So you’ve made the decision to come to downtown Raleigh this Friday and Saturday to hear some music and check out the scene during IBMA Bluegrass Live powered by PNC. Brilliant! You’ll hear some amazing bands and artists on stages up and down Fayetteville Street, plus inside Red Hat Amphitheater. Find the full schedule of music sets at ibma-2024.pinecone.org or download IBMA’s mobile app here. But there’s even more to see and do, and we don’t want you to miss a thing.
Here are 10 things to do while you’re at the festival — all of them part of what IBMA Bluegrass Live powered by PNC has to offer.
- The Union Grove Fiddlers Stage on Hargett Street will host contests on Friday and Saturday honoring the 100th anniversary of the Union Grove Old Time Fiddlers Convention, founded in North Carolina in 1924 by H.P. Van Hoy. Designed to be inclusive and welcoming to all, the contests are a chance for musicians to show off their skills on old time fiddle, bluegrass fiddler, old time banjo, bluegrass banjo, mandolin, or guitar. Learn more about the contests and sign up for a spot here (walkups on Friday or Saturday are also welcome).
Come by the PineCone booths during the festival to say howdy, grab some swag, learn more about PineCone’s work all year round, and leave us your suggestions for bands and artists you’d like to see at our new festival, Raleigh Wide Open, launching next fall.
- The Raised in Raleigh jam, closing down the Come Hear NC Stage on City Plaza Saturday night, celebrates up-and-coming bluegrass stars who grew up attending, and then performing, at IBMA Bluegrass Live powered by PNC in Raleigh. Tray Wellington, Liam Purcell, and Carley Arrowood are among the artists who will perform and share their memories of learning and growing as artists right here in Raleigh during this week since 2013.
- Never even touched an instrument yourself? You can change that at the PNC Porch at the corner of Fayetteville and Martin streets and the Instrument Petting Zoo on Exchange Plaza (look for signs off Fayetteville Street across from the City of Raleigh museum) this weekend. The PNC Porch is a perfect spot for a photo to impress your friends, and the Instrument Petting Zoo lets kids and adults strum some strings and make a little noise.
- Some of bluegrass’s biggest stars want to shake your hand at the Meet the Artists area on Fayetteville Street in front of the courthouse. Check the schedule for artists and times, and don’t be shy! Bluegrassers love meeting music fans.
- Buying merch is a great way to take a little piece of the festival home with you. Visit the merch tent on City Plaza to check out this year’s festival T-shirt designs, and you can even buy a shirt, hat, or water bottle featuring a banjo-playing squirrel that represents Raleigh Wide Open, a new festival launching in fall 2025. Also look for artist T-shirts, stickers, and more from artists at Red Hat Amphitheater.
- Carve out some time to stroll downtown between stages. You’ll find food trucks to satisfy any craving, and the Arts Market features a wide range of handmade goods sold by friendly people who would love to tell you about what they do.
- The Saturday night set at Red Hat Amphitheater from Steep Canyon Rangers, with special guests Chatham County Line and Brenda Evans, showcases so much of what’s great about North Carolina music. Steep Canyon Rangers and Chatham County Line are longtime favorites at this festival and far beyond, and Evans is the great-granddaughter of Carrboro’s Elizabeth Cotten, whose songs and guitar style have inspired generations of traditional musicians worldwide.
- If you’re serious about music, or want to get serious about it, take a stroll through the Exhibit Hall at the bottom of the Raleigh Convention Center. The floor is open to the public Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. You can learn about instrument makers, record labels, regional showcases, and many other businesses and organizations that support bluegrass music. It’s a great place for the occasional celebrity sighting, too!
- If you want to see the future of bluegrass, swing by the J.A.M. Martin Street Stage anytime Friday and Saturday. From noon to 6 p.m. each of those days, young pickers affiliated with the Junior Appalachian Musicians (J.A.M.) program will show off what they’ve been working on. And from 6 to 11 p.m., bands formed from the best and brightest at college traditional music programs will perform.
No matter how you choose to spend your time at IBMA Bluegrass Live powered by PNC, there’s a good chance you’ll find something to delight you. There’s no wrong way to do it!
