It’s time once again to feature the ROMP Festival that is hosted by  ROMP and International Bluegrass Music Museum. This outdoor festival  takes places in June on the 21st to the 24rth at Yellow Creek Park in Owensboro Kentucky.

AS ALWAYS this article WILL include FULL inforamtion on hotels and maps of everything you need to FULLY enjoy this festival. I have compiled MANY emails and researched EVERY angle of this festival, so you can have the ultimate survival guide for this treasure in Owensboro Kentucky.

Folks this one is close to home for me and always a fun time when I cover this festival, and this year’s lineup is super exciting. Here is some history and some information about it straight from their website:

The 14th annual ROMP Festival will be led by the legendary American roots pioneers, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, progressive bluegrass virtuosos, Punch Brothers, innovative musician, Keller Williams and his project blending bluegrass and Grateful Dead songs, Keller Williams’ Grateful Grass,Grammy Award winning folk rockers, Los Lobos, and multi-instrumentalist and founding member of the Carolina Chocolate Drops, Rhiannon Giddens. Held in Owensboro’s Yellow Creek Park, the four-day music, camping, and art festival will take place June 21-24, 2017, and will feature over 30 top bluegrass, folk and Americana acts.

Additional acts include 14-time Grammy winner, Jerry Douglas, progressive bluegrass jam band, Yonder Mountain String Band, Grammy Award winning group, The SteelDrivers, bluegrass pioneer, Peter Rowan, old-time folk music aficionado, Pokey LaFarge, Celtic folk rockers, Scythian, Galway, Ireland’s We Banjo 3, and 10-time IBMA Fiddle Player of the Year, Michael Cleveland, plus many more. A full list of artists confirmed can be found below.

Daviess County’s Yellow Creek Park, a 150-acre facility famous for its nature trails, winding creek and fishing lake, and sweeping tree-lines, plays host to ROMP each year.

A full line-up of artist-led instrument workshops takes place throughout the day, giving musicians the chance to interact and teach fans and players of all ages and skill levels. Other workshops and forums include songwriting, clogging and flat-foot dancing, yoga (all levels), and healthy living through music.

Additional offerings at ROMP Festival include organic and farm-to-table food vendors, craft vendors featuring Kentucky Proud products, art installations and professionally-led children’s activities.

Attendees are encouraged to bring their instruments and jam throughout the weekend, and dance until dawn at the infamous after parties, featuring national acclaimed acts on the cabin stage in the park’s rustic Pioneer Village.

The International Bluegrass Music Museum, producer of the event, will open new exhibits, host performances throughout the daytime, and present a film festival of documentaries the museum has produced on Bluegrass Music’s First Generation.  Museum admission is free to festival-goers.

Artist additions, single day tickets, volunteer opportunities, vendor applications and daily schedules will be available in 2017. To stay up-to-date with the latest news from ROMP fest, music fans can visit rompfest.com, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and sign-up to become a ROMP insider.

This park has a playground area for kids and a spray area to cool off with, and camping is available for 15 dollars extra and 70 for RV’s. You are required to vacate the area by 11AM the following day of which you pay. The camping area will open to the public at 8 AM wends some campsites require you to walk a short bit. Here is a detailed map of the festival grounds and you can buy tickets HERE.

Wednesday

After party – Pioneer Village

9:00 PM – Kelsey Waldon

11:00 PM – Driftwood

Thursday

Main Stage – Yellow Creek Park

4:00 PM –Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper

5:15 PM – Dailey & Vincent

7:00 PM – Peter Rowan Band
8:30 PM –  Rhiannon Giddens

10:30 PM – Los Lobos

After party – Pioneer Village

12:00 AM – Hogslop String Band

1:30 AM – The Wooks

Friday

Main Stage – Yellow Creek Park

2:00 PM – High Fidelity

3:15 PM – The Wooks

4:30 PM –  Billy Strings

5:45 PM – We Banjo 3
7:00 PM – Jerry Douglas Band
8:45 PM – Punch Brothers

10:30 PM – Yonder Mountain String Band

After party – Pioneer Village

12:00 AM – The Dustbowl Revival

1:30 AM – Billy Strings

Saturday

Main Stage – Yellow Creek Park

11:45 AM – Kentucky Bluegrass Allstars

12:45 PM – Snyder Family Band

2:00 PM – Lindsay Lou & the Flatbellys

3:15 PM – Becky Buller Band

4:30 PM – Rob Ickles & Trey Hensley

5:45 PM – Pokey LaFarge

7:00 PM – The SteelDrivers

8:30 PM – Nitty Gritty Dirt Band

10:30 PM – Keller Williams’ Grateful Grass

After Party – Pioneer Village

12:00 AM – Scythian

Family Friendly: For families with children; no late night parties 
Bring the kids and have a fun-filled family festival experience! Family Friendly camping includes quiet hours from 10 p.m.-7 a.m.

Late Night: The ‘Wrong Side of the Creek’; very close access to the After Party stage 
Feel the need to stay up all night and enjoy live music until sunrise? This is the place for you!

General #1: For those in the middle; easy access to stage and vendors
Camp within a close walking distance to the main stage and the food and craft vendors. Good place for those to camp who don’t want to be in a Family Friendly quiet zone, and don’t want to stay up all night in the Late Night camping area.

Woods: For those in the middle; easy access to stage
Camp within a close walking distance to the main stage. Good place for those to camp who don’t want to be in a Family Friendly quiet zone, and don’t want to stay up all night in the Late Night camping area.

1 Day Only:
A Wednesday Only, Thursday Only, Friday Only, or Saturday Only night camping is valid for that night only, and must be vacated by 11AM the following morning.

