No surprise: the Southeast is still where most of the picking happens, with 38% of shows coming out of North Carolina, Virginia and surrounding states. But there's good music happening all over, including a strong showing from Pennsylvania.
Key Takeaways from Q2 2026
→ 3,172+ live bluegrass shows tracked across 51 states
→ The Southeast still has the most action (38% of tracked shows)
→ Nashville, TN has the most shows of any city we track
→ Some bands are hitting 20+ states in a single quarter
→ Nearly 1 in 4 shows happen on a weeknight
Here's what we found when we dug into this quarter's numbers.
Q2 2026 at a Glance
3,172
Live Events
320
Bands Tracked
2,209
Venues
51
U.S. States
266
Festivals
Based on 3,172 events collected from 320 band websites and venue listings currently in our system. This is a sample, not a census. Many active bands and venues are not yet tracked. Plus 243 events across 49 countries.
38% of the shows we tracked are in the Southeast, which is a lot considering how small the region is geographically. The rest is spread across 51 states, with pockets of real activity in the mid-Atlantic, Colorado, and California.
U.S. Bluegrass Activity
Every dot of heat is a real event. 2929 events mapped.
65 North Pickers played the most shows we tracked: 35 in three months, which works out to roughly one every 3 days. Alison Krauss & Union Station is right there too at 35.
Recently Added to GrassGigs
Bands we started tracking this quarter, sorted by how active they are
These places are rotating through a good variety of bands every week.
If you're looking for a gig or just want to hear something different, start here.
Made the list?
Top bands, venues, and cities. Share your ranking with your fans.
Road Warriors
Bands playing in the most states, spreading bluegrass far and wide
Silver Dollar City - Bluegrass & BBQ in Branson, MO had the most shows on the calendar with 23 this quarter. If you're anywhere nearby, chances are there's something playing.
Festival Season
Festivals with the most activity this quarter
1
Merlefest - 2026
· Wilkesboro, NC19 events
2
Telluride Bluegrass Festival 2026
· Telluride, CO17 events
3
Delfest 2026
· Cumberland, MD13 events
4
Blue Ox Music Festival 2026
· Eau Claire, WI13 events
5
Romp Festival
· Owensboro, KY12 events
6
New Terrain Brewing
· Golden, CO11 events
7
Nevada County Fairgrounds
· Grass Valley, CA11 events
8
Appalachian Fiddle Bluegrass Association
· Wind Gap, PA10 events
9
Yellow Creek Park
· Owensboro, KY10 events
10
Big Ponderoo Music + Art Festival 2026
· Sisters, OR9 events
Festivals are the anchor of summer bluegrass. Multi-day events fill the calendar and bring people in from all over.
2
Grace n' Grass
· Prissy Polly's BBQ, Kernersville NC2026-05-16
3
Arkansauce
· Radio/East, Austin TX2026-05-07
4
Denim & Plaid
· The Blue Ridge Music Center, Galax VA2026-05-16
5
Moonshine Mule Bluegrass Band
· Gray Willow, Earlton NY2026-05-17
These shows got the most love from folks browsing GrassGigs.
You can react to any event to help others find what's good in your area.
When Bluegrass Happens
Day-of-week and monthly patterns
Day of Week
64Mon
111Tue
171Wed
481Thu
880Fri
1045Sat
420Sun
Monthly Breakdown
848Apr
1084May
1240Jun
Saturdays are the biggest night (32.9% of shows). Best weeknight? Thursday, with 481 shows this quarter. Overall, 24.1% of shows happen Tue-Thu, so there's plenty of live music if you're not waiting for the weekend.
June was the busiest month with 1240 events. The ramp from April to June tracks the typical festival season build-up.
Beyond the U.S.
Bluegrass doesn't stop at the border: 243 events across 49 countries
1United Kingdom101 events
2Czech Republic28 events
3British Columbia10 events
4Ontario9 events
5Spain9 events
6Germany8 events
7Switzerland7 events
8Sweden5 events
9Ireland5 events
10By4 events
European Bluegrass Activity
243 international events mapped.
The U.S. is home base, but bluegrass keeps growing overseas. The UK and Czech Republic have especially strong scenes.
Find a bluegrass show near you this week →
Every event on an interactive map. Filter by band, city, or date
This is a snapshot, not the full picture. We add new bands and venues every week. If your scene isn't showing up here, let us know. Register your band or submit a venue and we'll get you in the next one.
About This Data
We pulled 3,172 events from 320 band websites and venue listings that are currently in our system. This isn't everything happening in bluegrass, just what we've been able to find and track so far. That includes 243 international shows.
States and venues that rank high here are the ones well-represented in our data. Plenty of great scenes have been going strong for decades without us knowing about them yet. We're adding more every quarter.
Since Q1 2026, our tracking has grown from
218 to 320 bands
and 1,006 to 2,209 venues.