Carolina Music Festivals is a comprehensive calendar and guide to multi-act, daylong or multiple-day music shows in North Carolina.

August 2024 - North Carolina Music Festivals

Dates and other details may be estimated based on last year's festival until confirmed by festival organizers.

Through August 10    Brevard Summer Institute & Festival - Brevard
(See the June calendar)

August 1 - 3    Mountain Dance and Folk Festival - Swannanoa

Since 1928, the Mountain Dance and Folk Festival has presented a wide repertoire from old-timers as well as the newest generation of mountain musicians, dancers and cloggers whose performances echo centuries of Scottish, English, Irish, Cherokee and African heritage. The festival also designates "Legacy Performers" who have made significant contributions to the region's musical heritage over several decades. Stony Creek is the house band. For 2024, the festival has moved from Asheville Buncombe Technical Community College to Warren Wilson College.

Artists
TBA. 2023 lineup included Whitewater Bluegrass Company, JackTown Ramblers, Roger Howell and about 30 more, plus dance teams.

Festival site: Kittredge Theatre, Warren Wilson College

7 p.m.

Three-day pass: $55.
Nightly: $20.
Students: $5.
Ages 6 to 12: $5.
Groups of 10 or more: $15 per person.

August 1 - 3    PreddyFest Bluegrass Festival - Franklinton

Preddyfest presented "Camp n' Pick" in 2023, free camping and picking sessions but no paid bands, concessions or vendors. A typical weekend festival presents about a dozen bands over two or three days as well as concessions and vendors.

Artists
TBA. 2022 lineup included Nick Chandler and Delivered, Junior Sisk Band, Starlett and Big John and five more.

Festival site: Green Hill Road

5 to 8:30 p.m. Friday, 5 to 10 p.m. Saturday, TBA Sunday.

Three-day pass: $60 through July 18, $70 at gate.
Friday: $35.
Saturday: $35.
Sunday: TBA.

Camping is included with a ticket. Hot showers are available, but no hookups.

August 1 - 4    AVL Fest - Asheville

Asheville-based Wicked Weed Brewing and Worthwhile Sounds presented a huge roster of local, regional and national acts at area concert halls, clubs and outdoor venues for their first AVL Fest in 2023.

Artists
TBA. 2023 lineup included Kurt Vile and the Violators, Watchhouse, Scott McMicken of Dr. Dog and scores more.

Festival site: 20+ Asheville venues

Various show times.

Weekend pass: $100 (through February 29).
VIP pass (special viewing areas at select venues, catering, afterparties, half off souvenirs): TBA.

August 2 - 3    Reevestock Music Festival - Elkin

The festival was started by local folk-rock band Time Sawyer to raise money for restoration of the Reeves Theater in Elkin, and continues to provide college scholarships to local students. Friday night theater and club/bar shows are followed by several bands Saturday afternoon and evening in a unique park. It includes food and drinks, and activities for the kids. The festival is in its 13th year in 2024. Click on the photo for more information.

Artists
TBA. 2023 lineup included Darrell Scott and His Electrifying Trio, Bella White, Tray Wellington Band and eight more.

Festival site: Elkin's Hidden Amphitheater, Reeves Theater, Angry Troll Brewing

5:30 p.m. in front of theater Friday (free), 8 p.m. theater show Friday, 10 p.m. Angry Troll (free), 1 p.m. Saturday at amphitheater.

Friday (Theater show): $25 floor, $20 balcony in advance; $30 and $25 day of show.
Saturday: $20 through June 1, $30 through August 4, $40 day of festival; younger than 13 free.

Free primitive camping at Crater Park in Elkin.

August 2 - 4    Gears and Guitars - Winston-Salem

The festival held in conjunction with the Winston-Salem Cycling Classic is three days of shows by country and rock acts. There are typically several food and drink vendors on hand, as well. The festival moved from mid-September to the first weekend in August in 2023.

Artists TBA. 2023 lineup included Soul Asylum, Cracker, Wafer Thin and four more.

Festival site: Bailey Park

Music 7 to 10 p.m. Friday, 6 to 11 p.m. Saturday, noon to 4 p.m. Sunday.

