MerleFest facts for kids
Quick facts for kids MerleFest |
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Record-breaking crowd at MerleFest during Avett Brothers performance
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| Genre | traditional plus |
| Dates | last weekend in April |
| Location(s) | Wilkes Community College Wilkesboro, North Carolina |
| Years active | 1988 to present |
| Founded by | Doc Watson |
MerleFest is a super cool music festival that happens every year in Wilkesboro, North Carolina. It takes place at Wilkes Community College during the last weekend of April. This festival is named after Eddy Merle Watson, the son of famous musician Doc Watson. Doc Watson, who won a Grammy Award, started the festival to honor his son after Merle passed away in 1985.
About MerleFest
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MerleFest started in 1988 thanks to Doc Watson. It's a really important event for Wilkes Community College because it helps raise money for the school. Lots of people come to MerleFest! More than 75,000 visitors attend each year, making it one of the biggest music festivals in the whole United States. It also brings over $10 million to the local area every year.
Music at the Festival
The festival lasts for four days and has music playing on 13 different stages! This means there's always a huge variety of music to enjoy. Doc Watson called the music style "traditional plus." This means it's a mix of old and new "roots music."
You can hear many different types of music at MerleFest, including:
- Bluegrass
- Contemporary acoustic (newer music played on acoustic instruments)
- Blues
- Folk
- Old-time music
- Cajun
- Jazz
- Country
- Celtic
- Americana
- Rock
- Music from singer-songwriters
One of the coolest things about MerleFest is that artists often play together in special "jam sessions." You might see musicians who don't usually perform together create amazing new sounds on stage! For example, Bob Weir from the Grateful Dead has sung with Sam Bush, and Gillian Welch has played with the Waybacks.
Famous Performers
Many famous musicians have played at MerleFest over the years. Some of the well-known artists include:
- Dolly Parton
- Willie Nelson
- Earl Scruggs
- Alison Krauss and Union Station
- Alan Jackson
- Darius Rucker
- Ricky Skaggs
- Emmylou Harris
- Elvis Costello
- Randy Travis
- Lyle Lovett
- The Doobie Brothers
- Robert Plant and the Band of Joy
- The Avett Brothers
- Old Crow Medicine Show
- Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers
- Zac Brown Band
- Dierks Bentley
- Linda Ronstadt
- Levon Helm
- Taj Mahal
- Bruce Hornsby
- Vince Gill
These are just a few of the many talented artists who have shared their music at this special festival!
