Here are 5 music festivals in NC for your summer ‘must-do list’
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Get outside!
Check out this roundup of the top outdoor concerts, movies, festivals, patios and rooftop bars to enjoy around the Triangle this summer.
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Summer music festivals feed our love of music and our need to be outside communing with others when the weather’s nice (and by nice we mean warm or even hot, but no rain, please!).
Toss in the fact that most of our picks here for the best summer music festivals in North Carolina also come with an extra element like arts, crafts, dance and of course, food and beer, and the experience can be pretty close to perfect.
We tried to stick to festivals that were in or at least pretty close to the Triangle, but there’s one new one on the scene that will require a little bit of a road trip — but we think it’s worth it.
Festival for the Eno
When: July 2 and 4; Where: West Point on the Eno - Durham City Park, 5101 N Roxboro Road, Durham; Cost: $35 per day or $60 for a two-day pass. Ages 5-17 are $10 per day or $15 for two days. Children 4 & under admitted free. Info: enofest.org
What it’s all about: This annual festival has been at the top of Triangle summer to-do lists for more than 40 years. It features live music with dozens of performers, a juried craft show, good food (and beer) and the general fun associated with being situated right on the river. The festival takes place over two days, with a day of rest in the middle.
Performers: H.C. McEntire, Tumbao, the Gospel Jubilators, Sonny Miles, Jon Shain & FJ Ventre, Joe Newberry, Dissimilar South, The Branchettes, Cane Creek Cloggers, Secret Monkey Weekend, Apple Chill Cloggers, Leah Magner, Tray Wellington, Nightblooms, Ned and Wendy the Band!, Paradise Motel Lounge, Weirs, Molly Sarlé, Daughter of Swords, Blackhaus, Pie Faced Girls, Willi Carlisle, the Gospeltones, African American Dance Ensemble, Mellow Swells, Javier Montano, Libby Rodenbaugh, Lightnin Wells, Al Riggs, XOXOK, TGold, Trippers and Askers, Paper Hand Puppet Intervention, Beauty Operators and Spiritual Sounds from Durham.
Earl Scruggs Music Festival
When: Sept. 2-4; Where: Mill Spring; Cost: $150 to $6,000; Info: earlscruggsmusicfestival.com
What it’s all about: This one is close to a four-hour drive from Raleigh, but if you love bluegrass, folk and Americana music, it’s so worth it. This brand new festival — this is its first year — is in tribute to bluegrass banjo legend Earl Scruggs and is put on by the Earl Scruggs Center and the WMCW FM (the Isothermal Community College radio station). Tip: take the whole week off and enjoy Asheville and the NC mountains while you’re there.
Performers: The Earls of Leicester, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Sam Bush Band, Bela Fleck’s “My Bluegrass Heart,” Alison Brown, Molly Tuttle and Golden Highway, Leftover Salmon, Chatham County Line, Rissi Palmer, Jerry Douglas, Acoustic Syndicate, Balsam Range, Dom Flemons, Darin and Brooke Aldridge, Rob Ickes and Trey Hensley, Becky Buller Band, Laura Boosinger and Josh Goforth, Lakota John, Chatham Rabbits, John Stickley Trio, Fireside Collective, Unspoken Tradition, The Barefoot Movement, Bella White and others.
NC Folk Fest
When: Sept. 9-11; Where: Downtown Greensboro; Cost: Free; Info: ncfolkfestival.com
What it’s all about: If you’re short on funds after the Earl Scruggs Festival extravaganza, this three-day festival in Greensboro (which is much closer than Mill Spring) is free to attend. And you not only get performances by folk musicians, but there are hip-hop, Afrobeats, Cajun, funk, country, indie rock artists and more. The festival boasts more than 300 artists on multiple stages with continuous performances. The “Not Your Average Folk Contest” invites local musicians (of any genre) to apply to perform at the festival.
Performers: Sam Bush, Karan Casey, QWANQWA, Michael Winograd & The Honorable Mentshn, Kaleta & Super Yamba Band, Big Bang Boom, Jeff Little Trio, Symphony Unbound featuring Dori Freeman and the Winston-Salem Symphony String Quintet, Futurebirds, Black Opry Revue featuring Joy Clark, Autumn Nicholas, Tae Lewis, Chris Pierce, and Aaron Vance, BeauSoleil avec Michael Doucet, The Rumble, Soultriii, The Secret Agency and others.
IBMA Bluegress Live!
When: Sept. 30-Oct. 1; Where: Red Hat Amphitheater, Fayetteville Street and other venues in Downtown Raleigh; Cost: Street stage shows are free. Ramble tickets are $25-$60. A limited number of free general admission tickets will be available for Red Hat shows. Reserved seating is recommended to ensure admission. Single-day passes for Red Hat are $50 to $70 and two-day passes are $100 to $140. Info: worldofbluegrass.org/festival
What it’s all about: Billed as the largest free urban bluegrass festival in the world, downtown Raleigh’s IBMA Bluegrass Live! event features IBMA and Grammy Award-winning bluegrass artists performing on street stages, in smaller local venues nearby (the Bluegrass Ramble) and in big shows in Red Hat Amphitheater. You’ll also get about two blocks of food and merchandise vendors.
Performers: There are lots of street stage and club acts not yet announced, but the 2022 main stage will include The Infamous Stringdusters, The Jerry Douglas Band (with special guests), Peter Rowan Bluegrass Band and more.
Shakori Hills GrassRoots Festival of Music & Dance
When: Oct. 6-9; Where: Shakori Hills Community Arts Center, 1439 Henderson Tanyard Road, Pittsboro; Cost: Day tickets range from $35 to $53, and there are multiple discount options available. Additional fees for campers.; Info: shakorihillsgrassroots.org
What it’s all about: There’s no better way for a music lover to head into fall than with this family-friendly music and arts festival in Pittsboro. This has been a tradition for many in the Triangle since it launched almost 20 years ago. Plan to camp there to get the full experience.
Performers: Donna The Buffalo, Hiss Golden Messenger, Eric Krasno Trio (ft. Otis McDonald & Eric Finland), Andy Frasco and the UN, Kaleta & Super Yamba Band, Driftwood
This story was originally published June 29, 2022 at 6:00 AM with the headline "Here are 5 music festivals in NC for your summer ‘must-do list’."
