WELLSTON — When it came to bolstering the 2023 edition of northern Michigan’s Hoxeyville Music Festival, organizer Jake Robinson wanted to “really up the level of talent and production.”
The resulting lineup for this weekend’s gathering on a site surrounded by the Manistee National Forest west of Cadillac serves as proof of that mission with a few of the hottest names on the summer festival circuit.
That includes South Carolina blues and Southern rock phenom Marcus King, who’s been playing arenas across the country, Grammy Award-winning bluegrass guitarist Molly Tuttle with her band Golden Highway, and genre-melding folk heroes The Wood Brothers.
Robinson noted that Hoxeyville had initially booked New York’s The Wood Brothers for the 2020 festival before the event was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We’re excited to finally have them on the stage Sunday night,” he said, adding that all three acts are bands “that we’ve tried to do for quite a long time. Overall, we’re just kind of raising the bar a little bit as far as talent.”
He added that this year’s Hoxeyville also has “a great undercard,” with national touring acts such as Keller Williams Grateful Grass, Circles Around the Sun and Sierra Hull along with Michigan-bred favorites Lindsay Lou, May Erlewine, Luke Winslow-King, Full Cord, The Crane Wives and many more.
With two stages hosting performances over three days, Aug. 18-20, the festival expects to attract upwards of 4,000 people to the picturesque property in Wellston.
For the second year in a row, both stages will feature matching production, audio and lighting to better serve performers and fans, he said.
The festival also will feature an on-site, 30,000-square-foot cannabis consumption and sales area for those 21 and older hosted by Dunegrass Co., which debuted at Hoxeyville in 2022.
“It’s a bigger footprint” for the cannabis area, Robinson said, noting that Hoxeyville was the first festival in the state to offer the service last year.
Other artists slated to perform at Hoxeyville this weekend include Silver Creek Revival, Airborne or Aquatic, Neighbor, Myron Elkins & The Dying Breed, comedian Rodney Norman, The Insiders Tom Petty tribute, Seth Bernard, Scott Pellegrom Trio, Breathe Owl Breathe, Mystic Dub and Kait Rose.
“Hoxey never disappoints,” said longtime festival-goer Lesli Wardell.
“Hands down the best atmosphere for a variety of music and fun with your family and new friends.”
Adult weekend tickets are $250; children 5-15 $75. Day passes are $100 each; $25 for children 5-15. Get tickets and details online at hoxeyville.com.
