The annual Merlefest Music Festival held on the Wilkes Community College campus in Wilkesboro, NC is one of the country’s premier music festivals featuring traditional, Americana, bluegrass, blues and other roots-based musical styles. Started by folk and bluegrass legend Doc Watson in 1988 as a tribute to his son and musical partner, Merle Watson, Merlefest is a four day, multi-stage, morning to night showcase of some of the best music and musicians of the type of music that Doc calls “traditional plus”.
This year’s festival runs from April 26-29 and features performances by mandolin virtuoso Chris Thile and his band Punch Brothers, slide guitar master Derek Trucks and his wife Susan Tedeschi in the Tedeschi Trucks Band, Los Lobos, Tony Rice, Vince Gill, Alison Krauss and Union Station, Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, Sam Bush, The Steep Canyon Rangers and 80 other acts. Perennial performances by artists like The Nashville Bluegrass Band, Tut Taylor and, of course, Doc Watson are always a highlight.
Enjoying the festival requires some prior planning and some knowledge of what to expect from the event and what the event and its fans expect of you. Here are some tips to help you get the most out of your visit, should you decide to go.
Make a Plan
With 13 separate stages and locations for artists to play from as early as 9:30am until Midnight and later, you will be much more likely to see your favorite performers by reviewing the stage schedules in advance. You can print the schedule from the Merlefest website and highlight the artists and the times and stages they’re playing on prior to arriving at the festival. Carry it in your pocket and you’ll save precious time in navigating between venues. With some artists playing multiple times on multiple days while others play only on one day, you can catch more of your favorites by reviewing the schedule in advance.
Pace Yourself
Treat Merlefest like a marathon, not a sprint, and you’ll get to see more performances and live to tell about it. The festival starts early and runs late on Friday and Saturday so if you plan to catch acts all day, you need to get plenty of rest. Campground jam sessions and partying the night before will catch up with you during these full days of music when the majority of the headliners and rising stars will perform. Saturday night is the “Midnight Jam” which runs until 2:00am, so if you have tickets and don’t want to sleep through it due to sheer exhaustion, as I have seen people do, you might want to skip some of the earlier shows this day and sleep in a little.
Stay in a Campground
This may not be advice as much as reassurance for those who are not used to “roughing it” since hotels in the area are limited and book up well in advance. Your best bet for staying anywhere reasonably close to the festival is to camp. Most campgrounds have shuttles to and from the college that eliminate the hassle of driving and trying to park. As an added bonus, most of the campgrounds will have jam sessions and partying well into the early morning hours that can be as entertaining as some of the scheduled shows at the festival. However, you may want to review “Pace Yourself” above before partaking in the campground festivities.
Know the Festival Rules and Etiquette
The biggest difference in Merlefest and many other festivals and concerts I have attended is the atmosphere. This is due in large part to the banning of drugs and alcohol from the festival. This festival is about the music, pure and simple, and a crowd that is drunk, high or some combination thereof does not make for a festival focused on music. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy a beer or two, especially while listening to great music. But all it takes is a couple of obnoxious or out of control drunks to ruin the event for everyone. I’m not going to try to tell you that you won’t see someone who’s intoxicated at Merlefest, but they’re few and far between. Festival organizers and security do a great job of keeping alcohol and drugs out of the festival, unlike many other events of its kind, and don’t tolerate bad behavior by those who might have imbibed outside the festival.
Newcomers should be aware that this festival is about the music. The fans at these shows have come to hear the music, not to talk, pick up girls (or guys), get high or any of the other things so common in clubs, concerts and other festivals. Fans at Merlefest actually listen to the music, so if you’re not interested in doing that, find a different festival to attend. I’ve never understood why anyone would spend good money on an expensive ticket to a concert or festival only to shout over the music at their companions and then get drunk and pass out before the show ends. You won’t see that at this festival. Merlefest is truly a family friendly event where you’ll be able to actually hear the music, instead of the crowd around you.
Have Fun and Plan to Return
One of the best things about Merlefest is that it happens every year. Don’t fret about missing an act you hoped to catch or having to make a tough choice of who to see when two or more of your favorites are playing at the same time. There’s always another year. Sure, lineups change from year to year, but many artists return every year. Don’t be afraid to skip someone you know well and check out a new band or artist. I also recommend the contests (songwriting, guitar and banjo) for some of the best music and artists you’ve probably never heard of. Winners of these contests often go on to recording contracts or careers as songwriters. Previous winners include Gillian Welch, Tift Merritt, Cody Kilby and many others whose names may not be recognizable to most but who are well known session players and sidemen in bands.
So, if you want to enjoy great music in a great environment, make plans to go to Merlefest. If you’re a fan of roots-based music, or “traditional plus” as Doc Watson calls it, I guarantee you’ll get more bang for your buck with a Merlefest pass than with any other festival. Follow these tips and you’ll have such a great time, you’ll start thinking about coming back as soon as you walk out of the festival gates on Sunday.