The Biggest Takeaways from Earl Scruggs Fest 2026

Editor’s Note: This review and photos is from Saving Country Music contributor Kevin Smith.


The 5th annual edition of The Earl Scruggs Music Festival happened on September 4-6, 2026 in Mill Spring, North Carolina this past weekend. As in previous years, the entire Tryon International Equestrian Center became ground zero headquarters for all things bluegrass and banjo-adjacent. Like last year, it too featured a monumental line-up made up of IBMA and Grammy winners, Opry stars, bluegrass legends, and plenty of up-and-comers on the rise.

From the festival’s inception, the clear goal is to honor the great Earl Scruggs legacy by bringing in artists of all backgrounds, motivated by a love of the banjo and the music in its various forms, with the intention of inspiring future generations of pickers and fans. Looking back on the dizzying array of fantastic talent and performances from the weekend, it can be confirmed that those goals were met and then some.

There is literally something for everyone to find at this festival and with multiple stages featuring overlapping events. Maximizing your experience takes some planning, but ultimately the rewards are substantial. While great effort was made to see as many acts as possible, chasing everything at a festival on this scale is just not realistic. All of that said, here are some artists and performances that were noteworthy, with apologies in advance to those not mentioned.

Note: Béla Fleck and My Bluegrass Heart put on a stunning performance for the ages on opening night of the festival along with an equally spirited performance by Jerry Douglas, Shawn Camp and their award-winning group Earls of Leicester. You can read about those performances and find pictures HERE.

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East Nash Grass

East Nash Grass was quite possibly the favorite find of the weekend. This band was literally everywhere, playing in some fashion, seemingly on every stage. Maddie Denton and Harry Clark both played in Béla Fleck’s unforgettable set on Friday night, and a buzz was going around the festival with folks taking notice. As the masses were indulging in the epic set of Greensky Bluegrass on the big stage Saturday night, East Nash Grass was busy entertaining a smaller group of very hardcore grass aficionados who knew the scoop on them.

It didn’t take long to realize what the hype was all about. Here is a band with grit, swagger, spunk and fire in their souls, and they weren’t afraid to let it out. You might say they are a traditional bluegrass band with diverse influences ranging from old-timey mountain music to the progressive grass of the seventies. Legendary band New Grass Revival immediately came to mind as a close comparison to what they are doing.

Fiddler Maddie Denton is a show-stealer who brings total fire to her playing. She will dazzle you, as will frontman Harry Clark with his blazing mandolin prowess and Appalachian-inspired vocals. Flatpicking phenom Frank Rische is a Nashville based go-to guitarist, and has come to the band recently and holds his own and then some. Rounding them out on banjo is Cory Walker who plays the Scruggs style with precision coupled with a bit of abandon.

Go see this band while you can. They have a reputation as a launching pad for great musicians; Dan Tyminski hired their former dobro player, and Bela Fleck enlisted their former bassist to play dobro with The Flecktones. Also check out their last album All Gods Children released in 2025.

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The Del McCoury Band

As Del McCoury was being introduced on the Flint Hill Stage Saturday night, a very large crowd of assembled bluegrass fans of all ages cheered and screamed their approval. The grinning elder statesman of bluegrass emerged from the stage shadows and took a long pause as he surveyed the scene, still smiling as he then looked at his sons and his grandson—members of the famed Del McCoury Band who were gathered around him—before launching into his familiar version of “Dry My Tears And Move On.”

The grin, the gaze, and the pause said it all. Del McCoury has a lot to be thankful for. He’s won every award out there. He has a family band that ranks right up there with the greatest bands in all of bluegrass, and he has a large fan base that genuinely love him. For a man in his mid-eighties, he is still able to play lengthy headlining sets like the one he played at Earl Scruggs Fest, with the high mountain tenor he’s known for still intact. For this crowd on a hot Saturday night, all was right in the universe, and there was no place they would rather be than sharing those moments with Del McCoury.

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Rhonda Vincent and The Rage

Rhonda Vincent, a.k.a. The Queen of Bluegrass, hardly needs an introduction to anyone who listens to the music. As a Grammy -winning Grand Ole Opry member, she is doing her part to keep traditional bluegrass alive and thriving, showing Opry audiences how it’s done and still finding time to tour nationally with her well-oiled band The Rage. Vincent is a multi-instrumentalist, and while she frequently plays mandolin, she also decided to showcase the power of twin fiddle harmony, playing a few songs on fiddle alongside Rage member Adam Haynes.

The stunner was a cover of John Denver’s universal classic “Take Me Home Country Roads.” The song goes to another level when you add twin fiddles playing the familiar melody. Vincent showcased her own material as well including the hard charging train song “Kentucky Borderline” to much appreciation from the audience. Classic bluegrass and country staple songs are usually embedded into her sets, and the whole thing became an onstage party with audience singalongs.

