flores suggested he might be “the elephant in the room.” His devoted fans throughout the audience begged to differ. Then...

MerleFest 2025: The Usual Suspects

Nancy PoseyMay 2, 2025May 5, 20250

All the planning leading up the MerleFest brings a balance of new artists and regular favorites to the four-day festival in Wilkesboro, NC, established 37 years ago by Doc Watson in memory of his son Merle. Now held on a dozen stages across the Wilkes Community College campus, the festival...

Bonnie Raitt Headlines MerleFest 2025

Nancy PoseyMay 1, 2025May 4, 20250

When the MerleFest lineup is announced every year, certain names generate huge buzz, particularly when making first-time appearances at the festival. For 2025, Bonnie Raitt not only drew festival-goers, but other performers scheduled to play the festival invariably named Raitt as the not-to-miss set. Raitt did not disappoint. Closing out...