MerleFest Releases Full 2026 Lineup

Merlefest – the annual roots conclave on the campus of Wilkes Community College in celebration of North Carolina music legends Doc and Merle Watson – released the full lineup of artists for the event April 23-26 joining previously announced headliners Alison Krauss & Union Station featuring Jerry Douglas, Old Crow Medicine Show, Charles Wesley Godwin and Blackberry Smoke.

a highlight in 2026, Old Crow Medicine Show will celebrate the 20th anniversary of their quintessential album, Big Iron World. To mark this milestone, the band will perform the albums Big Iron World and its predecessor O.C.M.S. in full on MerleFest’s legendary Watson Stage. In addition, OCMS will host the Saturday night Late Night Jam with a growing list of guest collaborators including Blackberry Smoke’s Charlie Starr and AJ Lee & Blue Summit.

“The Late Night Jam is a long standing, must-see event at MerleFest, and we couldn’t think of a better host than Ketch and Old Crow Medicine Show to act as our ring leaders this year,” states Lindsay Craven, MerleFest Artist Relations Manager in a release. “Old Crow’s and MerleFest’s history are so intertwined over the last 26 years, since Doc found them busking in downtown Boone in 2000, to now when they’re headlining the Watson Stage. Ketch and the boys never fail to put on a rowdy, foot-stomping show – and with the help of some very talented friends, they’ll bring that fun energy and collaborative jam spirit to this exciting event.”

MerleFest 2026 tickets are available now including general admission passes, covered patio seating, reserved seating, camping, parking and the Late Night Jam with Old Crow Medicine Show and Friends.

In addition to the headliners, MerleFest 2026 welcomes Molly Tuttle, Railroad Earth, The Infamous Stringdusters, Joy Oladokun, Ketch Secor, Maggie Rose, Sam Bush, The Jerry Douglas Band, The Steep Canyon Rangers, Peter Rowan & The Walls of Time Band, The Castellows, The Creekers, AJ Lee & Blue Summit, The Jack Wharff Band, Sister Sadie, Jake Shimabukuro, Lamont Landers, Hogslop String Band, Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper, Dom Flemons & The Traveling Wildfires, Scythian, Donna the Buffalo, Jim Lauderdale, Kruger Brothers, The Waybacks, Buffalo Traffic Jam, Fireside Collective, Blue Highway, Jason Scott & The High Heat, Trey Hensley, Rev. Peyton’s Big Damn Band, Liam St. John, Melissa Carper, The Wilder Blue, Hayde Bluegrass Orchestra, The Band Loula, Broken Compass Bluegrass, Amelia Day, Andy May, B. Townes, Banknotes, Carbon Harry, Carol Rifkin, Carolina Detour, Cathy & Marcy’s Old Time Coalition, Charles Welch, Compton & Newberry, Corey Harris, Denim & Plaid, DownRiver Collective, DUG, Eleanor Ellis, Flattop, Full Steam Bluegrass Band, Gravity Check Juggling, The InterACTive Theatre of Jef, Jack Lawrence, Jeff Little Trio, Joe Smothers, Ken Crouse, The Knackered Ramblers, Laura Boosinger, Leon Timbo & The Family Band, The Local Boys, Mark Bumgarner, Mitch Greenhill & Mitch’s Kitchen, Mo-Grass, Myles Gee, Nick Wade, Pete & Joan Wernick, Presley Barker, Reid West, Roy Book Binder, Seth Mulder & Midnight Run, Shelby Means, Smitty & The Jumpstarters, T. Michael Coleman, Tony Williamson, Valley Flower, Wayne Henderson, West Texas Exiles, Wyatt Ellis and Zoe & Cloyd.

MerleFest, presented by Window World, was founded in 1988 as a fundraiser for the Garden of the Senses at Wilkes Community College (WCC) in memory of world-renowned flatpicker Doc Watson’s late son Eddy Merle Watson. MerleFest is a celebration of “traditional plus” music that has expanded from old-time, classic country, bluegrass, folk, gospel and blues to include Americana and classic rock among other styles. MerleFest is the primary fundraiser for the WCC Foundation, funding scholarships, capital projects and other educational needs on campus.