An Ernest Tubb honky tonk number, “Drivin’ Nails In My Coffin” was a welcome listen. Fittingly, Dolly Partons “9 To 5,” which was reimagined as bluegrass got people excited and singing. Rhonda Vincent’s set was what the audience needed to get through the oppressively hot late afternoon.

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Greensky Bluegrass

The town of Kalamazoo, Michigan was the historical home of Gibson guitars. But it’s also the historical home of this very energetic group. With an impressive and sophisticated lighting system to accompany the wild improvisational jamming that they are known for, this is a band that takes no prisoners, musically speaking.

Anders Beck is a phenomenal dobro player, and he fires off rapid licks like a man that has nothing to lose. Banjo man Michael Arlen Bont brings much to the party with his unconventional techniques that lend well to the exploratory musical trips that this band routinely takes their audience on. These fellows are best listened to after dark to appreciate the lighting system that is engineered to pair with the music, and on Saturday evening at Earl Scruggs Fest, that is exactly what happened.

But don’t cast these guys off as one trick ponies. They also deliver well-crafted songs and know their way around some traditional grass as well. Currently they are in their 3rd decade as a band—no small feat. They got a lot of love from the audience on this night who knew they were witnessing something mind-blowing.

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Mountain Grass Unit

This band is on a meteoric rise and there’s nothing in their way to impede it. Impeccable musical chops abound with these young guns of progressive bluegrass. From Luke Black’s impressive flatpicking runs, to Drury Anderson’s tasty mandolin playing, they are a force. Fiddler Josiah Nelson has that musical secret sauce that really takes them to the next level, and his lead runs are a powerful thing to behold.

With a brand-new record just released called Appalachian Smoke, the band featured several choice cuts with the Scruggs crowd who were excited to see them. Just a few short years ago these young men were complete unknowns playing the third stage at DelFest. All that has changed. They just played their first Grand Ole Opry appearance as a guest of Del McCoury. Their first set at Earl Scruggs Fest was a primetime evening slot, opening for The Avett Brothers. The amount of cheering from the crowd when they were introduced to the stage told the tale.

In keeping with the overall theme of the festival that honors Earl Scruggs, many well-known covers were worked into the varied set, paying tribute to Flatt and Scruggs and Bill Monroe including “Long Journey Home,” “Down The Road,” and Monroe’s monster hit “Uncle Pen,” which kept the audience thoroughly engaged. Watching this band over the last couple of years has been an interesting journey and its become very clear that they are now even tighter and more cohesive. Onward and upward for Mountain Grass Unit.

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The Scruggs Sessions featuring Travis Book and Friends

Travis Book is the bassist for The Infamous Stringdusters. With all the high profile gigs he does with The Stringdusters, you wouldn’t think he’d have time to do these little secondary stage sets at a festival. Yet each year at The Scruggs Fest he puts together these almost impromptu sets with musician friends from all over for the pure joy of the music. And whatever he’s doing, you know it’s going to be great. His infectious grin and affable manner make him a magnet for musically like-minded souls to follow.

This time around Travis Book had multiple members of East Nash Grass with him, as well as his buddy Anders Beck from Greensky Bluegrass, Grammy-winner Woody Platt formerly of the Steep Canyon Rangers, and a few other hot pickers. The entire set was a tribute to, you guessed it, Earl Scruggs. It was a stunning performance with numerous Flatt and Scruggs songs being covered by an absolute A-list lineup.

Not to be missed was Special Consensus banjo man Greg Cahill performing a duet with guest Alison Brown on one banjo. Also noteworthy: Travis Book put this whole set together with exactly zero rehearsal time. A testament to the greatness of these musicians. Quite the feat and quite the show. Those who witnessed it were so lucky.

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Della Mae

Celia Woodsmith, frontwoman for Della Mae knows a thing or two about the business of entertaining big crowds at bluegrass events. She ought to since she’s been at this for well past a decade, and her 4-piece all-girl bluegrass band brought the sparkle and the musical sunshine to a crowd of fans who certainly weren’t disappointed.

Bassist and vocalist Vicki Vaughn was equally a hoot. It was a riveting set from Della Mae performed in the intense heat of the day while fans were desperately clinging to every bit of shade they could find. Special guest and Bay area bluegrass legend Laurie Lewis joined the girls for some spirited and boisterous singing and picking. What a cool set!

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Lindsay Lou

Americana singer-songwriter Lindsay Lou has a brand new bluegrass album called Bluegrass Women featuring ten historical songs written by women that have gone on to become standards in American roots and bluegrass music. The songs include classics like Olabelle’s “High On a Mountain,” Ma Rainey’s “ CC Rider,” Elizabeth Cotton’s “Freight Train,” and others. The album features numerous current women of bluegrass including Bronwyn, Sierra Hull, Alison Brown, members of Sister Sadie and more.

