Bluegrass on the Grass Festival 2026

For nearly three decades, the Bluegrass on the Grass Festival at Dickinson College has been a beloved summer tradition rooted in community, music, and a deep love of bluegrass. What started in the 1990s as informal barn parties hosted by Dickinson staff member Davis Tracy grew into a full-scale festival in 1996, drawing just a few hundred people at first, and now welcoming thousands each year to campus.
Today, it’s the college’s largest community event, known for bringing nationally recognized bluegrass artists together with local fans for a day of live music, connection, and celebration of American roots traditions.
This year’s festival takes place July 11 (12–8 PM) on Dickinson’s Academic Quad. The lineup features:
Lonesome River Band
Tessa McCoy & The State Birds
Charm City Junction
Black-Eyed Suzies
The festival is free and open to the public, so bring a blanket or lawn chair, grab some food from local vendors, and spend the day enjoying incredible bluegrass in the heart of Carlisle.
Learn about the artists and the festival here: blogs.dickinson.edu/bluegrass/
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Do you love Bluegrass on the Grass? Become a patron today! We need your support so we may continue to attract the best bluegrass bands in the country to Carlisle’s most-anticipated live music event of the year. It only takes two minutes to make your tax-deductible contribution via Dickinson’s secure giving website at www.dickinson.edu/gift. Simply choose Other on the drop-down menu next to Designation, and enter Bluegrass on the Grass Festival.
We ask devoted attendees who enjoy the music and share our goals of cultivating, sharing and sustaining American Musical genres to ensure that Bluegrass on the Grass will continue for many more years to come. Make your annual tax-deductible contribution today! Every gift counts.
Prefer to make your gift by check? Please make checks payable to Bluegrass at Dickinson. Checks may be mailed to:
Bluegrass at Dickinson
Dickinson College
PO Box 1773
Carlisle, Pennsylvania 17013