Carolina Music Festivals is a comprehensive calendar and guide to multi-act, daylong or multiple-day music shows in North Carolina.
The salute to Daniel Boone and the pioneering spirit was founded in 2008, and presents local and national touring bands, a fiddlers' competition, living history encampments on Saturday of Labor Day Weekend, as part of a larger festival that includes Fess Parker wine dinners, Daniel Boone lookalike contests, an educational symposium, a World Record attempt, children's activities and other fun and games.
The festival was canceled for 2010 and 2011, but the director said in May 2011 they were working to bring it back in 2012.
Artists
TBA. The 2009 lineup was Donna the Buffalo, Larry Keel & Natural Bridge, Upright & Breathin', The Forget Me Nots.
Festival site: Horn in the West
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1 to 11 p.m. Saturday.
$16 in advance, $20 at gate. |
August 30 - September 1 Lil Johns Mountain Music Festival - Snow Camp
| John and Natalie Maness carry on the tradition of his late father, John D. Maness, founder of the Bass Mountain Boys and proprietor for more than 30 years of the Bass Mountain Music Festival. The re-named family-oriented bluegrass show on Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends (see the May schedule) offers top names in bluegrass plus several vendors, and their full-service campground has a fishing pond and hot showers. Click on the photo for more information. |  |
Artists
TBA. 2011 lineup included Bobby Osborne & The Rocky Top Express, New Found Road, The Steeldrivers, Larry Sparks & The Lonesome Ramblers and 10 more.
Festival site: Cane Creek Campground & RV Park
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Three-day pass: $60 in advance, $75 after August 13. Includes primitive camping. Thursday $20, Friday $30, Saturday $30. Ages 11 and younger free. |
August 30 - September 2 The Getdown Music Festival and Campout - Mebane/Efland
In 2010, the festival relocated to a 50-acre site to present more than two dozen regional jam, groove, funk and reggae artists on two stages with no overlapping sets. There's also food, arts and crafts, and a disc golf course in addition to late-night jams, drum circles and bonfires.
Artists
TBA. 2011 lineup included The Mantras, The Movement, Larry Keel & Natural Bridge, Yo Mamas Big Fat Booty Band, BIG Something and 31 more.
Festival site: Harmony Church Road
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Four-day pass: $70. Three-day pass: (Friday, Saturday, Sunday): $60. Saturday and Sunday: $45. Sunday: $20. Car camping: $25; RVs $35. No RV hookups. |
August 31 - September 1 Smoky Mountain Folk Festival - Lake Junaluska
The festival presents traditional Southern Appalachian music and dance by regional fiddlers, banjo players, string bands, ballad singers, buck dancers and square dance teams, as well as the sounds of dulcimer, harmonica, jew's harp, bagpipes, spoons, saws and folk ensembles of all sorts.
Artists
TBA in late August. 2011 lineup included Ross Brothers, The Trantham Family, Acoustic Mayhem, Phil & Ann Case, Lee Knight and about 10 more.
Festival site: Stuart Auditorium, Lake Junaluska Conference and Retreat Center
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6:30 p.m. to midnight.
Festival performers play loose jams in tents next to Stuart Auditorium between 5:30 and 6:30 p.m. Single-day pass: $10 in advance, $12 at door. Lake Junaluska offers special lodging packages in the Terrace Hotel, which is adjacent to Stuart Auditorium. |
August 31 - September 2 ProgDay - Chapel Hill
Since 1995, the annual festival of progressive music has featured artists from all over the world. The festival starts with a Friday night club show and moves back indoors Saturday night between outdoor sets Saturday and Sunday.
Artists
TBA. 2011 lineup included Morglbl, The Rebel Wheel, Woodenhead, Freak Kitchen and 11 more.
Festival site: Storybrook Farm (left), Local 506
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Friday night's show starts 8 p.m.; Saturday night 9 p.m.
Music starts outdoors at 10:30 a.m. Saturday and Sunday; last band goes on 5:45 p.m.
Weekend pass $100, daily $60; patron pass for $140 includes preferred parking. Younger than 16 free, ages 16 to 18 half off.
Pre-show $10 in advance, $12 at the door; Saturday night $8.
