Coastal Rhode Island will get some top-shelf roots music when the 26th annual Rhythm & Roots Music Festival comes to Charleston on August 30th, 31st, and September 1st. The event, which began as a zydeco/cajun show and has blossomed into a full-blown roots festival, will bring headliners Emmylou Harris, Old Crow Medicine Show, Drive-By Truckers, and Larkin Poe to Ninigret Park in 2024.
Rhythm & Roots will host 30 bands across three stages, with Harris making her debut at the festival. Rising Nashville guitarist Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country will help fill out the 2024 Rhythm & Roots lineup, which also includes a bit of soul and funk from Brooklyn seven-piece Sister Sparrow & The Dirty Birds, New Orleans institution Rebirth Brass Band, and Canadian gothic folkers The Strumbellas. The undercard includes up-and-coming acts like Ruthie Foster, Shemekia Copeland, GA-20, Glen David Andrews, Billy Keane, Grady Spencer & The Work, Yarn, Cousin Curtiss, Will Evans, and Julia Pratt, along with many more.
The event offers onsite camping beside the picturesque waterfront Ninigret Park but caps camping at 1,500 to maintain an intimate atmosphere. Inside the festival, fans will have culinary options as diverse as their musical options, with the blend of folk, country, R&B, zydeco, and bluegrass matched with barbeque, Thai, jambalaya, and other local favorites.
During the day, attendees are encouraged to discover what Rhode Island’s South County has to offer, from ocean beaches, casinos, block island ferries, historic villages, and many other activities. The festival grounds open at 4 p.m. on Friday and noon on Saturday and Sunday, with music starting one hour after gates open and continuing through 11 p.m.
While camping passes are now sold out, non-camping single-day, two-day, and three-day tickets for Rhythm & Roots 2024 are still on sale here. Admission is free for children under 12.
For more information on Rhythm & Roots Music Festival 2024, visit the event website.
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