Merlefest 2026
The 38th annual MerleFest, held from April 23–26, 2026, once again drew over 70,000 people to the small town of Wilkesboro, NC. Founded in 1988 in memory of Eddy Merle Watson by his father, Doc Watson, the festival is one of the largest music festivals in the country, creating a destination for lovers of “traditional plus” music, blending Appalachian roots (bluegrass, folk, and old-time) with more modern Americana, country, and rock.
It’s hard to know where to begin with such an incredible line-up. Headliners included the likes of Alison Krauss & Union Station featuring Jerry Douglas, Old Crow Medicine Show, Charles Wesley Godwin, Blackberry Smoke, Molly Tuttle, Railroad Earth, The Infamous Stringdusters, Sam Bush…honestly, any of them could have been the main headliner. Continuing down the list, it stays just as strong. The Jerry Douglas Band, Steep Canyon Rangers, The Castellos, Peter Rowan. It just keeps going.
Some highlights were Old Crow Medicine Show celebrating the 20th anniversary of their highly acclaimed albums, O.C.M.S. and Big Iron World, playing raucous renditions of both albums on Friday night. And Alison Krauss’ first appearance at the festival in over a decade, closing out the weekend with her beautiful vocals and accompanied by the stellar Union Station and Jerry Douglas. The Saturday Night Late Night Jam has become a legendary part of Merlefest and this year was no exception. The collaborative roster of guests included Charlie Starr of Blackberry Smoke, Maggie Rose, AJ Lee & Blue Summit, and so many other greats.
If the headliners are the meat in a beef stew, the side stages are the ingredients that bring it all together. With 12 stages over 4 days, this is where you find a wide variety of bands who are long time favorites and new ones who are just now popping up on your radar. For 2026, the 11 other stages did not disappoint. With so many great sets over the weekend, there are definitely a handful of notables that really stand out. Some are new, up and coming, while others are new to me.
Towards the top of the list has to be Lamont Landers, an R&B, soul singer and guitar player from Huntsville, AL. With a voice filled with love, pain, and emotion, he had the crowd hanging on every word. Another new-to-me artist was Jontavious Willis. Hailing from rural, western Georgia, Jontavious is on a mission to bring the blues back with authentic songwriting, a combination of Delta, Piedmont, and Louisiana guitar, and a voice that completes the writer, musician, and singer trifecta. While Sister Sadie may not be new on the scene, this was my first encounter with this 6 piece, all-female band out of Nashville, TN. Honestly, every member of the band is a heavy hitter and the harmonies are just beautiful. Coming all the way from Hawaii with an impressive career spanning a couple of decades, Jake Shimabukuro absolutely tore it up on the ukulele with his combination of just about every genre of music and mind blowing finger picking. While there are so many others, I would be remiss to wrap it up without mentioning a young bluegrass quartet from California, Broken Compass. Fresh out of college, Broken Compass is filled with talent, creativity, and energy. This is a band you go see and feel good about the future of bluegrass.
Merlefest isn’t your traditional music festival that comes in and takes over a town for a long weekend. The community of Wilkesboro is intertwined into almost every aspect of the event. It’s family-friendly and welcoming, and even being the size of a small city, you can always find a smile to had, a door to be held open, and people sharing their love of music for almost 40 years.
Find more details about Merlefest here: https://merlefest.org
Enjoy some of our previous coverage here: Interview: Hogslop String Band at Merlefest