California Bluegrass Festivals

You wouldn't think that a place so far from Kentucky's bluegrass roots would excel in banjo, mandolin and guitar music, but it turns out that California has some of the biggest and best bluegrass festivals in the nation! Pictured is the largest bluegrass jam in the world - Huck Finn Jubilee. 2022 to be announced. huckfinn.com

 JANUARY

BLYTHE: Blythe Bluegrass Festival   Launches the year with great music in the desert at Colorado River Fairgrounds, blythebluegrass.com

REDWOOD CITY Bluegrass on Broadway   scbs.org/events/bob/

FEBRUARY - MARCH

BROOKDALE: Brookdale Bluegrass Festival Spring Fling   at Brookdale Lodge. Location, 11570 Highway 9, Brookdale, CA. Line up: Brookdale Bluegrass Band, Wildcat Mountain Ramblers, Stoney Mountain Ramblers, BanjerDan's DangerBand.  Free admission, brookdalebluegrass.com

BROOKDALE: Brookdale Bluegrass Festival August 13-15,  ) Brookdale Bluegrass welcomes Northern California Bluegrass Society to this event 7 miles south of Hollister in Los Pinos. scbs.org

APRIL

BERKELEY: Berkeley Bluegrass Festival April 26-28, 2024 at Freight & Salvage $, thefreight.org. ncbs.us

BERKELEY: Berkeley Bluegrass Festival

• FRIDAY, April 26, 2024 Appalachian Road Show, Never Come Down, Broken Compass Bluegrass, & Fog Holler.
• SATURDAY, April 27, 2024 Laurie Lewis and Kathy Kallick, Laurie Lewis and the Right Hands, Kathy Kallick Band, Hard Drive, & Salty Sally.
• SUNDAY, April 28, 2024 Kody Norris, Danny Paisley & The Southern Grass, Caleb Klauder & Reeb Willms Bluegrass Band, & Marin County Breakdown.

LODI: California State Old Time Fiddle Association  Fiddle Contest  at Lodi Grape Festival Grounds 413 E Lockeford St, Lodi, CA  State Fiddle & Picking Championships

MAY

PARKFIELD: Parkfield Bluegrass Festival May 9-12, 2024 Parkfield Cafe & Community Center - Parkfield, CA
$30-125, parkfieldbluegrass.org 
Line up:  Never Come Down, Central Valley Boys, SLO County Stumblers, Stillhouse Junkies, Who’s Feeling Young Now, Blue Birds on a Wire, Edgar Loudermilk, Stillhouse Junkies, Alum Ridge Boys w Ashlee, Mr Sun, Clements Brothers, Crying Uncle Bluegrass Band, Mountain Highway, Parkfield Bluegrass Kids

CLOVERDALE The Cloverdale Fiddle Festival returns in 2023. Previously held at Cloverdale Citrus Fair, cloverdalefiddles.com

YERMO: Calico Mother's Day Bluegrass Festival May 11, 2024 at Calico Ghost Town, $15, sbcounty.gov

TOPANGA: Topanga Blues Festival May 11, 2024, 11 a.m.-4 p.m.
Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum Topanga Canyon, CA
Tickets: $50-125, eventbrite.com
Line up: Vince Lee & Sophie Lord, Kirk Fletcher, Melvin Taylor, The Delgado Brothers

GRASS VALLEY: Strawberry Music Festival May 22-26, 2025
 Camping and music festival in the Sierra Nevada foothills. strawberrymusic.com

 2024 at Nevada County Fairgrounds, Grass Valley, CA. Camping and music festival in the Sierra Nevada foothills. strawberrymusic.com

JUNE

CLOVIS: Clovis Bluegrass in the Park Clovis Veteran's Memorial District confirmed two sessions, May 12-July 21, 2023 and then September 1-22, 2023 Clovis Veterans Memorial Park  901 Fifth St. Clovis, CA Free, facebook.com/ profile.php? id=100057522374894

GRASS VALLEY: Father's Day Bluegrass Festival June 15-18, 2023 on Father's Day Weekend.  fathersdayfestival.com

SUSANVILLE: Bluegrass Festival No event in 2023, rescheduled to 2024
susanvillebluegrassfestival.com

REDWOOD  CITY: Pub in the Park 

LAKE SELMAC: Siskiyou Folk & Bluegrass Festival June 24, 2023,  11 a.m.-6 p.m.
Illinois Valley Chamber of Commerce production at Lake Selmac, Selma, Oregon siskiyoubluegrassfestival.com  | facebook.com/siskiyoubluegrassfestival
Lineup: Hot Copper Kettle, SongBird Trio, Jodie Jean Marsten

