Hemilright Entertainment, who put on the popular Bluegras Island festival on the Outer Banks of North Carolina in September, have announced a new festival to be held in Raleigh in December. Set to launch in 2016 is A Bluegrass Kinda Christmas, a three-day, indoor bluegrass festival at the Hilton Raleigh north.
It will run December 15-17, a time frame typically ignored by festival promoters for its proximity to Christmas, when vacationers are looking forward to visits with family, and often overwhelmed with holiday preparations. But the Hemilright family look to be banking on Raleigh’s newfound status as a bluegrass travel destination to convince folks to take a weekend off at the end of the year.
They have selected The Roys to serve as hosts for A Bluegrass Kinda Christmas, taking the event name from the sibling duo’s 2014 album of the same name. Lee Roy says he and Elaine can’t wait for the first run.
“We couldn’t be happier to be hosting this festival! We have been wanting to have a festival to brand ourselves with and this is a great opportunity and we are excited!! Cory is a top notch promoter and having such a great lineup is gonna make this a lot of fun! We look forward to the 1st of many!”
Owing to a scheduling conflict, The Roys will not be available to perform at A Bluegrass Kinda Christmas. Balsam Range will step in to host this three day event in 2016.
Workshops and jamming are also in the works for this first Thursday-Saturday event in Raleigh, and other top acts like Rhonda Vincent, Doyle Lawson and Mountain Faith are on the bill as well.
A number of bluegrass and acoustic acts have been preparing special holiday shows in recent years, so perhaps the time is right for a Christmas-themed festival.
Find more details at www.abluegrasschristmas.com.
