Ronnie and Del McCoury at DelFest 2026 – photo © Rob Laughter
This was the 18th year for DelFest over Memorial Day weekend at the Allegany Fairgrounds in Cumberland, Maryland. The 2026 musically-diverse and star-studded line up helped keep spirits high during five days of cold rain, mud, and more rain.
Fortunately, the Kid’s Academy gathered three days prior to the festival, so the young musicians played without hassles. However, a storm system moved in on Thursday that just wouldn’t quit. With three stages, the music never quit either, and included musicians from multiple generations of bluegrass favorites including two alumni of Monroe’s Blue Grass Boys, Peter Rowan and Del McCoury, and a new generation of emerging artists.
Even before the festival got underway, folks who arrived on Wednesday with early admission tickets were treated to a show in downtown Cumberland. Shuttles got everyone downtown where a street was closed off for a concert of familiar tunes led by Dre Anders. The band included quite a line up, The Gibson Brothers, Kenny & Amanda Smith, Cody Kilby, and the Plate Scrappers.
Del and the Boys kicked off the festival in fine form on Thursday afternoon and then handed the stage over to Sister Sadie. The Infamous Stringdusters followed. It is the third act, The Toy Factory Project, that was new to many attendees. This Southern rock super group, founded by Marshall Tucker Band’s original drummer Paul T. Riddle, included Marcus King, Otiel Burbridge, Charlie Starr, Josh Shilling, and Jimmy Rector. Their versions of Heard It in a Love Song and Long Hard Ride got everyone dancing in their rubber boots. The MTB tunes continued for a 90-minute set and even Sam Bush joined in the fun.
Just before midnight, Del, Ronnie, and Rob returned to play renditions of MTB’s Sitting on Top of the World and Can’t You See. Gaelic Storm then played into the morning for what turned into an Irish dance party.
On Friday, all three stages buzzed with activity, and kept folks busy moving between them all. The Music Hall stage featured five different bands including The Malpass Brothers, The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys, and Laurie Lewis and the Right Hands. Seeing her on the East Coast was a special treat, as was hearing her perform Who Will Watch the Home Place? Emerging artists like The Creekers and Magoo headlined the Potomac stage, and the Main Stage once again delivered a spectacular line up including, you guessed it, The Del McCoury Band.
Before Del took the stage, Water Tower, a California-based punk-bluegrass band joined forces with Sierra Ferrell to the delight of just about everyone. This surprise collaboration included songs such as Tanya Tucker’s Delta Dawn, a rousing sing along of This Land is Your Land, and the traditional favorite, I’m working on a Building.
As if that wasn’t enough, The Punch Brothers followed with a set built around an outlandish tongue-in-cheek story of the band’s expedition into space to share acoustic stringed instruments with alien cultures, specifically those on Planet Zartarg in Galaxy F5. They mindfully mixed their more bluegrass numbers like Rye Whiskey and Julep, with a pounding version of The Imperial Death March. It wouldn’t have surprised anyone if Darth Vader himself stepped on stage.
Blackberry Smoke, an Atlanta, Georgia-based rock band, played the final main stage set on Friday, and The Infamous String Dusters and Shadowgrass carried the music on until 3:30 in the morning.
Saturday held much of the same excitement with performances from Sierra Hull, The Gibson Brothers, Marty Stuart and his Fabulous Superlatives, Maggie Rose, the Plate Scrapers, Colby Helms and the Virginia Creepers, Sam Grisman Quintet, Shadowgrass, and many more. The remarkable part of the Saturday lineup is how often the three generations of McCourys popped up on stage in their own bands and as special guests. Notably Heaven McCoury, Del’s grandson, played in bands of every genre and clearly enjoyed himself. The night closed with Marty Stuart and his Fabulous Superlatives leading a psychedelic cosmic jam followed by Eddie Slide and his Cowtown Dozen.
Given that this was Memorial Day weekend, Sunday also included a full day of music. It started with a gospel set lead by Dre Anders and took off from there. Jason Carter and Michael Cleveland, The Wood Box Heros, Peter Rowan and Sam Grisman Quintet, and Del and the Boys were just a few of the performers. One band in particular made a huge impression on the crowd and on Del himself, Mountain Grass Unit, who surprised the band with an invitation to play at The Grand Ole Opry.
Mountain Grass Unit, winners of the IBMA Momentum Artist of the Year, vibrated with enthusiasm, energy and pure musical talent. Drury Anderson (mandolin, vocals), Luke Black (guitar, vocals), Josiah Nelson (fiddle, vocals) and Sam Wilson (bass, vocals) can do it all, as proved by their ability to harmonize and playfully weave together medleys, including a Beatles medley, a Train series medley, and a classic Grateful Dead jam set. The festival buzz is that Mountain Grass Unit is the up-and-coming big bluegrass band of note.
Sunday night was also a time for Del to introduce his entire family, to thank everyone for coming and supporting the DelFest Foundation, and to introduce the final headliner of the festival, Alison Krauss and Union Station featuring Jerry Douglass. Dressed in a warm full-length coat to stave off the chill of another rainy night, Alison sang fan favorites including Ghost in this House as well as tunes from their Arcadia album.
Everyone woke up on Monday to, you guessed it, more rain, but as people packed up their wet gear, there was already talk of returning next year. This festival is nothing short of a Deltopia as the McCoury family was present throughout the weekend, working behind the scenes and visible out and about, especially on stage. Del’s contagious giggle and his adoring audience created an air of combined positivity that even mother nature’s wet skies couldn’t squelch.