JULY

QUINCY: High Sierra Music Festival June 29-July 2, 2023. $, 30-up, highsierramusic.com

AUGUST

FELTON: Saw Festival at Roaring Camp Railroads

TRES PINOS - HOLLISTER Good Old Fashioned Bluegrass Festival August 10-13, 2023 in Bolado Park, 8300 Airline Highway, Tres Pinos, CA
$32-130, scbs.org/events/gof/ Event is produced by Northern California Bluegrass Society and hosted by San Benito County Historical Society. 
Line up:  Bean Creek, Birches Bend, The Courthouse Ramblers, Dark Hollow Bluegrass Band, Erick Burman & Brookdale Bluegrass Band, Festival Speed Bluegrass, Jubilee, Lonesome Still, Lucas Lawson and the Unturned Stone, Marin County Breakdowns, Mission Blue, Red Dog Ash, Sunny Side of the Mountain, The Goat Hill Girls, The Post Folk Revivalists, The Stoney Mountain Ramblers, The Storytellers, Trouble Town, West 45, Who's Feeling Young Now

PETALUMA: Rivertown Revival 
bloomfieldbluegrassband.com

SUTTER CREEK: Ragtime Festival August 12-14, 2022. (not exactly bluegrass, but it's good stuff.)  suttercreek.org

VISTA San Diego Summergrass Bluegrass Festival August 18-20, 2023.  $20-85, camping available for a fee,  summergrass.net
Antique Gas & Steam Engine Museum, 2040 N. Santa Fe Ave., Vista, CA Purchase Tickets Ticket Info Event includes: Kids Camp | Raffles | Music & Craft Vendors | Lots of Jamming Dry, Camping | Tasty Food | Music Workshops | Easy Jam for Beginners.
Line up: John Moore and Friends, Stuart Duncan, Ron Block, Rick Faris, Steve Spurgin,  Dan Paisley and Southern Grass, High Fidelity, Breaking Grass, MojaviSoul • Ol’ Train, Sheri Lee & Blue Heart, Chris Cerna & Bluegrass Republic, Drought Tolerant, Hot October, Philly and the Cheesesteaks,   Sweet Tidings Gospel Jam

SUTTER CREEK: Jug Band Festival   suttercreek.org

SEPTEMBER

BISHOP: Millpond Music Festival September 20-22, 2024
Annual Millpond Music Festival serves an eclectic collection of music, Millpond County Park $35-120, inyo.org Camping is also available by reservation | lineup

BERKELEY Old Time Music Convention   (locations throughout the city) berkeleyoldtimemusic.org
Square dances, concerts, workshops, string band contest, stuff for kids, lots of jamming & more

OCTOBER

SAN FRANCISCO: Hardly Strictly Bluegrass October 4-6, 2024  in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, CA. 
hardlystrictlybluegrass.com. Hardly Strictly Bluegrass in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park is FREE. Though the talent at this event should give it #1 rank, the title says it all--there's some bluegrass, yes, but not hardly, strictly bluegrass at the October event.

GOLETA: Santa Barbara Old Time Fiddlers Fest and Convention October 5, 2024 at Stow House. fiddlersfestival.org
Rancho La Patera & Stow House 304 North Los Carneros Rd., Goleta, CA 93117  $20-25, fiddlersfestival.org
Line up: Bosco, Jimmy Triplett, Spencer & Rains, Scott Prouty, SLO County Stumblers, Ruth Alpert, Joe Wack, Kelly Marie Martin, Susan Platz, Pat Mac Swyney, Chris Berry Jim Mueller, Andy Denes, Nick Bachman, Monika White and David Bragger

SAN DIMAS: Huck Finn Jubilee  October 4-6, 2024
$55-110, huckfinn.com
Location: Bonelli Bluffs RV Resort & Campgrounds, 120 E. Via Verde Drive,  San Dimas, CA
Line up: Cubensis, Magoo, Cross Eyed Possum, Hot Buttered Rum, Nate Lapointe, House Party, Jon Stickley Trio, Seth Mulder & Midnight Run, Water Tower, Honey Buckets, Joy Louise, Matt Michienzie Band

NOVEMBER - DECEMBER

Events are not guaranteed. It is your responsibility to confirm before going.