No overnight camping.
August 31 - September 2 Historic Happy Valley Old-Time Fiddlers' Convention - Lenoir
At the resting place of Tom Dooley's lamented victim, Laura Foster, musicians and music lovers gather to pay homage to the legends and stories of the Yadkin River Valley with a community dance, a daylong competition for old time and bluegrass bands, and a gospel concert.
Artists
TBA. 2011 lineup included The Kruger Brothers, Laura Boosinger, Strictly Clean & Decent, Harris Brothers, Sandra Warren, plus competition performers.
Festival site: Jones Farm
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The festival's Web site provides directions and a map to the private farm hosting the festival.
Friday: Free community dance with square dancing, contra dancing, and old-time mountain flatfoot dancing at 7 p.m. Camping: $10 per night, no hookups. |
September 1 John Coltrane International Jazz and Blues Festival - High Point
The festival, in its inaugural year in 2011, 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.
Artists
TBA. 2011 lineup included Patti Austin, Kirk Whalum, Ronnie Laws, Lonnie Liston Smith, Tom Browne and six more.
Festival site: Oak Hollow Park
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1 to 10:30 p.m.
$45, VIP tickets $100. |
September 1 Carolina Foxfire's Battle of the Bluegrass Bands - Cherryville
Up to 16 bluegrass bands will compete for studio time and production of a CD.
Artists
Catawba Valley Music Revival Youth All-stars and competitors TBA.
Festival site: Private Farm on Coot Williams Road
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Gates open 9 a.m., music begins at noon.
$10, younger than 13 free. Free parking and primitive camping. |
September 1 - 4 Labor Day Beach Music Weekend - Asheville
In addition to two nights of music and dancing, plus additional live music - not all of which is beach music - in various resort venues, the weekend includes a special seafood buffet, shag dance lessons, a grilling demo, pool games, and crafts.
Artists
TBA. 2011 lineup included The Tams, Mickey Mills & Steel, Legends of Beach, and others.
Festival site: Grove Park Inn
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Two-night package: $165 includes two nights' accommodations, two tickets to evening concerts, seafood buffet and other meals and amenities.
$10, younger than 13 free. Free parking and primitive camping. |
September 2 New River Blues Festival - Grassy Creek
A Sunday afternoon in the mountains with acclaimed artists performing in a picturesque setting on the banks of the New River. The festival hosted by The King Bees moved from Jefferson Landing in Jefferson to The River House Country Inn in Grassy Creek in 2010. Check their Facebook page too for current information.
Artists
TBA. 2011 lineup included Beverly "Guitar" Watkins, Roy Roberts, Logie Meachum & Terry VunCannon, Wanda Johnson & Shrimp City Slim Band, The King Bees.
Festival site: River House Country Inn
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1 to 6 p.m.; gates open at noon.
$15 in advance, $18 at gate; younger than 12 free. Food, beer and wine will be on sale. |
September 6 - 8 Hopscotch - Raleigh
Hopscotch, put on by The Independent Weekly of Durham, presents more than 175 national and international bands from rock, hip-hop, alt-country, heavy metal, dance, punk, classical, noise, drone, folk and more at 15 downtown venues.
Artists
TBA April 20. 2011 lineup included The Flaming Lips, Guided by Voices, Drive-By Truckers, Superchunk, The Dodos, and many more.
Festival site: City Plaza, Fletcher Opera Theater and several clubs downtown.
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Three-day pass: $110, VIP $165, on sale December 1. (All-access club wristbands have been eliminated.) Single-day pass: $55 to $75, on sale August 1. |
September 6 - 8 Coot Williams Road Bluegrass Festival - Cherryville
Catawba Valley Music Revival Inc. works to preserve and promote live music in the Unifour and surrounding areas of North and South Carolina by making sure it can be heard, appreciated and celebrated in a family-friendly environment.
Artists
TBA. 2011 lineup included Darin & Brooke Aldridge, Harris Brothers, Carolina Foxfire, The Cockman Family, Roan Mountaineers and five more.
Festival site: Private Farm on Coot Williams Road
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6 p.m. Thursday, 4 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m. Saturday.
