Award-winning music. Mountain views. A full day of Appalachian tradition.

Saturday, October 24: 10 am - 6 pm

Voted #1 Best Event/Festival in Haywood County (2024, 2025) — and We’re Back for 2026!

Get ready for another unforgettable experience at the Haywood County Arts Council’s Annual Bluegrass Festival Fundraiser — our biggest fundraiser of the year!

We’re returning to the beautiful Maggie Valley Festival Grounds, right in the heart of leaf season in Haywood County — the perfect backdrop for a full day of music, art, food, and community

Ticket Rates:

General Ticket (12+ years of age): $65 + 7% (NC Sales Tax) = $69.55

Youth Ticket (up to 12 years of age): FREE!

Get Your Tickets HERE!
A landscape of rolling mountains covered with trees in autumn foliage with vibrant reds, oranges, yellows, and greens, under a cloudy sky.
Four musicians are performing on stage at an outdoor event, with a large audience in front of them and scenic mountains in the background.

2026 line-up:

  • Balsam Range

    Balsam Range

  • Ceramic Red Mushroom by Jimmy Richardson

    Appalachian Road Show

  • Five men holding musical instruments, standing in front of a bar with wooden tanks, smiling at the camera.

    Unspoken Tradition

  • A group of four musicians standing against a corrugated metal wall, holding acoustic and electric string instruments, posing for a photo and smiling.

    Red Camel Collective

  • A woman in a white dress holding an acoustic guitar outdoors with mountains and a colorful sky in the background.

    Olivia Jo

Tentative Schedule

 

10:00 am, Gates open

11:00 am, Opening Band: Olivia Jo, 45-minute set

12:00 pm, Unspoken Tradition, 60-minute set

1:15 pm, Red Camel Collective, 60-minute set

2:45 pm, Appalachian Road Show, 75-minute set

4:30 pm, Balsam Range, 75- to 90-minute set

FAQs

Ticket Rates

1

Early Bird Ticket Rates:

Early Bird ticket rates end on August 30th at midnight. Tickets will increase to $65 (plus NC sales tax).

General Ticket (12+ years of age): $55 + 7% (NC Sales Tax) = $58.85

Youth Ticket (up to 12 years of age): FREE!

We use GiveButter to process ticket sales. During checkout, you may be asked to leave a tip—this goes to GiveButter, not HCAC. You can enter $0 if you prefer.

What to Expect

2

A Full Day of Music, Food & Community

  • Continuous live performances throughout the day

  • A variety of local food trucks and beverages

  • Handmade goods and artist vendors

  • Raffles, activities, and community fun

  • Beautiful mountain setting during peak fall color

Plan Your Day

3

  • Bring a lawn chair or blanket for seating

  • Food and drinks available for purchase on-site. No coolers, please. We’ve made a promise to our hardworking small business food and beverage vendors to support them — and we appreciate you helping us honor that commitment

  • Free admission for children 12 & under

  • Easy, convenient parking at the festival grounds

  • Come early to enjoy the full day of music

  • Well-behaved, leashed dogs are welcome.

Refund & Weather Policy

4

Refunds: As our annual fundraiser for the Haywood County Arts Council, proceeds from the Smoky Mountains Bluegrass Festival directly support arts programming in our community. For this reason, all ticket sales are final, and we are unable to offer refunds under any circumstances. Thank you for your cooperation and support.

Weather: This is a rain-or-shine event! The Smoky Mountains Bluegrass Festival will be held regardless of weather conditions. Please come prepared for the forecast, as all ticket sales are final and no refunds will be issued. 

  • The Smoky Mountain Bluegrass Festival was my first time attending. I cannot imagine all of the time and effort that was involved in producing this day. The food, the arts and crafts booths and yes , AWESOME music made for a great day. Even more impressive was the fact that the people were laughing, dancing and really enjoying themselves. For the people to come back and persevere from the devastation from Helene is a testament of the human spirit. It takes loving and caring people like yourselves to do this. My wife and myself are in our 70's. We felt like kids in a candy store at this event. My sister lives in Asheville and wanted us to stay with her but I wanted the full experience. We 'camped' in the Holiday Motel across the street. We shopped local, ate local really enjoyed ourselves. Everyone so helpful and kind. Congratulate yourselves for an event that was FANTASTIC! Take a breath, relax and then get ready for next year! I'm ready to go !! God Bless You!

    - 2026 Guest

  • "This was the best small festival that we’ve attended. All the music was top notch. The food was great and the festival grounds were perfect for the size of the crowd. We will definitely consider coming back from Lincoln County next year."

    - 2022 Guest

  • "The festival was well organized, the staff were able to answer all of our questions and helped us with everything we needed."

    - 2022 Vendor

  • "Our third year at this festival. Always enjoy it and plan to make it an annual event."

    - 2023 Guest

  • "All of the bands were excellent, and the weather was gorgeous - as usual!"

    - 2023 Guest

  • "This was our first time attending from Texas, everything was great and we thoroughly enjoyed the festival and Maggie Valley. We look forward to returning."

    - 2023 Guest

  • "We love the festival. Appreciate all the planning and work that go into making it a pleasant and enjoyable experience."

    - 2022 Guest

North Carolina Arts Council Logo
A graphic of a road sign featuring a mountain range at the top, with the word 'ROUTE' at the top, the number '19' in large font in the middle, and the word 'INN' at the bottom. The sign is divided into sections with different colors, including black, orange, and light blue.

Thank you to Our Generous Donors

A digital illustration of a train with a dog's head in place of the human face, set against an industrial background with smokestacks. The train is in front of a banner that reads 'Hazelwood Boosters' in bold, gold-lettered text.
McGill logo featuring three stylized, colored rectangles and the company name in bold, dark blue text.
Visit Haywood Logo
Logo for Edwards, a business with branches in Haywood County.
A blue and black logo with a silhouette of a knight in armor riding a horse inside a blue circle, with the words 'Champion Credit Union' beneath it.
Mast General Store Logo
Text graphic reading "Rock for Relief, a WNC flood benefit festival" in shades of blue.
  • Appalachian Road Show, Photo Credit Jeff Lahr

    Appalachian Road Show, Photo Credit Jeff Lahr

  • Artist Demo, Jan Kolenda

    Artist Demo, Jan Kolenda

  • Photo Credit Tom Lotshaw

    Photo Credit Tom Lotshaw

  • Balsam Range, Photo Credit Tom Lotshaw

    Balsam Range, Photo Credit Tom Lotshaw

  • Oak and Grist Distillery, Photo Credit Tom Lotshaw

    Oak and Grist Distillery, Photo Credit Tom Lotshaw

  • The Blue Ridge Girls

    The Blue Ridge Girls

  • Photo Credit Tom Lotshaw

    Photo Credit Tom Lotshaw

  • Volunteer Greets Dog at the Ticket Gate

  • Photo Credit Tom Lotshaw

    Photo Credit Tom Lotshaw

Vista at the Blue Ridge Parkway in Western North Carolina, showing large stylized text logo in blue that reads "The Vista in the Mountains" with smaller text "Western NC Mountains" underneath.

Discover the wonders of Haywood County, NC. Come stay in exceptional accommodations, indulge in delectable dining, shop to your heart’s content, embark on thrilling outdoor adventures, immerse yourself in the arts scene, and so much more!


Plan Your Trip
 
 

Festival Location

3374 Soco Road
Maggie Valley, NC 28751

Hours
Saturday, October 24
10 am - 6 pm