MerleFest Music Festival and performances 2024

ALL RIGHT MICHELLE, THANK YOU. IT IS A BIG YEARLY EVENT FOR THE PIEDMONT MERLEFEST BANDS ARE ACTUALLY ON STAGE RIGHT NOW WITH DAYS OF MUSIC STILL AHEAD. OUR LANIE POPE IS IN WILKES COUNTY AND JOINS US LIVE, AND LANEY, THIS YEAR’S FESTIVAL IS SET TO BE ANOTHER GREAT ONE. OH MY GOODNESS. WE HAVE BEAUTIFUL WEATHER. I CAN’T REMEMBER A MERLEFEST FORECAST THAT WAS QUITE THIS DELIGHTFUL. USUALLY WE HAVE TO DEAL WITH THUNDERSTORMS, WIND, RAIN AND ALL OF THOSE THINGS. NOW, I DON’T KNOW IF YOU CAN HEAR BEHIND ME, BUT THIS IS A BLAST FROM THE PAST ON STAGE RIGHT NOW IS CAMERON KENT SINGING SOME OF HIS ORIGINAL SONGS. AND WE’RE GOING TO GET TO SPEAK WITH HIM COMING UP A LITTLE BIT LATER. AND ONE OF OUR OTHER WXII 12 EMPLOYEES, STEVE JONES, THEY’RE ACCOMPANYING HIM. HE’S GOT A LITTLE CROWD THERE BEHIND HIM NOW, IF ANYBODY KNOWS ABOUT THE WEATHER AND THIS FESTIVAL, IT IS WEST WHITSETT AND I’M GOING TO BRING IN WES HERE. WES NOW, WE’VE GOT GREAT FORECASTS SO FAR. HE IS THE FESTIVAL DIRECTOR FOR THE PAST THREE YEARS. RIGHT. THAT’S RIGHT. YEAH. THANKS SO MUCH FOR HAVING ME. WE’RE EXCITED TO HAVE YOU FOLKS HERE. IT’S GOING TO BE A GREAT WEEKEND. TELL ME WHY THIS IS SO IMPORTANT TO THE WILKES COMMUNITY. BECAUSE PART OF WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT WITH THIS PARTICULAR EVENT IS THIS IS PART OF OUR HOME, THIS IS PART OF WILKES COUNTY. SO TELL ME WHAT IT MEANS TO THE COMMUNITY. IT MEANS THE WORLD TO THIS COMMUNITY. EVERYBODY COMES TOGETHER TO MAKE THIS THING HAPPEN. FROM ALL THE VOLUNTEER GROUPS AND CIVIC ORGANIZATIONS RAISING MONEY FOR FOR THEIR CAUSES. EVERYBODY TAKES OWNERSHIP AND HAS SO MUCH PRIDE IN MERLEFEST, AND IT DOES MAKE SUCH AN IMPACT ON THIS COMMUNITY. MOST OF THOSE ORGANIZATIONS RELY ON MERLEFEST AS THEIR PRIMARY FUNDRAISER FOR THE YEAR. SO WE’RE DELIGHTED TO HAVE GREAT WEATHER AND A GREAT LINEUP THIS YEAR AND JUST JUST EXCITED TO SHARE MERLEFEST WITH WITH OUR WHO ARE YOU PARTICULARLY EXCITED ABOUT IN THE LINEUP THIS YEAR? OH MAN. WELL, TODAY THE DAN TYMINSKI BAND, MOLLY TUTTLE AND GOLDEN HIGHWAY, OLD CROW MEDICINE SHOW, THE LIST GOES ON AND ON. BUT WE’VE GOT TURNPIKE TROUBADOURS. NICKEL CREEK IS GOING TO BE HERE. LUKAS NELSON AND PROMISE OF THE REAL WILLIE NELSON’S SON, YOU KNOW, SO THAT’S GOING TO BE REALLY COOL. THERE’S THERE’S, UH, WE’VE GOT ALMOST 100 ARTISTS IN 12 STAGES AND FOUR DAYS OF MUSIC. SO WAY TOO MANY TO NAME THEM. ALL RIGHT, THERE ARE SO MANY STAGES OUT HERE. NOW, WE ARE STANDING RIGHT HERE NEXT TO SOME OF THE BUILDINGS FOR THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE. IT MEANS A LOT TO THE COLLEGE TOO, RIGHT? ABSOLUTELY. LEE MERLEFEST HAD A HAND IN BUILDING LOHSE HALL RIGHT HERE. UM, IN FRONT OF US. AND, UH, WE’RE WE’RE PROVIDING MONEY FOR SCHOLARSHIPS FOR STUDENTS TO BETTER THEIR EDUCATIONS. UM, SO, YES, VERY IMPACTFUL TO THE STUDENTS. AND MERLEFEST MEANS A LOT TO THE COLLEGE. IT’S ALWAYS A FUN EVENT. THANKS FOR BEING WITH ME HERE AT WEST. AND I’LL BE, OF COURSE, AROUND ALL WEEKEND. AND I’LL TELL YOU, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I NOTICED WHEN I SET FOOT ON THIS CAMPUS AND HERE AT MERLE FEST, ASIDE FROM FOLKS ASKING ME ABOUT THE WEATHER, IS THAT EVERYONE HERE IS SO INCREDIBLY FRIENDLY AND THIS IS

MerleFest is underway in Wilkesboro as thousands are expected to attend music festival

Updated: 7:10 PM EDT Apr 25, 2024

Thousands of music fans will turn out for the 36th Annual MerleFest event in Wilkesboro.The four-day music festival, held April 25-28, will feature staged-packed performances from Old Crow Medicine Show, Red Dirt stalwarts Turnpike Troubadours, Teskey Brothers, Nickel Creek, Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, The Earls of Leicester and an even longer list of performers!The music-packed event is held yearly at the Wilkes Community College Campus.Day one featured a number of performances and even a special guest performance with former WXII 12 News anchor Cameron Kent. Plus, check out this performance with the Luke Mears Band. Presley Barker also performed during day one of the festival. He talked about how much MerleFest means to him and how it’s impacted his life. Also, check out this special performance with Vickie Genfan and Sally Barker. Check out this performance with 15-year-old Wyatt Ellis, who has even got his own record label.We’ve saved one of the best for last! Check out this special musical performance featuring our own Lanie Pope, Steve Jones, and former WXII News anchor Cameron Kent.

WILKESBORO, N.C. —

Thousands of music fans will turn out for the 36th Annual MerleFest event in Wilkesboro.

The four-day music festival, held April 25-28, will feature staged-packed performances from Old Crow Medicine Show, Red Dirt stalwarts Turnpike Troubadours, Teskey Brothers, Nickel Creek, Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, The Earls of Leicester and an even longer list of performers!

The music-packed event is held yearly at the Wilkes Community College Campus.

Day one featured a number of performances and even a special guest performance with former WXII 12 News anchor Cameron Kent.

Plus, check out this performance with the Luke Mears Band.

Presley Barker also performed during day one of the festival. He talked about how much MerleFest means to him and how it’s impacted his life.

Also, check out this special performance with Vickie Genfan and Sally Barker.

Check out this performance with 15-year-old Wyatt Ellis, who has even got his own record label.

We’ve saved one of the best for last! Check out this special musical performance featuring our own Lanie Pope, Steve Jones, and former WXII News anchor Cameron Kent.