The State of Bluegrass - Q3 2026

5,102 live bluegrass shows in 50 states this quarter. Tennessee and North Carolina have the most, but the music is well spread out. Colorado cracked the top 10.

Key Takeaways from Q3 2026

→ 5,102+ live bluegrass shows tracked across 50 states
→ Shows are spread out, with the Southeast at 29% and strong scenes coast to coast
→ 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.

Q3 2026 at a Glance

5,102

Live Events

531

Bands Tracked

3,227

Venues

U.S. States

508

Festivals

Based on 5,102 events collected from 531 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 501 events across 46 countries.

What Kind of Bluegrass

The mix of styles playing this quarter, based on the bands behind the shows

Traditional Bluegrass

3502 (68.6%)

Progressive Bluegrass

621 (12.2%)

Singer-Songwriter

177 (3.5%)

Americana

160 (3.1%)

Jamgrass

145 (2.8%)

Folk

136 (2.7%)

Gospel Bluegrass

111 (2.2%)

Country

56 (1.1%)

Traditional Bluegrass is the backbone of what we track, making up 68.6% of shows. But the scene isn't one-note: progressive bluegrass shows up on 12.2% of the calendar, so there's room to branch out.

Genre reflects the primary style of each band, matched for 98% of tracked shows. Explore bands by genre →

What's Playing

Breakdown by event type this quarter

3,163 Concerts

1,664 Festivals

142 Church/Gospel

98 Workshops

18 Jam Sessions

9 Benefits

1 Conference

1 Camp

Beyond standard concerts: 1664 festivals tracked this quarter, 18 jam sessions. The variety shows a scene that's about community, not just ticketed performances.

Where Bluegrass Lives

Top U.S. states by number of tracked events

Tennessee

328 (6.4%)

North Carolina

313 (6.1%)

Colorado

311 (6.1%)

Pennsylvania

274 (5.4%)

Virginia

257 (5.0%)

Wisconsin

234 (4.6%)

New York

223 (4.4%)

Kentucky

204 (4.0%)

Ohio

202 (4.0%)

Indiana

143 (2.8%)

Shows are spread pretty evenly this quarter. The Southeast has 29% and the rest is scattered across 50 states.

U.S. Bluegrass Activity

Every dot of heat is a real event. 4600 events mapped.

5,102 bluegrass events mapped across the U.S. Explore the interactive map →

Most Visited Cities

Cities where bands played the most shows this quarter

1 Nashville, TN 139 events

2 Hiram, ME 36 events

3 Denver, CO 36 events

4 Portland, OR 32 events

5 Livingston, MT 31 events

6 Lyons, CO 29 events

7 Pittsburgh, PA 29 events

8 Asheville, NC 26 events

9 Louisville, KY 25 events

10 Madison, WI 24 events

Nashville, TN leads with 139 tracked events, followed by Hiram, ME at 36.

Most Active Bands

Bands with the most shows in our tracking this quarter

1 Molly Tuttle 46 shows

2 Alison Krauss & Union Station 42 shows

3 Martha Spencer 41 shows

4 The Brothers Comatose 35 shows

5 Sierra Hull 34 shows

6 The Truffle Valley Boys 34 shows

7 Sequoia Rose 34 shows

8 Front Porch 34 shows

9 Magoo 33 shows

10 Bronwyn 33 shows

Molly Tuttle played the most shows we tracked: 46 in three months, which works out to roughly one every 2 days. Alison Krauss & Union Station is right there too at 42.

Busiest Venues

The venues with the most shows on the calendar this quarter

1 The Station Inn · Nashville, TN 35 shows

2 Grand Ole Opry · Nashville, TN 33 shows

3 Pine Creek Lodge · Livingston, MT 19 shows

4 Club Possum Event Center · Mountain View, AR 13 shows

5 The Ryman Auditorium · Nashville, TN 10 shows

6 Service Brewing Co. · Savannah, GA 9 shows

7 Pilgrim Firs Conference Center · Port Orchard, WA 8 shows

8 Pickin' in the Pasture · Lodi, NY 8 shows

9 Junior's Restaurant & Tap House · River Falls, WI 8 shows

10 Pine Creek Lodge · Livingston, MT 7 shows

The Station Inn in Nashville, TN had the most shows on the calendar with 35 this quarter. If you're anywhere nearby, chances are there's something playing.

Recently Added to GrassGigs

The newest bands we started tracking this quarter

1 The Mulkins Family 27 shows

2 Paper Wings 18 shows

3 Rebekah Speer 16 shows

4 Route 3 11 shows

5 Lonesome Road 2 shows

6 The Appalachian Trail 2 shows

7 The Portland Mountain Boys 1 shows

8 Squirrel Butter 14 shows

9 Pocket Change Bluegrass 1 shows

10 The Emorys 2 shows

New to our data, not necessarily new to the scene. We recently started tracking these bands' websites. Worth a listen if you haven't heard them.

Community Stages

Venues hosting the most different bands, not just one residency

1 Grand Ole Opry · Nashville, TN 21 different acts

2 The Station Inn · Nashville, TN 19 different acts

3 Walsh Farm · Oak Hill, NY 19 different acts

4 Pine Creek Lodge · Livingston, MT 16 different acts

5 Goshen Fair Grounds · Goshen, CT 12 different acts

6 Nelson Ledges Quarry Park · Garrettsville, OH 12 different acts

7 Earl Scruggs Center · Mill Spring, NC 12 different acts

8 Glen Maury Park · Buena Vista, VA 12 different acts

9 Mountain View Park · Wind Gap, PA 11 different acts

10 Bristol Virginia-Tennessee Slogan Sign · Bristol, TN 11 different acts

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.