Free.

August 11 - 12    McDowell Country Music Roundup - Marion

The festival is held under a pavilion and tents (bring your own chair), and also features food and craft vendors. The Malpass Brothers host. There will also be food trucks and craft vendors.

Artists
Friday: The Malpass Brothers, Tony Jackson, Billy "Crash" Craddock, more TBA.
Saturday: Lee Greenwood, The Malpass Brothers, Jerrod Niemann, more TBA.

Festival site: Tom Johnson Camping World

Gates open at 12:30 p.m. each day, music starts at 2 p.m.

2023 prices; 2024 TBA.
Two-day pass: $108 reserved seats, $103 general admission.
Daily: $57 reserved seats, $52 general admission.
VIP two-day reserved: $133.
Younger than 12 free with paying adult.

Admission does not include camping. Contact Camping World for details.

August 14    Cold Mountain Music Festival - Canton

The Cold Mountain Music Festival is a benefit for the ministries of Camp Henry, a Christian summer camp and leadership program, and the Lake Logan Episcopal Center in Canton. In addition to bands, the festival presents food vendors, kids' activities planned by Camp Henry staff, and an after-event party. The festival was previously held in June. The centerpiece of the festival site is a mile-long lake surrounded by the Shining Rock Wilderness Area of the Pisgah National Forest.

Artists
TBA. 2023 lineup was Bettye Lavette, Eddie 9V, Tyler Ramsey and three more.

Festival Site: Lake Logan Episcopal Center

Gates open noon, music at 1 p.m.

$60; $40 ages 11 to 16; younger free.

Camping: $80; 12 RV sites $220-$300.
Cabins and Dorms: See website.

August 15 - 17    N.C. State Bluegrass Festival - Marion

This campground-based festival is under a pavilion and tents (bring your own chair). Bands typically play afternoon and evening sets. The festival in its 49th year in 2024.

Artists
Thursday: Junior Sisk, Rhonda Vincent and the Rage, Larry Stephenson Band, The Farm Hands.
Friday: Kody Norris Show, Southern Legacy, Retro 78, Backline.
Saturday: The Malpass Brothers, Authentic Unlimited, East Nash Grass, Deeper Shade of Blue.

Festival site: Tom Johnson Camping World

Noon to 9:30 p.m.

Three-day pass: reserved seats $110, $120 at gate; general admission $100, $110 at gate; ages 7 to 15, $50 with parent.
Daily: reserved seats $50, $55 at gate; general admission $45, $50 at gate; ages 7 to 15 $50.
Younger than 7 free with an adult.

Campground stay during the festival requires a three-day ticket and an additional fee.

August 30 - September 1    Earl Scruggs Music Festival - Mill Spring

The celebration of the defining bluegrass banjo player features about 30 bluegrass, folk and Americana acts on the main Flint Hill Stage, secondary Foggy Mountain Stage and a workshop stage. There will also be food trucks, vendors and children's activities, and the venue is an equestrian stadium and resort well-appointed with restaurants, shops and on-site lodging. In 2023, the festival presented a free show with two bands on Thursday evening as well as a variety of other free and ticketed activites, including free horse jumping demonstrations and trail rides (for a fee), during the weekend. The festival is in its third year in 2024 and is a collaboration between the Earl Scruggs Center in Shelby and WNCW FM at Isothermal Community College in Rutherfordton. Click on the photo for more information.

Tryon Equestrian Center's Legends Plaza

Artists
Jerry Douglas and the Earls of Leicester, Tanya Tucker, Old Crow Medicine Show, Marty Stuart and his Fabulous Superlatives, Yonder Mountain String Band, The Steel Drivers, Peter Rowan and Sam Grisman Project, Mighty Poplar, Lindsay Lou, Pony Bradshaw, Darrell Scott's String Band, Miko Marks, The Grascals, Darin and Brooke Aldridge, AJ Lee and Blue Summit, Chris Jones and The Night Drivers, Travis Book Band, Shadowgrass, Casey Driessen's Red Shoe Stringjam, Twisted Pine, Wyatt Ellis, Rachel Sumner and Traveling Light, Carley Arrowood, The Faux Paws, Larry and Joe, Martha Spencer and The Wonderland Country Band, Tanasi, The Wilder Flower, Warren Wilson College Bluegrass Band.

