The Magic of MerleFest

Festival Celebrates 35th Anniversary with a Magical Weekend

Music. Moments. Memories.

That is the official motto of MerleFest and it’s quite a fitting one. But after having attended my very first MerleFest, I think there is one thing missing. Magic! MerleFest 2023 was everything I hoped it would be and much, much more. It was definitely a time to enjoy music, experience moments like no other, and make memories that will last a lifetime. It was in a word, magical and that has a lot to do with the uniqueness of this particular music festival. MerleFest is definitely like no other festival I have ever been to. So what is it about the festival that made for such an extraordinary weekend?

Community

There is a wonderful sense of community that surrounds this entire festival. What started out as a small fundraiser for Wilkes Community College has grown into a huge event that serves as the biggest source of funding for the college each year and is the single largest economic boost to the town of Wilkesboro and the surrounding area. As soon as you exit Highway 421 to head to the festival grounds, you are greeted with signs and flags welcoming festival goers to the area and the whole area had a buzz about it that was hard to contain. Volunteers worked long and hard hours to make the festival a success and every single person that I ran into was extremely helpful and nice from those checking bags to selling tickets and everything in between.

Parking/Shuttle Service

Okay, so you are probably wondering what is so wonderful about parking and a shuttle service. Well, I’ll tell you. Parking was free and so was the shuttle service. Now, this isn’t the kind of thing that drives attendance but from stories I have heard about other music festivals, it is the type of thing that can really put a sour taste in patron’s mouths if things aren’t going well. I am happy to report that the shuttle service ran smoothly the entire weekend. Whether I was leaving one of the parking lots to head to the festival or on my way back to the lots after a long day, I never had to wait more than a few minutes to board a shuttle and get on my way. When several of the parking lots experienced flooding and muddy conditions due to the amount of rain that fell, the festival was on top of it with heavy equipment in the lots to pull out anyone that had trouble navigating their way out.

Family/Kids Activities

Everyone is welcome at MerleFest and the festival has gone above and beyond to make the event one that people feel comfortable bringing their children to so the whole family can attend.

The Little Picker’s stage featured top-notch, young musicians and entertainment like the Gravity Check Juggling team. There was plenty of room in this area for the kids to run and play with games set up and a tent that occupied the attention of those wanting to play in the sand. There was an art wall, bubbles, and even a food option that sold juice boxes and other kid-friendly snacks. There was also a playground a short walk away from this area where a lot of kids chose to play while everyone enjoyed the music coming from the Watson Stage.

Food

Food at a festival is often not the greatest experience and I’ve found myself on more than one occasion paying an exorbitant amount of money for a really, bad hot dog or cold hamburger. Happily, this was not the case at MerleFest. The main food tent was situated close to the Watson Stage and had a separate Dining Tent adjacent to it which provided additional seating to enjoy your food. There were options for everyone from the traditional pizza and hamburgers to Vegan options and chicken bbq. I wasn’t brave enough to try an Elvis Dog (banana, bacon, peanut butter, w/optional hot dog) but did indulge in a pretzel dog and some Thai-style grilled chicken chunks. There were other vendors located throughout the festival grounds as well so no matter where you found yourself, there was food and drink close by. The best part is the prices were extremely reasonable so it didn’t break the bank to grab a meal.

Tradition

Everywhere you looked, there was a sense of tradition at MerleFest. I think I felt the presence of Doc Watson in the air as the music played and people sang and danced. A huge part of the event is keeping the traditional music alive and MerleFest does one heck of a job doing that. You could experience everything mandolin from some of the best in the business at Mando Mania or check out some of the talents from Pete Wernick’s Jam Camp. The Traditional Stage featured some of the best of the best with Dom Flemons and Compton & Newberry and throughout the festival, there was always something interesting going on as people jammed at the Pickin’ Place. Attendees could also venture to the Acoustic Shoppe and check out the wide array of instruments available to purchase and learn about the different kinds of instruments and how they are made.

Heritage Crafts and Vendors

For those who need to get a shopping fix whenever and wherever possible, MerleFest offered a ton of vendors selling everything from clothes and raingear to bacon jam. Band merchandise was offered in the MerleFest Mall with a huge variety of apparel as well as CDs and collectible vinyl. The huge Heritage Crafts tent featured a variety of artisans selling everything from handmade jewelry and candles to leather goods and fine works of art. Of course, no trip to MerleFest should be without some official festival merchandise and the MerleFest Gift Shop had all the goodies one could imagine.

Music

Last but certainly not least is the music. After all, that’s what MerleFest is all about, celebrating the great music and traditions of Doc Watson and bringing some of the best artists around to perform for us all. With four days and 12 stages, there is definitely no shortage of musical acts to choose from. MerleFest does an outstanding job of bringing in a huge variety of artists to grace their stages and this year was no different. Some of the artists even got to do multiple sets on different stages throughout the weekend which gave everyone a chance to see someone they may have otherwise missed.

There were far too many excellent performers to cover them all, but here are some of the sets that stood out to me. First, I need to give a huge shout-out to all the amazing young artists that were featured over the course of the festival. From North Carolina’s own Presley Barker kicking things off on the Watson Stage to the brilliant Wyatt Ellis making his picking presence known all weekend long, MerleFest truly was a wonderful showcase for the next generation. There was a tremendous amount of musical genius happening in the Little Picker’s tent and during the Acoustic Kids Ambassadors sets on the Cabin Stage. Do yourself a favor and next year, make sure to check out some of these youngsters performing. I have no doubt that before we know it, they will be headlining the main stage.

If country music is your vibe, then MerleFest 2023 gave us some of the very best with the amazing Miko Marks lighting up the Watson Stage to Lori McKenna’s closing out the Cabin Stage on Saturday night. And of course, we can’t forget about Maren Morris drivin’ circles around this festival in fine fashion.

One of the hottest sets of the weekend goes to the Sam Bush Band who had us all howlin’ at the moon and people jamming and dancing in the aisles. Another fun thing about MerleFest is to expect the unexpected as there are a lot of opportunities for jams and collaborations to happen. I think we saw Sam doing his thing more than anyone else over the weekend as he was a fixture on multiple stages.

If rock is more your style, we had the amazing Celtic rock of Scythian delivering a storm-shortened set on the Watson Stage and making an appearance throughout the weekend. I have never seen them perform and wow did they put on a show! Opening night of MerleFest closed out with a rain-soaked set from Chris and Rich Robinson of the Black Crowes delivering an acoustic set as Brothers of the Feather and Friday night blues rock guitarist Marcus King electrified the night. And I certainly can’t forget to mention the amazing set put on by the most famous band from North Carolina, The Avett Brothers, who turned MerleFest into a high-spirited dance party.

What a weekend! If you haven’t been to MerleFest yet, what are you waiting for? Next year’s festival will take place April 25th through April 28th so stay tuned for what’s sure to be an amazing MerleFest 2024. I for one can’t wait for more.