Two-day pass: $35 in advance Free camping with showers available. |
September 7 - 8 Mountain Song Festival - Brevard
The Brevard Music Center added a Friday evening program to the festival in 2010 to make it a two-day event. Proceeds benefit the Boys & Girls Club of Transylvania County.
Artists
TBA. 2011 lineup included Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers, Carolina Chocolate Drops, Tim O'Brien & Brian Sutton, Shannon Whitworth, and three more.
Festival site: Whittington-Pfohl Auditorium, Brevard Music Center
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Starts 5 p.m. Friday, 1:15 p.m. Saturday.
Two-day pass: $70; Friday $35, Saturday $40. |
September 8 Bull Durham Blues Festival - Durham
The long-running two-day festival featuring nationally known and local blues and R&B acts, which at one time was a three-day event, was a single night in 2011 with local acts and free admission.
Artists
TBA. 2011 lineup included Will McFarlane, Mel Melton and the Wicked Mojos, John Brown and the Groove Shop Band, Bobby Hinton, Harvey Dalton Arnold Blues Band and two more.
Festival site: Durham Central Park
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6 p.m. to midnight, gates open 5 p.m.
Free admission. |
September 8 - 9 Time Warner Cable BBQ & Blues - Charlotte
It's mostly a barbecue cook-off with about 80 teams competing for more than $20,000 in prizes, but the Uptown Charlotte festival also presents about 10 bands, plus beer tastings, food vendors, and other activities.
Artists
TBA. 2010 lineup included Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, The BoDeans, Part Time Blues Band, Contagious Blues Band and more.
Festival site: N.C. Music Factory
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5 to 11 p.m. Friday, 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Admission is free; beer, food, etc., will cost. |
September 13 - 15 Hoppin' John Fiddler's Convention - Silk Hope
Shakori Hills hosts competitions that award cash prizes in Old Time Fiddle, Bluegrass Fiddle, Old Time Banjo, Bluegrass Banjo, Guitar, Mandolin, Folk Song, Bass, Youth Musicianship, Dance and Youth Dance categories. There are also square dances, musicians' workshops, a hoppin' john cookoff, and arts and crafts, musical instrument and food vendors.
Artists
TBA. 2011 lineup included Big Fat Gap, The Freight Hoppers, Five Points Rounders, the Green Grass Cloggers, plus competitiors.
Festival site: Shakori Hills
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7 p.m. Thursday, 3 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m. Saturday.
Three-day pass: $22; competitors $20, with $5 refunded. Competitions and/or dances take place on the Grove Stage and in the Dance Tent (see our Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival of Music & Dance page). Camping: $10 per vehicle per night or $15 per night for RVs. No hookups. Outdoor hot showers available. Camping available starting Wednesday. |
September 14 - 15 Charlotte Sunset Jazz Festival - Charlotte
The festival has featured smooth jazz acts from across the country while also showcasing local artists. The festival presents an indoor concert Friday night and a free outdoor show Saturday.
Artists
TBA. 2011 lineup included Earl Klugh, The Brubakers, Buff Dillard, Innertwyned, Reggie Sullivan.
Festival site: Marshall Park
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Friday's show is at Knight Theater at Levin Center for the Performing Arts with the time TBA.
Saturday's show is from 2 to 8 p.m. Friday: $35 - $65; Saturday: free. |
September 15 Brewgrass Festival - Asheville
The festival hosted by the Great Smokies Craft Brewers Association presents beer from about 50 local brewers and several bluegrass bands as a benefit for Big Brothers & Big Sisters of Western North Carolina.
Artists
TBA. 2011 lineup included Mountain Heart, Jett's Creek, Cumberland River, Bloodroots Barter.
Festival site: Martin Luther King Jr. Park
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Noon to 7 p.m.
2010 tickets: $30 for admission, souvenir sample glass and beer sampling; $15 admission with no beer. "This is an event for adults," the Web site says. "But if you have to bring the kids, they are welcomed for the price of a designated driver ticket ($15). Kids under 7 get in free." Anyone younger than 18 must be with a parent. |
September 15 Rock the Block - Winston-Salem
The street fair has several stages that present rock, bluegrass, country, jazz, beach and contemporary Christian music surrounded by food and merchandise vendors, a wine tasting area featuring Yadkin Valley wineries, arts and crafts, a stunt bike show, a children's area, etc.
