Carolina Music Festivals is a comprehensive calendar and guide to multi-act, daylong or multiple-day music shows in North Carolina.
Through July 28 Eastern Music Festival - Greensboro and points west
(See the June calendar)
Through August 5 Brevard Summer Institute & Festival - Brevard
(See the June calendar)
June 30 - July 4 Red, White & Bluegrass Festival - Morganton
| The City of Morganton's Independence Day festival has grown since 2004, when it first became a one-day bluegrass festival, to become a three-day event then a four-day festival since 2006. Now, there's also a preview night before the four-day festival. And, as it has for nearly 30 years, the festival includes fireworks on the 4th of July - Note: 2012 schedule has fireworks on Saturday, June 30. Click on the photo for more info. |  |
Artists
Saturday: Steep Canyon Rangers, The Boxcars, U.S. Navy Band, Cody Shuler & Pine Mountain Railroad, Monroeville, Tone Blazers.
Sunday: The Isaacs, Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out, Darin & Brooke Aldridge, Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen, Chris Jones and the Night Drivers, New Found Road, Mountain Faith.
Monday: Larry Sparks & the Lonesome Ramblers, The Grascals, Kenny and Amanda Smith Band, The Snyder Family Band, The Bankesters, Loraine Jordan & Carolina Road, Harris Brothers with Bobby Denton.
Tuesday: Blue Highway, Sierra Hull & Highway 111, The Gibson Brothers, Kids Camp, Volume Five, The Roys, Shannon and Heather Slaughter & County Clare.
Wednesday: Rhonda Vincent & The Rage, Lonesome River Band, Marty Rabon & Full Circle, Joe Mullins & The Radio Ramblers, Balsam Range, Skip Cherryholmes Quintet, Moore Brothers Band.
Festival site: Catawba Meadows Park
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June 30th show is free. Four-day pass: $45 until June 1, $65 after. Single-day pass: $15 until June 1, $20 after. Younger than 13 free with paying adult. Music starts 11 a.m. daily. Camping (no hookups): $5 before June 1, $10 after. No alcohol, no coolers in festival area. |
July 1 - 3 GroverFest - Ferguson
The local music festival is moving from May to July for 2012 and presents bands representing music genres from across the board for an all-ages event. Only 400 tickets are available, and must be bought in advance online.
Artists
TBA. 2011 Lineup included Acoustic Manner, The Mantras, Part Time Blues Band, The Morning After, Sam Robinson & Artimus Pyle and 23 more.
Festival site: TBA
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Noon to 1 a.m. Friday, 8 a.m. to 1 a.m. Saturday, 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday.
Early-bird tickets $45 through March 31 (their site doesn't state a price afterward). No ticket sales at the gate. Vehicle camping $25; tent camping free. |
July 1 - 30 An Appalachian Summer Festival - Boone
An Appalachian Summer Festival is a multi- and inter-disciplinary arts festival presenting and producing programs in music, theater, dance, film and visual arts.
Artists
TBA. 2011 lineup included k.d. lang and The Siss Boom Bang, Mountain Heart with Tony Rice, Dierks Bentley, The Manhattan Transfer, Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg and more.
Festival site: Appalachian State University and nearby venues
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Performance times and admission fees vary. Get the schedule here. |
July 4, 7 - 8 Festival for the Eno - Durham
| The Festival for the Eno, the region's premier Independence Day celebration, presents more than 80 acts on four stages plus about 100 art and craft vendors, food and a variety of other entertainment and hands-on activities. Musical performers typically include a couple of nationally known Americana or rock acts and regional favorites. Proceeds benefit the Eno River Association and its efforts to preserve land along the river, and the festival has an overall theme of conservation and fostering intelligent use of natural resources. Click on the photo for more info. |  |
Artists
TBA. 2011 lineup included Laurie Lewis & the Right Hands, Peter Siegel, Bearfoot, Jon Shain Trio, Chris Stamey Group, John Dee Holeman and many more.
Festival site: West Point on the Eno City Park
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10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Three-day pass: $25 May 15-31, $30 June 1 - July 1, $35 at gate. This is a day-time festival - there is no camping on-site. Free parking and shuttle buses are available at Durham County Stadium, and are highly recommended. |
July 6 - 7 MusicFest 'n Sugar Grove - Sugar Grove
In addition to traditional and bluegrass music in the main stage shows, the MusicFest presents additional acts on a solar-powered stage plus more players indoors, including a songwriters' showcase and instrument workshops led by festival performers.
