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The Festival of All Festivals

24th Annual MerleFest Takes Place in Wilkesboro April 28 to May 1

Story by Anna Oakes

Ask a dozen Americana music fans who the “headliner” is at MerleFest this year, and you’ll probably hear a dozen different answers. With a lineup that features current and classic big names in music, the cream of the crop in bluegrass and a number of High Country artists, the MerleFest ticket is tough to beat.

The 24th annual festival takes place on the campus of Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro Thursday to Sunday, April 28 to May 1. The festival was founded in 1988 in memory of Eddy Merle Watson, musician and son of legendary folk artist Doc Watson.

Some of the biggest stars performing at MerleFest this year include Robert Plant and the Band of Joy, Zac Brown Band, the Doobie Brothers, Randy Travis, Emmitt-Nershi Band, Sonny Landreth and Lyle Lovett.

But roots music aficionados may be salivating even more over the outstanding slate of bluegrass and Americana performers convening together at this year’s festival, beginning of course with 88-year-old Doc Watson. The list reads like a Who’s Who of roots music: flatpicking guitar master Tony Rice, dobroist Jerry Douglas featuring Omar Hakim and Viktor Krauss, fiddler Casey Driessen, bluegrass kings the Del McCoury Band, mandolin and fiddle player Sam Bush, mandolinist Tony Williamson, singer-songwriter Jim Lauderdale, banjo player Alison Brown and her quartet, guitarist Peter Rowan and singer-songwriter and mandolin player Tim O’Brien.

Joining them on the lineup of more than 90 artists (on 14 stages) are the young and rising stars of the ever-changing and diversifying traditional and roots music genres, including Michael Cleveland and Flamekeeper, Sarah Jarosz, the Wailin’ Jennys, Scythian, Crooked Still, Red Molly and many others.

“One thing we take a lot of pride on with our festival is the value our festival gives to those that attend,” said Ted Hagaman, festival director. On average, it costs between $40 and $45 per day to attend MerleFest, Hagaman noted—“a lot of times you’d be paying that amount to see one artist.” MerleFest has no hidden charges—the parking and shuttle buses are free, kids 12 and under are free and activities for children are also free, he added. Last year, MerleFest estimated overall attendance for four days at roughly 79,600. The record attendance is 83,000, set in 2007.

On Thursday, the Watson Stage, the festival’s main stage, will again feature the Zac Brown Band, an artist that helped the festival set a record for Thursday attendance in 2010. MerleFest announced the addition of Zac Brown Band to this year’s lineup only a few weeks ago. Brown, who came to the festival as a teenager and dreamed of one day performing on the Watson Stage, called the festival and said he’d like to come back this year.

“He has just as much interest in being here as we do having him here,” Hagaman said. Last year MerleFest also set a record for Sunday attendance, when North Carolina’s own Avett Brothers were featured as the final Watson Stage performers Sunday afternoon. This year, another huge star—Robert Plant—will close out the festival.

“We try to…make sure that we put strong acts each of the four days,” Hagaman noted. Longtime festivalgoers will notice at least one distinct change this year—the Austin Stage, one of the smaller, more intimate stages set up on a steep, terraced hillside, has moved inside to Alumni Hall this year. “The biggest reason was the safety factor,” Hagaman said. “It was not an easy place for a lot of people to navigate.”

That means the Chris Austin Songwriting Contest, instrument contests and the Greatest Blues Show on Earth will all be at the Austin Stage at Alumni Hall this year. Another addition to MerleFest this year is the use of e-ticketing. In the past, the box office had to suspend sales on the week of MerleFest to set up the ticket gate on the festival campus. This year, online ticket sales can continue up to the days of the festival.

And the Shoppes at MerleFest, an area that features arts, crafts, apparel, accessories and other items for sale, features more vendors than ever before in 2011. Even though the 2011 festival is still a week away, MerleFest organizers are already looking to the 2012 festival, when MerleFest will celebrate 25 years.

“We are working on what we call MerleFest 25 now,” Hagaman said. “We hope every year will be special. We are working on a few unique things for the 25th that I think will just add to it.” Single-day tickets range from $35 Thursday to $55 Saturday. Multi-day passes range from $135 for three-day general admission to $250 for four-day reserved seating at the Watson Stage.

For tickets or more information about MerleFest, click to www.merlefest.org or call 800-343-7857.

Also, be sure to check out Anna's Merlefest Survival Guide here and a list of highlights by day!