News: Blue Ox Music Festival 2026—Celebrating 12 Years of Memorable Music!
Blue Ox Music Festival 2026 will be happening next month!
The festival is all set for its 12th staging this summer at The Pines Music Park in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Blue Ox will run from Thursday, June 25, to Saturday night, June 26, 2026, and will offer three full days of Americana, Bluegrass and Folk music.
Settled within the woods and rolling hills of Wisconsin’s Driftless Region, the festival line-up is filled with hugely talented artists who will appeal to virtually all tastes. Blue Ox highlights its talent on three stages of music during the afternoon and evening, along with late-night/early morning jam sessions.
Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country will help kick Blue Ox off to a rollicking start on Thursday, June 25. Other Thursday night performers include Bronwyn Keith-Hines, Shadowgrass, Wild Horses, and The Big Wu.
Friday’s main stage headliner will be singer/songwriter Charley Crockett, who brings his own unique blend of country, soul and gospel to the stage. Friday performers also include Sierra Hull, Horseshoes and Hand Grenades, The Dead South, and Don Flemons and the Traveling Wildfires.
Headlining the main stage on Saturday night is Blues/Rock sensation, Marcus King Band. Saturday performers also include I’m With Her (featuring Sara Watkins, Sarah Jarosz, and Aoife O’Donovan), Kurt Vile & the Violators, Valerie June, and Molly Brandt.
Saturday promises to be a bit bittersweet as one of Blue Ox’s favorite bands, Them Coulee Boys, makes its final appearance on Blue Ox’s stage. Eau Claire-based Them Coulee Boys has announced that the 2026 tour will be the band’s last tour. Undoubtedly, the Blue Ox crowd will show their love and affection!
Minneapolis-based Pert Near Sandstone has had the pleasure of being the host band for Blue Ox Music Festival since its beginning. Pert Near will host Blue Ox again and will perform on the main stage two of the nights of the event. Formed over two decades ago, Pert Near recently released its 9th album, “Side by Side,” which dropped in late February.
The musical talent featured at Blue Ox during its tenure has been amazing. This year will be no exception with planned performances from artists including Johnny Mullenax, Abby Webster, The Steel Wheels, Folk Bitch Trio, Chicken Wire Empire, The Milbillies, Art Stevenson & High Water, Magoo, Silverada, The Pistol Whipping Party Penguins, and many more.
One of the highlights of Blue Ox Music Festival has been its inclusion of emerging and up-and-coming artists from the Midwest and across the country. Artists receiving national exposure at Blue Ox this year include Maygen & the Birdwatcher, Sprig of That, and Hemma. Winner of Blue Ox’s 2026 Virtual Band Competition was Duluth Minnesota-based, Cigarette Picnic, a sultry femme power trio focusing on rich harmonies and minimal instrumentation.
In its 12th year, Blue Ox has continued to be family owned and is fiercely proud of its roots as an independently run music festival. Blue Ox is a member of the National Independent Venue Association, the national trade association representing thousands of independent live entertainment venues, festivals, and promoters. NIVA was founded during March 2020 at the beginning of the COVID pandemic, which resulted in the shuttering of live music and entertainment venues in the US and worldwide. NIVA stands squarely behind the motto penned by the Foo Fighters in 2020 that “Live music is built on the foundation of indie music venues.” The advocacy of NIVA and its thousands of members resulted in passage of the Save Our Stages Act, which became the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG) adopted by Congress and granted $16.25 billion of relief for the independent live entertainment sector.
NIVA continues to cultivate and support independent music venues. These efforts remain critically important as independent music venues are targeted by corporate festival groups such as C3 Presents and Live Nation Entertainment.
The overall organization of the festival is again expected to be top-notch—attesting to the meticulous planning and preparation that goes into Blue Ox each year. Past attendees of Blue Ox know that the festival is wonderfully laid out. The main and saloon stages face each other across a wide grassy bowl where attendees can relax in lawn chairs and under sun shades. As the music on one stage ends, the band on the other stage begins immediately resulting in very little, if any, dead air in the bowl.
Blue Ox offers a safe, relaxed atmosphere in a gorgeous natural setting. The festival promises to be family friendly, with family stage entertainment, a 9-hole disc golf course, and other activities. Festival offerings include instrument workshops offering the opportunity to learn more about traditional string musical genres, a wellness tent with yoga and meditation sessions, and art installations.
There will plenty of area food vendors on-site around the central bowl area, along with folks selling arts, crafts, and other types of hard goods. A wide assortment of beer, liquor, wine, and non-alcoholic beverage options will be available.
In a nod to the intimacy of the weekend and the natural beauty of the area, admission will be limited to 5,000 people over the three-day festival.
Tickets are going quickly! Tickets for Blue Ox have sold out in past years well in advance of the festival and it’s quite likely this year will be a repeat!
For ticket information, visit Blue Ox Music Festival Tickets. Festival camping information is available here: Blue Ox Music Festival Camping.
Fans can stay tuned for updates about the 2026 Blue Ox Music Festival by subscribing to the newsletter at www.blueoxmusicfestival.com.
Check out the Blue Ox Music Festival 2026 playlist on Spotify and TIDAL.
Accompanying photos are from prior Blue Ox Music Festivals.
Related
REVIEW: Pert Near “Side By Side” https://americanahighways.org/2026/02/26/review-pert-near-side-by-side/
Blue Ox Music Festival 2026