In 2025, at their inaugural event, the Carrboro Bluegrass Festival attracted bluegrass fans from 13 states to an iconic venue, Cat’s Cradle, in the roots music rich area of North Carolina’s “Triangle.” Attendees enjoyed performances from artists like Jim Lauderdale, the Po’ Ramblin’ Boys, Woody Platt & the Bluegrass Gentlemen, Brownyn Keith-Hynes, Graham Sharp & Friends, Max Wareham & the National Bluegrass Team, and more.
On May 23, 2026, the festival returns once again to the Cat’s Cradle Back Yard for their second annual edition of the tremendously successful event. Tickets are on sale now. This year, the lineup includes string band and bluegrass luminaries like Mason Via, Laurie Lewis & the Right Hands, Trenton Wagler and Eric Brubaker (of the Steel Wheels), Jon Stickley Trio, and more. And, for the first time in 2026, the Carrboro Bluegrass Festival is partnering with the UNC Bluegrass Initiative to support live bluegrass music in the greater Chapel Hill and Carrboro area. Plus, student members of the Carolina Bluegrass Band will open the festival.
As with all roots music events held in the fertile, artful lands of North Carolina, the very first Carrboro Bluegrass Festival wasn’t just about the performers, it was about the spirit of Carrboro itself. Connecting music, place, and communities together with intention and pride. Carrboro is full of great restaurants, shops, art, and community spaces – it’s no wonder the little town is referred to as “one of the most progressive communities in the South.”
To spotlight the town – and the music – last year the festival captured a series of exclusive, stripped-back performances at some of the town’s most historic landmarks. BGS has been proud to partner with Carrboro Bluegrass Festival since its inception, so while we look ahead to this year’s event, we’re sharing a series of four videos shot by the festival, the city of Carrboro, and the Orange County Visitor’s Bureau last year during the proceedings. Enjoy exclusive performances by Jim Lauderdale & the Po’ Ramblin’ Boys, Bronwyn Keith-Hynes, Woody Platt, and Max Wareham below.
Make your plans now to attend the Carrboro Bluegrass Festival at the Cat’s Cradle in Carrboro, North Carolina on May 23, 2026. Tickets available here.
Jim Lauderdale & the Po’ Ramblin’ Boys
Roots music renaissance man Jim Lauderdale has collaborated with hit bluegrass group the Po’ Ramblin’ Boys quite a bit over the last few years and together they’re releasing another album on April 24, 2026, entitled The Birds Know. (We recently premiered the lead single of that project, check it out here.) Last year during the Carrboro Bluegrass Festival, Lauderdale and the Boys performed “Long and Lonesome Letting Go” under an old, shady tree outside of Carrboro Town Hall, just down the street from Cat’s Cradle.
Max Wareham & the National Bluegrass Team
For our second video, Connecticut-based banjo player and singer-songwriter Max Wareham assembles his band, the National Bluegrass Team, just out front of the Cat’s Cradle to perform an original song, “Highway to Your Heart.” You may recognize Wareham from performing in Peter Rowan’s band or from his most recent album, DAGGOMIT!, released in 2025. His approach is modern but rooted deeply in traditional bluegrass, as you can tell from the energy and feel of the song.
Woody Platt & the Bluegrass Gentlemen
A godfather of bluegrass and jamgrass in North Carolina, Woody Platt brought his Bluegrass Gentlemen down from the mountains to Carrboro for last year’s festival. With them they carried along “Like the Rain Does,” the lead track off Platt’s 2024 solo release, Far Away With You. Its minor chords offer a melancholy tinge to match the rain falling in the song’s hook, but the energy and tempo of the track – especially in this live performance captured from the band’s green room trailer – give that cheery bluegrass sheen to the lyrics. Whether local, regional, or national acts the talent on display at the Carrboro Bluegrass Festival is first rate.
Bronwyn Keith-Hynes
Fiddler and singer-songwriter Bronwyn Keith-Hynes has been building an impressive résumé for herself, especially since departing Molly Tuttle’s Golden Highway. Her 2024 album, I Built A World, was nominated for a GRAMMY for Best Bluegrass Album and if you’ve not had a chance to catch her live touring band recently, you’re missing out. Her groups always boast the best and brightest of young bluegrass pickers – and her lineup at the Carrboro Bluegrass Festival last year was no exception. Backgrounded by a stunning Good for the Hive mural by Matt Willey on the side of the Carrboro Fire Station, Keith-Hynes and her band are certainly impressive as they render “Virginia Gal, She’s Up and Gone” for our final video captured at last year’s festival.
If you’re in the mood for even more excellent bluegrass served up in one of the cutest and most dynamic little towns in North Carolina, don’t miss the second Carrboro Bluegrass Festival on Saturday, May 23, 2026. More information here.
This content brought to you in partnership with the Carrboro Bluegrass Festival.