Artists
TBA. 2011 lineup included Dreamkiller, Grass Cats, Bradley Gaskin, Shilts featuring Matt Marshak, The Catalinas, and about 20 more.
Festival site: Fourth Street, Downtown
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11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
This is a free event, except for the Beach Stage show in the Benton Convention Center, which is $10. But organizers ask for non-perishable food donations that will go to the Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest North Carolina. Collection points are situated around the festival site. |
September 16 Pirates Beach Music Festival - Washington
The afternoon show on the Pamlico River waterfront draws about 2,000 people.
Artists
TBA. 2011 lineup included Jim Quick & Coastline, Hip Pocket, Chairmen of the Board, Spare Change.
Festival site: Festival Park
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Noon to 6:30 p.m.; music starts at 1 p.m.
$15 in advance, $20 at gate. Reserve space for pop-up tents for $20 per spot. |
September 21 - 22 FarmPark Bluegrass Festival - Denton
The home of Doyle Lawson's spring festival (see May schedule) presents a fall weekend of top-flite bluegrass.
Artists
Lonesome River Band, Grass Cats, Goldwing Express, Michelle Nixon, Junior Sisk & Ramblers Choice, A Deeper Shade of Blue, Big Country Bluegrass Band, Cody Shuler & Pine Mountain Railroad, Dave Peterson & 1946, Bartley Brothers, Darrell Webb Band, Next Best Thing, Bill Yates and Friends, The Snyder Family Band, The Beachley & Scott Band, The Bluegrass Brothers.
Festival site: Denton Farm Park
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Noon to 11 p.m. daily with dinner break from 5 to 6 p.m.; 9 a.m. church service Sunday.
Three-day pass: $65 in advance, $75 at gate. Camping: $20 with hookups, $10 no hookup; primitive camping free with two-day tickets; before festival dates RVs $10 per night with hookups, $5 without. |
September 21 - 23 Dream Acres Music Festival - Pleasant Hill
The festival presents an eclectic range of music along with a songwriters' contest, a pig cookoff, arts and crafts, and food vendors.
Artists
TBA. 2011 lineup included Levi Garrett and Friends, Koostic Thang, Rose Cora Perry, Tony Dickens and Friends, The Darn's and about 10 more.
Festival site: Big Johns Store Road (private farm)
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Friday afternoon through Sunday afternoon.
Songwriters' contest is Saturday morning; Sunday is open mike, with some performers from Friday and Saturday joining in.
Three-day pass: $40 in advance, $50 at gate, includes camping with no hookups. Younger than 18 must be accompanied by an adult. |
September 23 Carrboro Music Festival - Carrboro
In 2012, the Carrboro festival celebrates 15 years of presenting more than 150 local and regional acts in all sorts of genres at about two dozen indoor and outdoor venues all day and into the night - for free. There are also artists' booths, a raffle, food vendors, and other street-fair like activities.
Artists
TBA. 2011 lineup included Big Fat Gap, Chicken Fried Blues, The Kingsbury Manx, Lost Nomads, Skeedaddle and about 150 more.
Festival site: Downtown Carrboro
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Times vary at stage and venues but outdoor stages generally start at 1 or 3 p.m. and run to 7 p.m.; indoor venues, especially bars/nightclubs go into the evening.
A shuttle bus runs from remote parking to downtown between 1 and 6 p.m. |
September 27 - 29 Signal Fest - Chapel Hill & Carrboro
The Southeast Electronic Music Festival aims to enhance the awareness, appreciation, and popularity of electronic music in general and to familiarize the public with regional electronic music scenes.
Artists
TBA. 2011 lineup included Tunnidge, Jubilee, Lord Walrus, Distal, Thien and 24 more.
Festival site: Several downtown venues
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Show times and individual admission fees vary.
$40 gets your name on the "guest list" at all venues; some shows are free. Some venues require a minimum age of 18 or 21. |
Return to Carolina Music Festivals' home page
Go to October Music Festivals or to August Music Festivals