Festival site: Tryon International Equestrian Center

Gates open 8 a.m. daily.
Check in for onsite lodging 11 a.m. Thursday and Friday, with activities onsite Thursday evening for early arrivals.

General Admission (floor of arena): weekend $125, Friday $75, Saturday $75, Sunday $55.
Grandstand (covered seating): weekend $225, Friday $95, Saturday $95, Sunday $75.
Patron VIP (designated area, two meals daily, private bar and bathrooms, artists meet and greets, exclusive souvenirs): $375.
Blue Ridge VIP (balcony seating overlooking arena, gourmet food service with tables and waiters, private bar and bathrooms, artists meet and greets, exclusive souvenirs): $600.
Cabana (private tent for 8 people, waiters, private bar and food service, access to VIP level bathrooms): $5,000.
See Additional Admission Packages.
Younger than 12 free general admission with paying adult. Younger than 3 free with adult paying other admission, i.e., Grandstand, etc.

Onsite lodging, including cabins, an inn and RV and trailer sites with full hookups.

August 30 - September 1    Camp Springs Labor Day Bluegrass Festival - Elon

Organizers at the revived Camp Springs Blue Grass Park, the site of large festivals in the 1970s and sporadically until the late 1990s, have ressurected its Labor Day Bluegrass Festival, which was first held in 1969. Except for headliners, bands play afternoon and evening sets, and the campground offers hot showers, concessions, a fishing pond and more. The park also presents a Memorial Day weekend tribute to Tony Rice. The Labor Day festival is in its sixth year in 2024.

Artists
TBA. 2023 lineup included Junior Sisk and Ramblers Choice, Larry Sparks and the Lonesome Ramblers, The Little Roy and Lizzie Show and 11 more.

Festival Site: Camp Springs Blue Grass Park

Music starts 1 p.m. daily.

Three-day pass: $100 before August 1, $120 afterward.
Daily: $40.
Younger than 16: free admission.

Primitive camping free with three-day ticket.

August 31 - September 1    ProgDay - Chapel Hill

The intimate festival of progressive rock music features artists from all over the world and typically presents club shows and/or films in addition to the weekend's daytime festival. The festival is in its 29th year in 2024. Click on the photo for more information.

ProgDay stage

Artists
TBA. 2023 lineup included Karmic Juggernaut, A Light Sleeper, Moon Letters and five more.

Festival site: Storybook Farm (below, Saturday and Sunday), Local 506 (Friday)

8 p.m. Friday, doors open 7 p.m.; music starts 10:15 a.m. Saturday, 10:30 a.m. Sunday.

Two-day pass: $125 in advance, $140 day of show; $65 ages 16 to 18 and students.
Daily: $80, $40 ages 16 to 18 and students.
Younger than 16: Free.
Patron Pass (parking adjacent to pavilion/stage area): $160.

Friday pre-show: $8 in advance, $10 at door.

No overnight camping.

August 31 - September 1    John Coltrane International Jazz and Blues Festival - High Point

The Labor Day weekend festival is sponsored by The Friends of John Coltrane, which works to preserve and celebrate the life and music of John Coltrane and to enrich the lives of others through the introduction of jazz and other musical genres. The festival has also included a Friday golf tournament. The festival is in its 13th year in 2024.

Artists
TBA. 2023 lineup included Dave Koz, Yellowjackets, Terri Lyne Carrington and 11 more.

Festival site: Oak Hollow Festival Park

Gates open at 3 p.m.

Two-day pass: $130.
Daily: $75.
Premium two-day pass (seating near stage): $165.
Premium daily pass: $105.
VIP (reserved up-front seats, parking, special entrance, two drinks, access to tent with a meal): two-day $255; daily $155.
Super VIP (reserved Row 1-5 padded seats, parking, special entrance, two drinks, access to tent with a meal, commemorative lanyard): two-day $320; daily $190.
Discounts for military and students.

No coolers or any outside food and drinks (other than water) allowed.



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