After a decade in Raleigh, IBMA announces new home for its annual bluegrass festival
The International Bluegrass Music Association said last fall that after this year it would not return to Raleigh for its annual convention and music festival.
Now we know where they’re going instead: Chattanooga, Tennessee. And we know when a new locally-produced bluegrass festival will take place starting next year.
The IBMA announced Monday that it would hold its World of Bluegrass event in Chattanooga for at least three years, starting in September 2025.
The final Raleigh World of Bluegrass will take place Sept. 24 through 28. Among the headliners this year are Sierra Ferrell, Sam Bush, Sierra Hull, Steep Canyon Rangers and Chatham County Line.
More than a decade in Raleigh
The IBMA has held its showcase event in Raleigh for more than a decade, drawing thousands of people downtown each fall. While fans need tickets for the biggest concerts at Red Hat Amphitheater, the festival also features several stages up and down Fayetteville Street where the dedicated and curious alike can listen to music for free.
World of Bluegrass debuted in Raleigh in 2013, after IBMA sought to spread its reach beyond Nashville. Except for a one-year hiatus during the COVID-19 pandemic, it became one of the biggest events of the year in Raleigh, and the city hoped to keep it.
The city submitted a proposed contract that the IBMA board turned down, said Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin.
“We had a great relationship,” Baldwin told The News & Observer last fall. “The sense I got is they are ready to try something new.”
When IBMA announced it wouldn’t be returning to Raleigh in 2025, Pinecone, the nonprofit that produced World of Bluegrass, announced it would hold a new festival in its place.
On Monday, Pinecone gave the two-day festival a name, Raleigh Wide Open, and said the first one would be held Oct. 3 and 4, 2025.
Chattanooga had competition
In its announcement Monday, IBMA said it considered more than 30 potential destinations for “a new home.”
“While other cities could offer the necessary commitment, the passion and enthusiasm of the people of Chattanooga truly stood out,” Ken White, the executive director, said in a written statement. “This city’s unique charm and hospitality makes it a perfect home for World of Bluegrass artists and guests.”
Chattanooga got some financial help wooing IBMA. The nonprofit Chattanooga Tourism Co. is the first to receive money from the Tennessee Special Event Fund, created in 2022 to attract big events to the state, and will use the money to support World of Bluegrass.
The tourism group said it expects the multi-day event to draw more than 45,000 people to Chattanooga and generate more than $30 million in economic activity and more than $1 million in state tax revenue.
This story was originally published July 29, 2024 at 4:51 PM with the headline "After a decade in Raleigh, IBMA announces new home for its annual bluegrass festival."