Dancin’ Dave’s Festival Camping

Have you ever heard of “Glamping”?  Glamour camping…nothing like having your comforts of home setup and ready for your arrival to ROMP. We’re proud to announce that Dancin’ Dave’s Festival Camping will be joining us for the second time. Flying to ROMP and want to camp? Dancin’ Dave’s has got you covered.

Dancin’ Dave’s is excited to announce that we will be providing 4 nights of cushy camping accommodations for this epic event! Our village only has a capacity of 35 tents, so get in while the gettin’s good! Just show up and we’ll take care of the rest.

• Small (pup tent) – $100 – Sleeps up to 2 on floor bedrolls. Best for kids. No cots.
• Medium (8′ x 8′) – $125 – Sleeps 1 on a cot (up to 2 on floor bedrolls)
• Large (9′ x 9′) – $155 – Sleeps up to 2 on cots (or 3 on floor bedrolls) – Most popular tent for 2 adults!
• Jumbo (11′ x 11′) – $205 – Sleeps up to 3 on cots (or 4 on floor bedrolls)

*Packages DO NOT include admission to the festivals. To pay by personal check, select the “Money Order” option when checking out. Prices are for the entire weekend, Wednesday through Sunday.

Your tent will come with the number of cots listed above. If you would like a different number of cots or bedrolls, or would like to bring your own bedding (an air mattress, for example) please let us know by sending a message via our contact form.

You can also add the following amenities (you must rent a tent to rent any of the following items):
Solar Shower – $35 Gazebo with Table – $75 Kitchen – $115

Don’t leave the kids at home We’ve planned the perfect family weekend including tons of kids activities, family camping and so much more! Don’t forget, children 12 & under are FREE! Kids can enjoy hours of fun including music workshops, arts & crafts, games, face painting and educational exhibits. Full schedule of activities listed below. You can also schedule your weekend using the official ROMP app. Download now from your app store. Kids Zone Schedule Thursday, June 22 8am – 9am: Parachute Fun 9am – 10am: Create your own wind chime 10am – 11am: Create your own cape 11am – Noon: Exploring Rocks & Minerals Noon – 1pm: Growing a Garden 1pm – 2pm: SKy Science Festival – “Light” Friday, June 23 8am – 9am: Create your own Mask 9am – 10am: Create your own Fan 10am – 11am: Fiddle Fun with Randy Lanham 11am – Noon: Harmonica with Art the Dude Noon – 1pm: First Aid Fun 1pm – 2pm: SKy Science Festival – “Celestial Objects” Saturday, June 24 8am – 9am: Create your own ROMP Owl 9am – 10am: Create your own Pinwheel 9am – 1pm: Fun with Body Zorbs 10am – 11am: Kazoo with Art the Dude 11am – Noon: Meet & Greet with Hootie & friends Noon – 1pm: Dance workshop with Barry Lanham 1pm – 2pm: SKy Science Festival – “Rainbows”

Welcome, campers! Gates open Wednesday, June 21st for the 14th annual ROMP festival! Entry Times: 8:00am – RV camping pass holders 10:00am – Tent campers, all ticket holders  Upon arrival, let us know in which area you wish to camp. You must have a camping wristband to camp. Wristbands will be checked throughout the festival; be sure to wear the right one for that day. Reminder signs will be posted throughout the park. If you only purchased a single day ticket and wish to stay additional days, just go to the gate to buy the proper wristband.  One-Day and Two-Day campers will have a specific area in which to camp. You must be out by 11AM the following morning. If camping in an RV, everyone in your RV must have both ROMP and camping wristbands. Some campsites require that you park and hike into the area. If you have to park and hike your camping gear into the camping area, it should only be a 2-5 minute walk.

ROMP Camping 101 In preparation for this years festival, we asked our friend and long-time ROMP attendee and camping expert, Kelly Farr, for some ROMP camping tips. Camping at Romp is an awesome way to immerse yourself in the full festival experience!  The following is a suggested list of things to bring and some tips for enhancing your camping experience.   suncreen/hat/sunglasses water! tent sleeping bag air mattress/cot/sleeping pad pillow extra tarp (can be used under tent for moisture, or above for shade) flashlight/head lamp/lantern fan (battery powered) extra batteries chair/blanket  towel (hot showers available!) bandana rain jacket bug spray citronella candle  hammock  $ for vendors Romp app to create your schedule musical instrument/frisbee/hula hoop/etc   Camping Tips:   The first thing to do is chose your camping area, for example; late night, family friendly, etc.  Then you will need to chose a campsite.  Somewhere flat, with shade, and that will drain well in case of rain is ideal.  It will be helpful to put a tarp under your tent to protect from moisture.  An additional tarp can be hung over your tent for shade or extra rain protection.  Since it sometimes rains at Romp, it is a good idea to roll up your sleeping bags and clothing and place them in the middle of your tent to keep them from getting wet if you are away form your campsite.  It is also a good idea to keep your food/cooler outside your tent, or in your vehicle to keep animals from being tempted.  A bandana or blindfold can also keep the early morning sun out of your eyes if you need to sleep in a little.  Remember to drink plenty of water, and just ask the friendly ROMP staff if you have any questions!

Explore Yellow Creek Park Beyond the music: Yellow Creek Park offers many activities for all age groups. Located in the park is a softball field, disc-golf course, tennis courts, and basketball courts. Along with these, there are spots for fishing as well as picnic shelters to cool off during the heat. The park also provides an idyllic nature trail stretching farther than two miles appealing to those who enjoy peaceful hikes and great scenery. Yellow Creek is very kid-friendly and includes a spray park and play ground for children, as well as playing home to the Western Kentucky Raptor Rescue Center and the ROMP mascot, Hootie.