Annapolis Baygrass Music Festival Celebrates Chesapeake Bay Area with Star-Studded Lineup Headed by Yonder Mountain String Band, Railroad Earth, Melvin Seals & JGB and More
Annapolis Baygrass Music Festival embarks on a two-day event this September with a stellar roster of bluegrass, jamgrass, and Americana stars along with an ambitious agenda benefiting local environmental, mental health, and veteran’s causes. Set to take place September 30 & October 1 at Sandy Point State Park in Annapolis, MD, the event features 14 bands including bluegrass heavyweights Yonder Mountain String Band, Railroad Earth, Keller & The Keels, and Melvin Seals and JGB, among others.
Saturday’s festivities get underway with daytime performances by the high-energy Jon Stickley Trio, Baltimore’s The Dirty Grass Players, and Baygrass House Stringband Geraldine. Headliners Yonder Mountain String Band, Railroad Earth, and Keller & The Keels have joined for a unique tour, presented by Relix, with Annapolis Baygrass as their last stop. There will be a set by each, followed by a big jam to close out the night.
Sunday’s headliner Melvin Seals and JGB are a powerhouse on the jam scene headed up by Melvin Seals, the legendary keyboard player for The Jerry Garcia Band. The day will also feature an eclectic mix of artists including Fruition, Cabinet, Cris Jacobs & Smooth Kentucky, Arkansauce, and the Chesapeake Bay area’s Wicked Sycamore and The High & Wides. Fans can also expect a mesmerizing performance from artist-at-large and singer/songwriter Lindsay Lou, who also performs with her band on Saturday.
“The Annapolis Baygrass Music Festival was born out of our team’s love of progressive bluegrass music, the desire to generate a fun community-oriented vibe, and a passion for protecting the Chesapeake Bay,” says festival co-founder Ron Peremel. “We created a unique music festival where just by having fun you’re helping the Bay. As we like to say: ‘Every Jam Saves the Bay!’”
Attendees can also revel in Sandy Point State Park, a 786-acre Maryland state park located along the northwestern shore of the Chesapeake Bay affording stunning views of the bay and ample space to spread out and enjoy its sandy beaches. Annapolis Baygrass has plenty of offerings for all ages, including interactive artist and conservation workshops, yoga classes, beach and yard games, a Kidzone, a craft vendor village, and other activities.
Plus there will be no shortage of delicious cuisine including fresh lump crab cakes, roasted and raw oysters, gourmet BBQ, Asian food, tacos, wood-fired pizzas, vegan and vegetarian delicacies, and other locally curated culinary options. Attendees will also enjoy tasty microbrews by Annapolis Baygrass partners Pherm Brewing Company and Idiom Brewing Co. at the Baytoberfest Beer Garden as well as fresh craft cocktails from Gray Wolf Spirits and The Wine Collective wines and delicious non-alcoholic beverages, including mocktails, from Sobar at the waterfront Blue Crab Beach Bar.
In order to maintain its mission to protect and restore the Chesapeake Bay, Annapolis Baygrass will donate 10% of all proceeds from ticket, food, beverage, and merchandise sales to Maryland-based non-profit organizations including Watershed Stewards Academy, Oyster Recovery Partnership, and Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay. The festival also seeks to draw attention to mental health and is partnering with non-profits VA Way, the music-industry centric Backline, beverage partner Sobar, and the Anne Arundel County Health Department, which offers Narcan training and harm-reduction workshops.
Passes, including single-day tickets, are still available and can be purchased via the Annapolis Baygrass Music Festival official website. For more information, click on the links below.
Annapolis Baygrass Music Festival
Website
Tickets