This is an annual ongoing piece here on my website, because we cover SO MANY nationwide festivals per year, and also it’s becoming more difficult to print individual articles for 275 festivals. I still plan to relentlessly print and promote that many separately, and as they all reveal their lineups, I’ll follow suit.
The 2020 ROMP Festival lineup will be announced very soon! Stay up-to-date with us on social media to get the inside scoop on all things ROMP. In addition to the special performance of LIVE from Here with Chris Thile, the 2020 LINEUP promises to make for another great weekend in Owensboro, KY! Stay tuned…
There are so many ways to contribute to ROMP Festival! We couldn’t do it without our tireless army of volunteers, street team members, and sponsors. To join the ROMP team, click below for more info.
ROMP wouldn’t be ROMP without all the amazing food and craft vendors. Applications to vend at ROMP are now open! We strive to have healthy food options and hand-made arts & crafts to enhance the festival experience. Apply now!
Miss out on scoring some ROMP gear from previous festivals? Check out our sale on merchandise! We’re getting ready for ROMP 2020 and have discounted some very cool items still in stock. Score your swag today!
Here we go folks! Tickets to Pickathon 2020 are set to go one sale this Saturday at 9am. Set the alarms, drop it in your google calendar, blow the bugles, fire off a telegram! General admission tickets are going on sale, plus we’re going to release more RV, car camping, and tent package options. The festival lineup won’t be ready until early February, so this is your chance to beat the rush. Patron Passes are still available if you want to go HAM on Pickathon this year! We’ve mentioned before that Pickathon will look and feel completely different in 2020, and we promise you won’t want to miss out on this. So get your tickets and come on home this summer: www.pickathon.com/tickets
P.S. Limited number of Patron Passes still available!
A Patron Pass gets you:
• Full weekend ticket + Thursday Early Entry
• Full backstage access at every stage
• Free food all weekend and unlimited drinks at any bar
• Access to additional stages/exclusive secret session tapings
• Reserved VIP parking space
• Express check-in at the gate
• Exclusive early access to purchase accommodations
It’s time to rock the boat! Your 2020 lineup arrives Wednesday, February 12th at 10am EST with 3-day tickets on saleat 12pm EST (same day)! Add a reminder to your calendar with the buttons below, and cruise around forecastlefest.com to get ready to secure your tickets. Check out on sale details and tips here.
DelFest Academy instructors have been announced! In addition to our Grammy-winning host band The Travelin’ McCourys [Rob McCoury (banjo), Ron McCoury (mandolin), Jason Carter (fiddle), Cody Kilby (guitar), Alan Bartram (bass)], our 2020 Instructors will also include Frank Solivan (mandolin) and Dirty Kitchen bandmate Mike Munford (banjo), Chris Luquette (guitar), Ronnie Bowman (guitar and vocals), Garnet Bowman (vocals) and Jay Starling (dobro).
DelFest Academy takes place May 17-20 at the Allegany County Fairgrounds. Registration is now open! LEARN MORE
As one decade ends and another begins, we thank
music lovers the world over for making Grey Fox
such a special time and place year after year.
We hope to see you all in Oak Hill, NY,
Wed, July 15 thru Sun, 19, 2020
• TICKETS ON SALE JANUARY 4TH • Doorbuster Ticket Sale begins Saturday, Jan 4th at Noon. $205 per person (age 13 and up). Kids 12 and under are free. Ticket quantities are limited. When Doorbusters are sold out,
we’ll begin the Super Savers Sale at $225 per person.
• 2020 VEHICLE PASSES • Due to limited space, these prices are in effect for 2020.
Limit: One vehicle pass per full festival ticket. On-Site Vehicle Pass: $50 This pass allows you to park your vehicle on site.
If you don’t need your vehicle near your campsite,
we encourage you to purchase a Car Corral pass
and park in the car corral across the street.
Car Corral Vehicle Pass: $20 Allows campers to drive in, unload, then park in car corral.
Vehicle passes limited to one per full festival ticket.
High Meadow Campers must purchase a car corral
vehicle pass and park in car corral. • 2020 GREY FOX ARTIST IN RESIDENCE •
Jerry Douglas to perform three big days: July 16, 17 & 18 14-time Grammy winner, 3-time CMA Entertainer of the Year, and
National Endowment for the Arts Fellow. Photo by Vorobiov
• WHEN & WHERE •
Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival takes place July 15-19, 2020
On the Walsh Farm in Oak Hill, New York Albany: 40 mins / Syracuse: 2 hrs / NYC: 2.25 hrs
Boston: 3.5 hrs / Montreal: 4.5 hrs / Baltimore: 5 hrs• LINEUP COMING FEB 14 •
Hosted, as always, by Dry Branch Fire Squad.
Presenting over 40 bands on six stages.
Full lineup with bluegrass music’s top touring bands and
exciting, young emerging artists, will be announced on
Valentine’s Day, February 14. What’s not to love?• JOIN US •
Thousands of fans from over 30 states and a dozen countries
consider Grey Fox the place to be every third weekend in July.
Tickets and information at www.GreyFoxBluegrass.com.
Stay tuned for upcoming news about all things Grey Fox!
