Listen up: The 22nd rendition of the Shakori Hills GrassRoots Festival of Music & Dance held in the bucolic, rolling hills of Chatham County, North Carolina, just a short drive from Raleigh or Greensboro, is set for May 7-10, 2026.
Headliners for this year’s event, hosted by festival founders Donna the Buffalo, include returning acts Rising Appalachia, Chatham Rabbits and Jim Lauderdale, among many others.
Holiday Ticket Special through January 19 4-Day Admission = $139* 4-Day Youth (13-15) Admission = $72* *PLUS APPLICABLE FEES
Official award announcement for Blue Ridge Outdoors Magazine’s 16th annual “Best of the Blue Ridge” Awards
Wondering what the top trails are in the Blue Ridge region? Or which music festival is the best? Well, the readers of Blue Ridge Outdoors have spoken.
Last October, the publication’s readers nominated their favorite outdoor businesses, events, food/drinks, and destinations in the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic regions, and then voted to pick the top winners. This year the magazine received over 200,000 total votes in 51 categories.
“We are touched that so many businesses and attractions in Brevard and Transylvania County have been recognized with annual Best of the Blue Ridge awards by the readers of Blue Ridge Outdoors magazine,” ransylvania County Tourism Executive Director Clark Lovelace told the magazine. “From Sliding Rock to Pisgah Climbing School to Davidson River Outfitters to DD Bullwinkel’s Outdoors, and more, it is a testament to the incredible outdoor paradise and friendly faces that we have in our community. We invite and welcome all to experience the magic of our destination.”
The Best of the Blue Ridge awards are the most well-known outdoor awards in the Southeast. The winners each receive a winner seal to place in their windows and on digital and printed materials.
Blue Ridge Outdoors would like to thank everyone who participated in the nomination and voting processes for this year’s contest, and give congratulations to all winners, runners-up, and nominees.
Best Music Festival Rooster Walk Music and Arts Festival, Martinsville, Va. Great line-ups and intimate, tight-knit vibes characterize this enduring jam-friendly fest held every t Memorial Day weekend at the scenic Pop’s Farm in Martinsville, Va. Organizers already announced this year’s roster of bands, so get ready for sets from Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country, Mountain Grass Unit, Eggy, and moe. – J.F.
Runners Up FloydFest – Festival Park, Va. DelFest – Cumberland, Md. (tie) Red Wing Roots Music Festival – Mt. Solon, Va. (tie)
Events & Races
Best Family Friendly Festival Front Porch Fest – Stuart, Va. Front Porch Fest started as a low-key gathering for family and friends, and it maintains that atmosphere when it takes place every year at the scenic Spirithaven Farm in the Blue Ridge foothills of Patrick County, Va. But while the event keep its downhome vibe, it attracts top regional artists in jam, roots, and bluegrass music like Larry Keel and Big Daddy Love. Look out for this year’s lineup in the coming months. – J.F.
Runners Up Go Outside Festival – Roanoke, Va. Shakori Hills GrassRoots Festival of Music and Dance – Pittsboro, N.C.
Best Unique Festival LEAF Global Arts Retreat – Black Mountain, N.C. LEAF Global Arts Retreat is an eclectic spring festival in the mountains of western North Carolina that blends a diverse roster of roots music acts from around the world with a variety of healing arts and cultural workshops, all taking place on the scenic grounds of Lake Eden. Acts at last year’s event ranged from Appalachian tunesmith Tyler Ramsey to New Orleans funk band Dumpstaphunk to the traditional Ugandan artist Chinobay. Look for this year’s dates and line-up to be announced soon. – J.F.
Runners Up Appalachian Trail Days Festival – Damascus, Va. Highland County Maple Festival – Monterey, Va.
About Blue Ridge Outdoors Magazine
For 30 years, Blue Ridge Outdoors Magazine has been the definitive guide to all things outdoors in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast. Distributed from Pennsylvania to Georgia, the publication’s award-winning writers cover the region’s best destinations for adventure, as well as the latest outdoor recreation trends, gear, and culture.
The 20th annual Spring Shakori Hills GrassRoots Festival of Music & Dance returns May 2-5, 2024, in Pittsboro, North Carolina. Featuring performances from hosts Donna The Buffalo, Scythian, Watchhouse, Sarah Shook and the Disarmers, Time Sawyer, The Shoaldiggers and more than 50 other musical acts along with camping, yoga, food trucks, artisans, sustainability workshops, healing arts, kids areas and so much more.