Road Warriors

Bands playing in the most states, spreading bluegrass far and wide

1 The Red Clay Strays 24 states

2 Sierra Ferrell 24 states

3 Sierra Hull 23 states

4 Old Crow Medicine Show 23 states

5 Alison Krauss & Union Station 23 states

6 Molly Tuttle 22 states

7 Bronwyn 21 states

8 Mountain Grass Unit 20 states

9 Sequoia Rose 20 states

10 Leftover Salmon 19 states

The Red Clay Strays hit 24 states this quarter. That's a lot of windshield time.

Festival Season

The festivals with the most going on this quarter, by number of tracked performances

1 Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival · Jul 15-17 · Oak Hill, NY 24 performances

2 The Ossipee Valley Music Festival · Jul 23 · Hiram, ME 21 performances

3 Walnut Valley Festival · Sep 17-20 · Winfield, KS 21 performances

4 Starvy Creek Bluegrass Festival 2026 · Jul 8 - Sep 19 · Conway, MO 16 performances

5 RockyGrass 2026 · Jul 19-26 · Lyons, CO 16 performances

6 AMERICANAFEST 2026 · Sep 15-19 · Nashville, TN 16 performances

7 Pickin' in Parsons Bluegrass Festival · Aug 8 · Parsons, WV 14 performances

8 Crooked River Gathering · Sep 3-6 · Hiram, ME 14 performances

9 Annapolis Baygrass Music Festival · Sep 19-20 · Annapolis, MD 13 performances

10 Podunk Bluegrass Festival · Aug 7 · Goshen, CT 12 performances

Festivals are the anchor of bluegrass season. Multi-day events pack the calendar and pull people in from all over.

Browse all festivals →

Most Buzzed-About Shows

The events that got the most "Looks Good" and "I'm Going" reactions from the GrassGigs community

1 Watershed Ramblers · Noble County Fairgrounds, Kendallville IN 2026-09-03

2 Full Cord · Lake Ann Brewing Company, Lake Ann MI 2026-07-02

3 Hunter Skeens and The Forerunners · Atwood Lake, Atwood Lake OH 2026-07-25

4 Liam Purcell & Cane Mill Road · City Green, Sheboygan WI 2026-08-06

5 Chris Silver · Forestville Winery & Event Center, River Falls WI 2026-09-12

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

123

Mon

200

Tue

391

Wed

757

Thu

1292

Fri

1577

Sat

761

Sun

Monthly Breakdown

1580

Jul

1724

Aug

1798

Sep

Saturdays are the biggest night (30.9% of shows). Best weeknight? Thursday, with 757 shows this quarter. Overall, 26.4% of shows happen Tue-Thu, so there's plenty of live music if you're not waiting for the weekend.

September was the busiest month with 1798 events.

Beyond the U.S.

Bluegrass doesn't stop at the border: 501 events across 46 countries

1 United Kingdom 199 events

2 Czech Republic 38 events

3 Germany 33 events

4 Sweden 32 events

5 Ontario 32 events

6 Netherlands 24 events

7 Quebec 13 events

8 British Columbia 11 events

9 Spain 10 events

10 Switzerland 10 events

European Bluegrass Activity

499 international events mapped.

The U.S. is home base, but bluegrass keeps growing overseas. The UK and Czech Republic have especially strong scenes.

Coming Up: Q4 2026

A look ahead: 2,280 shows and 125 festivals are already on the calendar for next quarter

Festivals to Plan Around

1 Blue Highway Fest · Oct 8-11 · Big Stone Gap, VA 18 performances

2 Hillberry Music Festival · Oct 7 · Eureka Springs, AR 15 performances

3 Silver Dollar City - Bluegrass & BBQ 13 performances

4 Festival Park · Oct 15-17 · Manteo, NC 11 performances

5 Three Sisters Bluegrass Festival · Oct 3 · Chattanooga, TN 9 performances

6 The 14th Annual Outer Banks Bluegrass Island Music Festival · Oct 14-17 · Manteo, NC 9 performances

7 Oklahoma's International Bluegrass Festival · Oct 9-10 · Guthrie, OK 9 performances

8 Headin’ Home Fest · Oct 14-18 · Hazlehurst, GA 8 performances

9 Hillberry Music Festival 2026 7 performances

10 FreeFall Bluegrass Fest 2026 · Oct 9-10 · Vail, CO 6 performances

Who's On the Road

1 Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper 32 shows · 24 states

2 Two Runner Music 32 shows · 10 states

3 Rhonda Vincent 29 shows · 10 states

4 Chris Thile 27 shows · 20 states

5 Punch Brothers 26 shows · 19 states

6 Mountain Grass Unit 26 shows · 19 states

7 Béla Fleck 25 shows · 21 states

8 Tuesday String Band 24 shows · 2 states

9 65 North Pickers 23 shows · 16 states

10 Yonder Mountain String Band 23 shows · 12 states

These shows are already booked for next quarter. Follow your favorite bands on GrassGigs and we'll let you know when they're playing near you.

Find a bluegrass show near you this week →

Every event on an interactive map. Filter by band, city, or date

Explore the Map →

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 5,102 events from 531 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 501 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.

Data as of September 08, 2026. Know a scene we're missing? Register your band or submit a venue.

Cite This Report

GrassGigs. (2026). The State of Bluegrass - Q3 2026. Retrieved from https://grassgigs.com/blog/2026/09/state-of-bluegrass-q3-2026.html