We just added the following sixteen bands to the 2020 roster – John Cowan & Songs From The Road Band Featuring Andy Thorn, Vince Herman as Artist at Large, Chicago Farmer & the Field Notes, Clare Brown, Deep Fried Pickle Project, Dan Andree Band, Ernie Hill’s Story Songs, Fox Crossing Stringband, Joe Kidd & Sheila Burke, Miles Over Mountains, Relic, Stillhouse Junkies, The Kay Brothers, The Misty Mountain String Band, White Lightning Boys, Will Kimble and Trina Emig. To view all the artist photos and bios click here. The Daily Lineup will be announced at a later date.
We Cap Tickets For Your Comfort:
Just like years past there is a ticket cap. We will continue to limit the amount of multi-day tickets sold to just 2,000 Full-Festival Tickets. This year the first tier (of three) multi-day tickets sold in a record 14 hours, and as of print the second tier has just 100 left. Last year the 2nd tier sold out as well. Pick up discounted tickets while they are available. We strive to create an exclusive, laidback, event. We are a family friendly, kid friendly, dog friendly, jam friendly, just plain friendly festival. Single Day tickets will go on sale around early March. Click Here to buy multi-day tickets.
Contest Info:
Applications are now open for both the John Hartford Memorial Band Contest and The Songwriter’s Challenge. Win cash prizes and more! All entrants will be considered for future bookings. We have booked many of the bands and songwriter’s that competed in previous years. Click Here to learn about the Band Contest and Click Here to learn about the Songwriter’s Challenge.
2019 Winner Good Morning Bedlam
Band Contest– The deadline for submissions is Midnight, CST, Feb 28. Judges will narrow down the qualified entries to a maximum of 12 finalist bands to compete live at JHMF10. Final contestants will be notified via email by Thursday, March 5. Any band that was booked at the 2019 festival is ineligible to enter, as well as all previous 1st place Band Contest winners. All entrants will be considered for future bookings. We have booked many of the bands that competed in previous contests.
1st Place Prize: $1000, a Hartford main stage slot at the 2021 John Hartford Memorial Festival.
2nd Place: $500
3rd Place: $300
4th Place: $200
1-4th place bands receive a custom designed and fabricated hardwood trophy.
2019 Winner Barker Thompson, from St. Louis, MO.
Songwriter’s Challenge- We will stop accepting entries when we reach 40 compliant and complete entries or at Midnight CST, Feb 28, 2020, whichever comes first. Entrants will be prejudged and notified by March 21, 2020. Our top four winners will perform on Friday, May 29, in our Songwriter’s Challenge on the Hartford Stage, the House that Bill Monroe built. All compliant contestants will be considered for bookings at future events.
1st place wins $200.00, two full festival tickets, a slot in our Main Stage Songwriter’s Showcase, an invitation to return to the 2021 John Hartford Memorial Festival to perform your winning song during our 2021 Songwriting Contest Showcase and additional festival goodies.
2nd place wins $150, one full festival ticket, a slot in our Main Stage Songwriter’s Showcase and additional festival goodies.
3rd place wins $100, one full festival ticket, a slot in our Main Stage Songwriter’s Showcase and additional festival goodies.
4th place wins $50, one full festival ticket, a slot in our Main Stage Songwriter’s Showcase and additional festival goodies.
1-4th place songwriters receive a custom designed and fabricated hardwood trophy.
Free Primitive Tent Camping:
Don’t forget, for the first time ever, all 4-Day Full Festival ticket holders get free primitive tent camping. The campground and the facilities are maintained and operated by the Bill Monroe Memorial Music Park and Campground. Reservations are not required for primitive camping. For any additional questions about camping reservations, camping with hook-ups, or anything else regarding camping, call the Campground at (812) 988-6422.
Nestled in the beautiful hills of Brown County in Southern Indiana, in a little slice of heaven called Bean Blossom, the park is located on a 55-acre tract of land. Bill Monroe fell in love with this small town, and the property he owned, calling it his home away from home for more than forty years. Once you visit, you too will experience the magic of Bean Blossom. Come experience the history, become a part of tradition and find out why so many call this the Mecca of Bluegrass Music. The facilities are complete with hot showers, clean restrooms, coin laundry facility, two dump stations, a water park complete with a beach, rope swings, swim platform and a water slide; walking trails, assorted picnic tables, fire rings, and barbecue grills; large covered pavilion, camp store, gift shop, and museum (your festival wristband gets you in the museum).
Photo & Video Review:
Last year we had seven official photographers wandering the festival and capturing musical memories and superlative moments. Experience last year by checking out the hundreds of photos from 2019 that we archived on our past festival photo page. Click Here to view the images. Thanks again to the following photographers; Amanda Cannon, Danny “Hootenanny” Clark, Sara Compton, Matthew Hill, Will Huston, Aaron Ligenfelter and Troy Phillips.
Ace videographer Troy Phillips of Live Music Video Productions created this recap of the 2019 edition of the festival. If you’re new to our gathering consider this a great way to familiarize yourself with the vibe of the event. For those of you who were lucky enough to be in attendance press play and see if you can spot yourself.
See You May 27 – May 30, 2020:
Where in the world can you go to sit back, relax, leave your worries at the gate, enjoy the campground atmosphere and listen to or participate in campfire jamming? Where can you go to experience the most exciting, thoroughly entertaining bunch of pickers and singers ever assembled in the most laid back atmosphere in the country? Join us May 27 – May 30, in Bean Blossom, Indiana at the Bill Monroe Music Park & Campground for the 10th annual John Hartford Memorial Festival, “The Most Laid Back Festival in America!” That’s where it all takes place.
