At a press conference this afternoon in Raleigh, NC, the International Bluegrass Music Association announced PNC Bank as the presenting sponsor for the 2013 Wide Open Bluegrass festival. This two-day event, running September 27-28 and formerly known as Bluegrass Fan Fest, occurs just following the organization’s Business Conference during World Of Bluegrass, which runs from September 24-28.
The festival will be held at the Raleigh Convention Center and the Red Hat Amphitheater, concurrent with a free street fair open to local residents along Raleigh’s Fayetteville Street and adjacent cross streets. More than 50 bands will perform on three music stages on the street, and the city will be licensing vendors and concessions in addition to the North Carolina Whole Hog Barbecue State Championship, held in the immediate vicinity.
World of Bluegrass will also welcome street fair attendees, and the general public at large, to visit the exhibit hall inside the Convention Center at no charge on the 27th-28th, along with the Masters Workshop Stage. Wide Open Bluegrass concerts, however, require a ticket.
Barbecue Championship entrants will be selected in a series of regional cook-offs this Spring and Summer, and will be preparing their offerings on site during the September finals. Once the winners are chosen, their chopped pork will be offered for sale to the public, and the North Carolina Pork Council will donate up to $10,000 in sales revenue to the IBMA. That’s a lot of pig!
Also revealed today are the remaining acts booked for the Wide Open Bluegras festival, in addition to previously announced sets from Punch Brothers, Steve Martin & Steep Canyon Rangers, and an all-star performance featuring Alison Krauss, Tony Rice, Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, Béla Fleck, Mark Schatz and Del McCoury.
- The Gibson Brothers
- The Seldom Scene
- Dailey & Vincent featuring Statler Brother Jimmy Fortune
- Alan Bartram, Jason Carter, Bela Fleck, Ronnie McCoury, and Danny Paisley
- Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver
- Balsam Range with The Boxcars
- The Infamous Stringdusters
- Dale Ann Bradley
- The Claire Lynch Band
- Blue Highway
- Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper
- Della Mae
- The Krüger Brothers with the Kontras Quartet performing Appalachian Concerto
- Druha Trava
- Darin & Brooke Aldridge
- The SteelDrivers
- Rob Ickes & Jim Hurst
- Audie Blaylock & Redline
- Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen
- Marty Raybon & Full Circle
- Nu-Blu
- Kickin’ Grass Band
- The Grass Cats
- The Spinney Brothers
- Lorraine Jordan & Carolina Road
- Greensky Bluegrass
- Detour
The Steep Canyon Rangers were announced today as this year’s hosts for the gala International Bluegrass Music Awards show, scheduled for September 26 at the Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts, just a few steps from the Convention Center and adjoining hotels. The three-step ballot process for selecting the winners has just begun among the IBMA’s professional membership.
Further details about World of Bluegrass, Wide Open Bluegrass and the IBMA Awards show can be found at www.ibma.org.
