If you are already a fan of MerleFest, then you can skip to No. 1. For the uninitiated, however, MerleFest is the younger, Eastern cousin of the Telluride Bluegrass Festival. I discovered this gem of Americana festivals more than two decades ago after I moved to North Carolina from spending nearly a decade out West attending the Telluride festival. You may be surprised to learn that MerleFest has nothing to do with Merle Haggard, although that has proved confusing over the years. It was especially confusing the year the Hag himself closed out the four-day music festival. Instead it is named in memory of Eddy Merle Watson, son of bluegrass legend and North Carolina native Doc Watson. Known as one of the best flat-picking and slide guitarists of his generation, Merle Watson died in a farming accident in 1985 at the age of 36. Doc Watson  started the Americana festival that bears his son’s name as a fundraiser for Wilkes Community College in 1988 to honor his son and their style of music, that Doc referred to as “traditional plus,” meaning the traditional music of the Appalachian region plus whatever other styles the Watsons were in the mood to play. We lost Doc Watson in 2012 but he and Merle Watson’s musical celebration continues on featuring bluegrass, Americana, country, blues, rock and many other styles. This year’s festival will play host to a diverse number of artists, performing on 13 stages during the course of the four-day event April 23-26. Watch this video from the very first #MerleFest 1988 featuring Mark O’Connor, Tony Rice, Jerry Douglas, Béla Fleck, Sam Bush and John Cowan, many of whom will be performing this year. And while there are many more than 12 reasons to attend MerleFest, it seemed fitting to highlight a dozen reasons since that is the same number of stages the festival features.

No. 1 – The headliners. This may seem obvious, but over the years MerleFest has attracted such headliners as The Doobie Brothers, Roseanne Cash, Ricky Skaggs, Vince Gill, Steve Earl, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Alan Jackson, Nickel Creek, James Taylor and Lyle Lovett, among many others. This year’s festival will feature Alison Krauss and Union Station featuring Jerry Douglas, Old Crow Medicine Show, Charles Wesley Godwin, Blackberry Smoke, Steep Canyon Rangers, Molly Tuttle, Railroad Earth, The Infamous Stringdusters and the King of Telluride himself Sam Bush, just to name a few. Pro tip: Before the dinner hour, the chairs in front of the Watson Stage are open seating! 

No 2. – Up-and-coming talent. One of the best things about MerleFest is the opportunity it provides to be introduced to musicians you haven’t heard perform before. While you will come for the headliners, it’s the artists that you will discover at MerleFest such as Celtic rockers Scythian that will keep you coming back. These artists can often be found playing on the Cabin Stage to the right of the Watson Stage. I have it on good authority that The Jack Wharff Band, Blue Highway and Fireside Collective (which won the band competition 10 years ago) are just a few of the artists you won’t want to miss this year. Pro tip: Be sure to wander around the campus to catch impromptu jams or find a new favorite artist playing on the Americana or Creekside stages. 

No. 3 – Doc Watson. While Doc no longer graces the Watson Stage, his spirit is still alive and strumming and picking and can be felt all over the festival grounds. Those who knew him strive to keep his memory alive, some through obvious ways, like Old Crow Medicine Show’s tribute, “Back in Doc’s Day,” which they have performed multiple times at the festival, to the numerous nods to Doc by artists as they perform over four days. Pro tip: Visit the MerleFest Museum and Merle Watson Garden of the Senses to learn more about the festival’s founders.

No. 4  – A dozen stages. The 12 stages at this festival can albeit be a detriment as well as a positive. The sheer number of stages means there is literally something for every musical taste playing throughout the hills and along the waterways that dot the campus. But for anyone who has had to jog across campus to try to catch a favorite act that is playing at the same time as another, sometimes there can be too much of a good thing. Pro tip: Use the MerleFest app to create a gameplan for who you want to catch on stage and when. Most of the artists appear multiple times so you can usually catch your favorites even when there is a conflict!

No. 5 – Hillside Album Hour. The Waybacks typically return each year to MerleFest for another crowd-pleasing Album Hour on the Hillside Stage. The event, which features a classic album performed in its entirety, has become a fan favorite. Fans obsess over clues released on social media weeks before the festival because the album in question is always a closely guarded secret until that first note is played. In past years, The Waybacks have performed Bob Dylan and The Band’s “Before the Flood,” Rolling Stones’ “Sticky Fingers,” the Beatles’ “Abbey Road,” the Allman Brothers’ “Eat a Peach” and “Are You Experienced” by Jimi Hendrix. Pro tip: Find a good spot to set up a chair or position a blanket in front of the Hillside Stage when you first arrive at the festival on Saturday morning and leave it there so that you have a place to sit and enjoy the show when the musicians launch in to the first tune around 3 p.m.

