Earl Scruggs Music Fest Returns For Third Year To Tryon Equestrian Center

Yonder Mountain String Band, Old Crow Medicine Show, Tanya Tucker, Marty Stuart & His Fabulous Superlatives, and many more will be on hand as the Earl Scruggs Music Festival returns to the Tryon International Equestrian Center in Mill Spring, North Carolina, Aug. 30 to Sept. 1.

The festival marks its third year as well as bluegrass legend Scruggs’ 100th anniversary. Attendees can also look forward to a diverse range of music, panel discussions, and intimate artist conversations on the Legends workshop stage. 

Advance-price tickets are currently on sale, with a variety of General Admission and VIP packages available. VIP ticket packages include reserved seating in VIP-exclusive indoor and outdoor spaces, exclusive merchandise items, complimentary refreshments, and more. On-site camping and cabin rentals are also available for reservation via the festival website.

Homegrown pickers, history buffs, and devoted Earl enthusiasts will have the opportunity to engage in inspiring demonstrations led by notable industry figures such as Earl Scruggs Center director Mary Beth Martin and curator Zach Dressel, music journalists Craig Havighurst and Tommy Goldsmith, and acclaimed musicians like Jerry Douglas and Darrell Scott. 

Earl Scruggs Music Festival is excited to announce the return of The Scruggs Sessions (formerly known as the Earl Scruggs Revue), presented by The Bluegrass Situation. This year’s event will be hosted by Jerry Douglas and The Earls of Leicester, who will deliver a 90-minute extravaganza, reimagining the iconic 1963 record Flatt and Scruggs at Carnegie Hall! and featuring a lineup of surprise artist cameos. The performance will take place on the Foggy Mountain stage on Saturday afternoon from 3:00 to 4:30 p.m., continuing a beloved festival tradition.

Earl Scruggs Music Festival was established in partnership with radio station WNCW 88.7 at Isothermal Community College in Spindale, North Carolina and the Earl Scruggs Center located in Shelby, North Carolina. According to Bluegrass Today, Scruggs Fest “has already risen to the top tier of annual music festivals.” WMOT in Nashville adds, “[Scruggs’ family] would have been impressed by this tribute to the most influential bluegrass musician in history;” while Grateful Web dubs the festival “a truly exceptional event.”

In 2024, the festival received an IBMA nomination for Event of the Year. With a standout lineup featuring the best in traditional roots music and progressive fusions, Earl Scruggs Music Festival will continue to illuminate the profound impact that Scruggs had on American culture, while uplifting fresh and noteworthy voices in the genre. 

A portion of proceeds will support the festival’s beneficiaries, the Earl Scruggs Center and Isothermal Community College, who serve Earl Scruggs’ home region of the Carolina Foothills with cultural programming through multiple channels.

Earl Scruggs Music Festival will once again take place at Tryon International Equestrian Center in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Known for its roster of rotating events including world class equestrian competitions, festive holiday celebrations, concerts, and more, the immaculate campus will serve as a quintessential backdrop for the festival, which promises on-site lodging, dining, and comfortable amenities throughout the event weekend.