Earl Scruggs Music Festival will return to North Carolina over Labor Day weekend 2026 for its fifth-annual celebration of the late banjo trailblazer. The festival is set for September 4th–6th at the Tryon International Equestrian Center in Mill Spring, about an hour’s drive from Asheville.
This year’s Earl Scruggs Festival will feature nightly headliners Béla Fleck: My Bluegrass Heart (Friday), Greensky Bluegrass (Saturday), and The Avett Brothers closing things out on Sunday. Fleck’s band, assembled for his guest-filled 2021 My Bluegrass Heart album, features Michael Cleveland (fiddle), Dominick Leslie (mandolin), Jeff Partin (dobro), Mark Schatz (bass), and Jake Stargel (guitar).
The festival will host pillars of the bluegrass community, including The Del McCoury Band and Jerry Douglas, who will perform with The Earls of Leicester. Grammy-winner Alison Brown will play two nights with her eponymous quintet and serve as the festival’s artist-in-residence, collaborating with musicians throughout the weekend. The Infamous Stringdusters’ Andy Falco and Travis Book will stage a tribute to Jerry Garcia, in addition to The Scruggs Sessions featuring Book and Friends.
Alongside these staples of bluegrass, roots, and Americana music, the 2026 Earl Scruggs Music Festival will highlight the next generation of artists. Rising bands Mountain Grass Unit, East Nash Grass, Magoo, Della Mae, and Jacoozy all take prominent billing, plus the 2025 winner of Blue Highway Fest’s Rising Stars Challenge, Carolina Detour. Musicians will also compete in The Battle of the Banjos for a slot on Sunday’s schedule, alongside daily performances from the Junior Appalachian Musicians. With a mix of established and upcoming artists performing against the scenic backdrop of the Blue Ridge Mountains, the Earl Scruggs Music Festival preserves the spirit of bluegrass and the festival’s namesake.
A pre-sale for tickets to the 2026 Earl Scruggs Music Festival begins Thursday, March 5th, at 10 a.m. ET. Sign up here for a pre-sale code. Tickets go on sale to the general public Friday, March 6th at 10 a.m. via the festival website.
