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After almost 40 years, MerleFest hasn’t lost sight of the music.
MerleFest has festivals figured out—and Raleigh should take note. The famed folk fest drew ~80K fans to the foothills of the Appalachian mountains April 23–26 (the hosting town, Wilkesboro, has a population of just 3,650) for the four-day music fete at Wilkes Community College.
The fest—founded in 1988 by local bluegrass legend Doc Watson—was launched as a tribute to Watson’s late son Merle, who shared his skill for the genre. Watson always maintained that MerleFest was meant to deliver “traditional-plus” music, a term he and Merle coined to describe “the traditional music of the Appalachian region plus whatever other styles we were in the mood to play.”
In tune with that philosophy, the lineup always includes blues, country, roots rock, and folk—standout artists such as Old Crow Medicine Show, Steep Canyon Rangers, Joy Oladokun and Molly Tuttle joined the lineup this year—and make for a who’s who of big names and trailblazers propelling the genres forward.
Merlefest hit happy mediums across the board: It’s fam-friendly but all ages and all demographics can be spotted, and it’s perfectly low-maintenance—you don’t need to plan outfits weeks in advance or haul yourself across the county looking for a clear purse that fits the guidelines. And because the event is entirely alcohol-free, both the fans and the fest are uniquely focused on the music over the bustle and booze that often come alongside music fests.
As someone who has witnessed the good, the bad and the ugly at music fests across the country, myriad traits left me pleasantly surprised as a first-timer. Here, all the ways MerleFest won me over.
Rain, Rain, Here to Stay
I quickly found out that it famously rains every year during MerleFest—at least three locals gleefully told me—and despite the severe drought this year, Mother Nature still provided (the adage allegedly passed around claims the MerleFest rain is the only time a year the “hippies take a bath”). The show went on with ease—all those years of rain stacked up to a lot of unbothered festival goers and multiple booths handing out ponchos.
Jam-Packed
Yes, the lineup was immaculate and I thoroughly enjoyed every set I caught, but my favorite performances happened underneath the pickin’ tents, where locals and patrons toting instruments gathered for mini jam seshs.
Each group would simply pick a song and go, bouncing off each other’s notes and chatting as they went—and the musicians that showed were all over the map. Read: A 92-year-old man with a trucker hat, a violin and an incredibly soothing singing voice, followed by an eight(ish)-year-old picking a banjo while holding intense eye contact and coaxing passerbyers over to lend him an ear.
Festival Food Hall
Not only were all the food ops local, but they were very inexpensive, by fest and non-fest standards—and in this economy, that’s huge. I’ve never eaten so much at a festival (a Philly cheesesteak, kettle corn and ice cream were all on my menu) and not felt like my bank account was crying. To boot, all the food was very appetizing. Because the fest is entirely alcohol-free, one local theorized with me that they can’t get away with selling mid food to tipsy fete-goers like other festivals can.
Parking = No Problem
Transit was shockingly a breeze. Parking is free, and a free (and fast!) shuttle service is provided to and from the fest. Read: The line for the shuttle never took more than 10 minutes, making for a smooth getaway.
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