Sunday at the Earl Scruggs Festival, Lindsay Lou appeared with an all-female bluegrass band, playing many of these songs for a crowd who was very appreciative. It was an absolute killer set by the incredibly talented Lindsay Lou. Don’t be surprised if her album is nominated for some big awards. It’s pretty special.

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Alison Brown

Just when you thought this festival couldn’t get any better considering how well the banjo was represented, here comes yet another one of the all-time greatest banjo players alive. For the uninitiated, Alison Brown is one of the reasons Alison Krauss’ I’ve Got That Old Feeling album won a Grammy award. With her own body of work, Brown has also won further Grammys and numerous IBMA awards.

Alison Brown has always sought to find new and innovative ways to integrate the banjo into other music. Like her friend Béla Fleck, she too has experimented and recorded jazz and other styles, taking the instrument to wider audiences. She recently released an album with fellow banjo maestro Steve Martin called Safe, Sensible and Sane. Two of the tracks from that collaboration went to No. #1 on the bluegrass charts.

Brown played a few sets over the weekend on two stages, giving fans more than a glimpse of the musical genius and deep talent she has shared with the musical world at large. The music was eccentric and adventurous, mixing Brazilian sounds with more familiar ones. And of course she played tributes to her greatest musical hero, Earl Scruggs.

Alison Brown is quite happy to share a stage with just about anyone who will have her, no matter the genre. Despite the heat of the weekend, she was popping up everywhere, guest picking for so many of the artists you couldn’t keep up with her. Alison Brown made quite an impact at The Earl Scruggs Music Festival, and it’s a likely bet she will play it again in the future.

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Rissi Palmer

Now in her second decade of making and recording music, Palmer is one of those artists who brings tremendous excitement and energy to any stage she is a part of. Her Sunday set on the big stage was all about the Southern Soul sound with the country lyricism she famously cut her teeth on. Her song “Country Girl” is a mainstay of her sets and perhaps sums it up best. Her latest EP Perspectives brings a very bluegrass-inspired sound to the forefront. But her performance on this day was maximally focused on her up-tempo, high-energy music. This wasn’t her first Earl Scruggs Festival appearance and likely won’t be her last.

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The Avett Brothers

For Seth and Scott Avett, playing The Earl Scruggs Music Festival is perhaps akin to playing to their hometown crowd. From Concord, North Carolina a mere hundred miles away, these massively famous North Carolina sons are unarguably one of the most successful acts to ever come out of the state. They were selected to close the festival out on Sunday night and indeed it was the biggest, loudest, and most attended performance of the entire weekend.

The Flint Hill stage was at max capacity and it was an impressive spectacle to behold. Music fans flocked from all over North Carolina and for that matter, many other states just to see this set. And they were not disappointed. The Avett’s are showmen of the highest order. You can cite their bluegrass and mountain music influences, talk about Scott’s claw-hammer banjo prowess, all of which were on full display this night. But the reality is The Avett Brothers are full-on rock stars.

Describing an Avett Brothers show is akin to describing the wildest circus you have ever seen. Stomping, clapping, jumping, shouting, singing and hollering while juggling instruments rapidly are par for the course. And yet, at times the music slowed down, and Scott sat down on the piano playing a ballad, while band member Joe Kwon coaxed gorgeous melodies out of his cello, accompanied by violinist/fiddler Tania Elizabeth’s ethereal playing.

Then there was a moment when both brothers grabbed acoustic guitars and showcased a bit of brotherly blood harmony not unlike an Everly Brothers or Louvin Brothers sound. It’s at these moments, you get it. The Avett’s are unquestionably entertainers and rock stars on a large scale, but at heart they are gifted musical souls who have made it in the music business by being themselves first, and that’s where any true artist wants to be.

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The 2026 edition of the Earl Scruggs Music Festival is now in the books. Those who braved the heat and patiently waited out the occasional storms that delayed set times were amply rewarded with a one-of-a-kind musical experience they won’t ever forget. Festival founder JT Scruggs (nephew to Earl Scruggs) addressed the crowd just before The Avett’s went on stage. Filled with gratitude, Scruggs personally thanked everyone for supporting the festival and believing in it enough to make the trek out to Mill Spring, North Carolina. He told the happy crowd that next year’s festival is already being planned, and that while he has no idea who will make up the lineup yet, he has no doubt it will be great.

For those of us fortunate enough to have been here this year, we get the importance of independent festivals like this one, and the fact is not lost that the music is being passed on to the up-and-coming generation which we saw at this event in large numbers. Earl Scruggs would be so proud.

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For more photos from Kevin Smith from the 2026 Earl Scruggs Festival, CLICK HERE.

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