Long-running roots music festival MerleFest will return to Wilkesboro, NC from April 24th–27th, 2025 with a lineup topped by North Carolina natives The Avett Brothers and Watchhouse along with 13-time Grammy-winner Bonnie Raitt and Canadian bluegrass band The Dead South.
Set to take over the campus of Wilkes Community College, MerleFest 2025 will see the highly anticipated return of the Late Night Jam, hosted by Sam Bush. On Friday, April 25th, the newgrass pioneer will stage a special, separately ticketed jam session with an all-star lineup of MerleFest artists. Along with Bush and the headliners, next year’s festival honoring the legacy of the late Doc Watson will host rising stars Wyatt Flores, The War And Treaty, Brent Cobb, and The Lil Smokies alongside veterans The SteelDrivers, Asleep at the Wheel, Peter Rowan, Donna the Buffalo, Jim Lauderdale, Alison Brown, Big Richard, and many more.
Additional MerleFest artists include Tony Trischka’s Earl Jam, Scythian, Kruger Brothers, TopHouse, John R. Miller, Woody Platt and the Bluegrass Gentlemen, John McEuen & The Circle Band, The Waybacks, Andy May, Banknotes, The Barefoot Movement, Carol Mallett Rifkin, Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer with Chao Tian From China to Appalachia, Charles Welch, Damn Tall Buildings, East Nash Grass, The InterACTive Theater of Jef, Jack Lawrence, Jeff Little Trio, Joe Smothers, Josh Goforth, Laura Boosinger, The Local Boys, Mark Bumgarner, Mattie Schell, Mitch Greenhill & Mitch’s Kitchen, Muireann Bradley, Paul McDonald, Pete & Joan Wernick, Presley Barker, Rev. Robert Jones, Roy Booker Binder, T. Michael Coleman, Todd Albright, Tony Williamson, and Wayne Henderson. More artists will be announced in the coming weeks.
New for 2025, the festival will introduce the MerleFest Mobile App. Fans can download the app on Apple and Google smartphones to get the latest festival updates, set reminders for performance times, and discover new artists with the official MerleFest 2025 Spotify playlists.
Tickets for MerleFest 2025 are on sale here including four-day, single-day, patio seating, camping passes, and more.
