Seven Stellar Music Festivals in the South This Spring
Anyone with a nose for pollen can tell you that spring has definitely arrived in the South. One other sure sign? Music festival season is back, and this spring’s fests are stacked with quality artists and experiences across the region. Here are seven can’t-miss music festivals across the region.
April 3–5
Miramar Beach, Florida
Louisville, Kentucky’s indie-rock heroes My Morning Jacket will stage their annual One Big Holiday event in the U.S. for the first time, relocating from Riviera Maya, Mexico, to Florida’s Emerald Coast. The host band will play a unique set to close out each of the fest’s three nights, with support on various days from New Orleans’ Preservation Hall Jazz Band, S.G. Goodman, Futurebirds, and Dinosaur Jr. (The site will also host two other multi-day fests this spring—Sun, Sand and Soul featuring Tedeschi Trucks Band and others May 1–3, and Brandi Carlile’s Mothership Weekend, May 9–11.)
April 11–13
St. Petersburg, Florida
The Tampa Bay Blues Festival is celebrating its thirtieth anniversary with sets from new stars of the genre like Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, the heir to the Delta blues crown, as well as veterans like Walter Trout, the guitarist for Canned Heat and a former sideman for the likes of John Lee Hooker and Big Mama Thornton. Swamp blues master Tab Benoit, Hill Country heroes North Mississippi Allstars, jam-blues outfit JJ Grey & Mofro, and others round out the lineup at Vinoy Waterfront Park overlooking Tampa Bay.
April 18–20
Atlanta, Georgia
Sweetwater 420 Fest stage.
Held at Pullman Yards in Atlanta, Sweetwater 420 Fest features one of the most eclectic lineups anywhere this spring. Headliners Marcus King, Greensky Bluegrass, and the Revivalists will bring the crowds, but the undercard is also stacked with performances by artists such as Drive-By Truckers, Cypress Hill, Lettuce, Hiss Golden Messenger, Sierra Hull, and eighteen-year-old guitar wunderkind Grace Bowers.
April 24–27
Wilkesboro, North Carolina
Bluegrass icon Doc Watson founded MerleFest in 1988 in memory of his son, Eddy Merle Watson, and to celebrate his vision of “traditional plus” music—meaning Appalachian-rooted folk songs plus whatever else they wanted to play. There will be plenty of both from artists like the Avett Brothers, Bonnie Raitt, Sam Bush, Watchhouse, and the SteelDrivers, but if that doesn’t scratch the itch, book a Jam Camp session or drop into the informal Pickin’ Place to play and learn bluegrass with other attendees.
April 25–26
Oxford, Mississippi
Thousands gather in Oxford’s historic Courthouse Square for Double Decker Festival.
Held on Oxford’s historic Courthouse Square, the Double Decker Festival has always offered a curated mix of artists, and the twenty-eighth edition delivers yet again. Country traditionalist Charley Crockett gets top billing, but music heavyweights Grace Potter, the Band of Heathens, and Cedric Burnside make showing up early a must—if the lure of more than one hundred art vendors and a pilgrimage to Square Books don’t get you out of bed first.
April 25–27
Durham, North Carolina
Demand has been so high for Biscuits & Banjos that it’s effectively sold out—although hopefuls can join a waiting list for shows featuring artists like Rhiannon Giddens, Taj Mahal, Adia Victoria, and a reunion of the Carolina Chocolate Drops. Grammy and Pulitzer Prize winner Giddens founded the event as a way to celebrate and explore Black music, art, and culture. Shows at venues including the Durham Performing Arts Center, the Armory, and the Carolina Theatre are ticketed, but outdoor programming throughout the weekend is free and open to the public.
April 26–27
North Charleston, South Carolina
Olivia Jean performs at High Water 2024.
High Water returns to the Lowcountry at Riverfront Park in North Charleston, where indie and Americana music converge on the banks of the Cooper River. Festival darlings Arcade Fire, Lord Huron, and Mt. Joy will join Counting Crows, Trampled By Turtles, and the War and Treaty, while laid-back strummers Waxahatchee and Julien Baker & Torres will represent the easy breezy aesthetic of country’s indie quarters.