Donna The Buffalo & The Steel Wheels 2024 Tour comes to the Carolina Theatre of Durham on Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024.
Tickets to see Donna The Buffalo & The Steel Wheels in Durham are on sale at the Carolina Theatre box office and the venue’s website.
According to the Carolina Theatre’s website, Donna the Buffalo offers everything you want in a roots band — songs that matter, a groove that makes you dance, an audience that spans generations, and a musical voice that evokes a sense of community. The band has become a lifestyle for its members and audiences who gather at the countless festivals they perform at across the country, including the band’s own festival, the Finger Lakes Grassroots Festival in Trumansburg, New York.
The Steel Wheels, known for their rootsy brand of Americana, also gathers their fans at their own festival, the Red Wing Roots Music Festival. The festival, a weekend-long celebration of music, community, and the beautiful Shenandoah Valley allows The Steel Wheels to showcase their music informed by traditional sounds from the Virginia mountains where the band was formed.
About The Carolina Theatre of Durham
Carolina Theatre of Durham is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization which manages the city-owned Carolina Theatre at 309 W. Morgan Street, Durham, NC 27701. The Carolina Theatre of Durham is dedicated to presenting vibrant, thought-provoking film and live performances that contribute to the cultural and economic vitality of downtown Durham and the Triangle Region. Visit carolinatheatre.org for more information.
The Shakori Hills GrassRoots Festival of Music & Dance is a collaboration between the Shakori Hills Community Arts Center and the GrassRoots Festival Organization, providing a family-friendly celebration of music, dance, art and education. Activities for all ages! Yoga classes, sustainability discussions, food vendors, local beverages, demonstrations, workshops and much more! There are a variety of camp site options on a bucolic 72 acre site in Pittsboro, North Carolina. Find tickets for the May 2-4, 2024, event on sale at this link: https://www.shakorihillsgrassroots.org/
It’s less than a month when we all can spread our wings together again at the 19th Annual Fall Shakori Hills GrassRoots Festival of Music & Dance! This fall’s event hosted by Donna the Buffalo features the incomporable Mavis Staples, Tan and Sober Gentlemen and Big Daddy Love just to name a few!
The Shakori Hills GrassRoots Festival of Music & Dance is a collaboration between the Shakori Hills Community Arts Center and the GrassRoots Festival Organization, providing a family-friendly celebration of music, dance, art and education. Activities for all ages include yoga classes, sustainability discussions, food vendors, local beverages, demonstrations, workshops and much more! There are a variety of camp site options on a bucolic 72-acre site in Pittsboro, North Carolina.
“I’m still in shock,” Easter said after finding out he and his band had won the contest.
Since MerleFest’s inception, the festival has fostered and provided opportunities to up-an-coming musicians, songwriters, local and regional artists and other undiscovered talent from around the country and this year was no exception.
MerleFest continues that tradition each year by inviting eight groups to not only perform during Saturday’s events but also compete for the chance to perform on the Hillside Stage in front of thousands of festival-goers.
This year’s other band competitors included:
The Blue Ridge Girls
The Burnett Sisters Band & Colin Ray
His & Hers
Jack Marion & The Pearl Snap Prophets
Love & Valor
South Hill Banks
Judged by members of The Local Boys, the band competition winner was announced by host Mark Bumgarner and the lucky group received a coveted spot on the Hillside Stage’s Sunday lineup at 11 a.m. The band played a rousing set to an appreciative crowd. And The Boot named Easter’s set among the best at the festival.
“For some, performing at one of the nation’s largest Americana music festivals is a springboard for their musical careers, while for all the participants it is a once in a lifetime experience,” Bumgarner said. “The level of talent has been incredible and continues to wow the crowds each year.”
“Offering insight into some of the most premier up and coming talent across the nation, this competition is sure to impress,” adds judge and The Local Boys band member John Aaron Soots.
Not only a fan-favorite event, this annual gathering of next-generation bands is near and dear to MerleFest organizers’ hearts as well.
“The band contest is a great opportunity to discover your next favorite up-and-coming band. Every year the talent and quality continue to impress, and audiences get a chance to feel like they’re discovering the next big thing before they hit the Watson Stage,” says MerleFest Artist Relations Manager Lindsay Craven. “We love getting the local and regional talent on our stages and playing for our audience.”
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