Artists
TBA. 2011 lineup included Doc Watson, Richard Watson and Charles Welch; Carolina Chocolate Drops; The Kruger Brothers; Snyder Family Band and 19 more.
Festival site: Historic Cove Creek School
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2 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m. Saturday.
Two-day pass: $25 until May 15, $45 and $55 after (reserved seats). No camping on-site. |
July 18 - 29 Folkmoot USA - Western North Carolina
Folkmoot USA presents hundreds of folk musicians representing about 10 countries from around the world at several venues in the North Carolina mountains. Performers demonstrate their cultural heritage through music and dance in colorful costumes. The festival also includes International Festival Day and the Parade of Nations, street fairs held in Waynesville.
Artists
Performers representing the countries of New Zealand, France, Serbia, Belgium, Puerto Rico, Phillipines, Ukraine, Peru, and more TBA.
Festival site: Waynesville and other mountain towns
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Performances are to be held in Waynesville, Lake Junaluska, Maggie Valley, Canton, Clyde, Highlands, Bryson City, Cullowhee, Asheville, Columbus, Burnsville, Marion, Mars Hill, Flat Rock and Franklin.
Friend of Folkmoot: $150 buys tickets to the gala preview performance by all groups and a reception. |
July 20 - 21 Dejafest - Raleigh
The downtown Raleigh festival presented in cooperation with the Hopscotch festival was scheduled in 2011 as a Friday night pub crawl with successive shows at five clubs, then an outdoor street party and a dance party at the Lincoln Theater Saturday afternoon and evening. And it's all free.
Artists
TBA. 2011 lineup included Hooray for Earth, Nick Catchdubs, Old Bricks, Surfer Blood, Active Child, and 20 more.
Festival site: Six venues downtown
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6 p.m. to 2 p.m. Friday; 2 to 11 p.m. outdoors and 6:30 p.m to 2 a.m. indoors Saturday. |
July 26 - 29 Nunn Brothers Bluegrass Festival - Mount Airy
Alden and Arnold Nunn of the Nunn Brothers bluegrass band present four days of "good clean family entertainment" each year "to preserve and pass on the heritage of mountain music that was taught to us primarily by our dad and many others through the years."
Artists
TBA. 2011 lineup included Nunn Brothers & Friends, Blu-Vue Band, Hubert Lawson & the Bluegrass Country Boys, Crossroad, Passin' Thru and four more.
Festival Site: Nunn Brothers Music Park
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7 to 9 p.m. Thursday; music starts 6 p.m. Friday, 4 p.m. Saturday, and runs 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Sunday, a gospel show with a sermon.
$4 Thursday, $9 Friday and Saturday, free Sunday; age 9 and younger free. Primitive camping available. |
July 27 - 29 Bele Chere Festival - Asheville
Bele Chere, which anually draws about 350,000 people, is one of the largest free street festivals in the Southeast, and the caliber of the musical acts it presents on multiple stages makes it one of the area's top music festivals as well. As it has grown in recent years, many varied activities have been added to the weekend.
Artists
TBA. 2011 lineup included Apache Relay, Big Gigantic, Holy Ghost Tent Revival, Hoots & Hellmouth, Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit and 37 more.
Festival site: Downtown Asheville
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Bele Chere is also known as a drinkers' festival. A $2 wristband is required to buy and carry alcohol on the streets during Bele Chere, and a picture ID - not simply the wristband - is required at each purchase. (The children's area inside the Civic Center is an alcohol-free zone.) |
July 27 - 29 Cape Fear Blues Festival - Wilmington
The annual festival presented by the Cape Fear Blues Society features local, regional and national acts on the main stage, plus an all-day open blues jam, a two-hour blues cruise onboard a riverboat, a kick-off party and musician workshops.
Artists
TBA. 2011 lineup included Rick Tobey, Tampa Blue, Ten Dollar Thrill, E-Train & The Rusted Rails and more.
Festival site: The Rusty Nail and other venues
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Blues Cruise Friday 7:30 to 9:30 p.m.; music on dock starts 5:30 p.m., boarding at 7; "post-cruise" show 9 p.m. 8 p.m. Saturday, noon Sunday. Blues Cruise $49, includes heavy appetizer buffet, cash bar; Saturday and Sunday shows free. |
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Go to August Music Festivals or to June Music Festivals