No. 6 – Tickets are still available. In fact, four-day and single-day passes are still available. A four-day, general admission pass for MerleFest is only $245 or $265 at the gate. That’s a lot of music for not a lot of dough. Compared to Telluride where 4-day passes are more than $400. Find MerleFest tickets here.

No. 7 – Homecoming. MerleFest is like old home week for the artists and fans alike. It’s the unofficial kickoff of the outdoor music festival season for most of the artists who look forward to it as much as the fans because they know that after what is has been a long, hard and sometimes lonely winter playing solo gigs, they are going to get to hang out and jam again with many of their friends. Douglas told me once at MerleFest, “Out of Merlefest comes a lot of great things that wouldn’t happen at other festivals. I love this festival. You get to see your friends and interact with fans. It’s a place to reconnect with everyone. I know I’m going to come here and see everybody and get to hang out and play. It’s tons of fun and I wouldn’t miss it.”

No. 8 – Location, location, location. North Wilkesboro doesn’t have the visual impact of Bridal Veil Falls or the quaintness of the Rocky Mountain mining town of Telluride. It does, however, have a creek running alongside the campground and the aptly named Creekside Stage and the beauty of the lush, rolling Blue Ridge Mountains, which provide a fitting backdrop for those who enjoy listening to strains of mandolin and guitar sitting on the side of a mountain. Literally. If you have tried to stop from sliding down the side of the hill while catching an act on the Hillside Stage, you know. That inconvenience aside, the campus of Wilkes Community College is also easy to get to. It’s just a short drive to the west of Interstate 77 and right off U.S. 421, less than an hour from Winston-Salem, less than two from Charlotte, 2.5 hours from Raleigh and two hours from Danville, Virginia. Pro tip: There are still a few camping spots available through the Wilkes YMCA but beware it ALWAYS rains at least one time at MerleFest (because it wouldn’t be MerleFest if it didn’t rain!) so come prepared! And while parking is free and shuttle buses are always running back and forth to the parking areas, you can pay $5 to park a short walk away from the festival and also help a good cause. Just look for the signs.

No. 9 – The food. Food vendors representing local schools, churches and groups serve up a wide variety of delish dishes ranging from BBQ to Thai to pizza to hot dogs to pinto beans and cornbread along with a variety of sweet treats as fundraisers. Pro tip: Try to visit the food vendors in the middle of the afternoon to miss the long lunch and dinner lines that tend to form during those times.

No. 10 – Annual Band Competition. This year’s festival will highlight the 11th Annual Band Competition, where eight talented finalists will compete for the opportunity to perform on MerleFest’s iconic Hillside Stage. The competition performances will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.on Saturday on the Plaza Stage with the winner announced at 4:30 p.m. The victorious band will then perform on Sunday at 11 a.m. on the Hillside Stage in front of thousands of attendees. Pro tip: Definitely take time to stop by and catch a few sets of these up-and-coming artists. The Annual Band Competition has produced a number of successful acts including the aforementioned Fireside Collective, which is headlining this year’s festival!

No. 11 – Late Night Jam. Returning to the MerleFest experience in 2026 is the beloved Saturday night Late Night Jam –– this year hosted by Old Crow Medicine Show and co-hosted for the first time by the Grand Ole Opry! The event features a growing list of guest collaborators including Blackberry Smoke’s Charlie Starr, Maggie Rose, AJ Lee & Blue Summit and Donna the Buffalo along with some surprise guests. The Late Night Jam is held in the Walker Center, which means seating is available, not that you will be doing much sitting with this lineup! Pro tip: Get your tickets (they are sold separately for $69.55) at this link soon because this event will sell out!

No. 12 – Acoustic Kids Showcase. This year, 54 young musicians are scheduled to perform over five hours of Acoustic Kids Showcases. This event has produced the likes of Nickel Creek, Wyatt Ellis, Presley Barker, Liam Purcell and Raleigh’s own Tray Wellington, just to name a few! Pro tip: Check the festival schedule or the app and treat yourself to a taste of what the next generation of musicians is bringing to the stage.