Fast Track at the 2026 Nothin’ Fancy Bluegrass Festival – photo © Bill Warren
The 24th Nothin’ Fancy Bluegrass Festival has come to a close. Every festival has good challenges and not so good challenges. Growth is a good challenge, which can also lead to not so good ones. Festival promoter, Robyn Wines, has taken those challenges head on. Among other things the festival has outgrown the Glen Maury Park facility. The 25th festival is moving to the Page County Fairgrounds in Luray, Virginia. Robyn spent hours each day signing up next year’s attendees. It looks to be another big festival.
Now to put the cap on this year’s event. The park and the venue were packed to capacity. Sherry Boyd kept everything flowing well as MC. Jay Andrews is one of the best audio technicians in the business, and the sound was great.
Friday kicked off with Dave Adkins & Mountain Soul. Dave is one of those bigger than life guys that brings high energy to the stage. He leaves the audience calling for more.
Fast Track is a group of veteran musicians that have earned respect within the industry. They are beloved everywhere they appear.
Friday is Hawaiian shirt day for Nothin’ Fancy. They always rock their shirts. Fiddler Chris Sexton is also a classically trained violinist. He showcases his talent at points throughout the festival. He was joined by bassist Jenkins and Phil French on the saxophone doing his rendition of What A Wonderful World.
Chosen Road gives a crowd full measure of bluegrass gospel. Matt Leadbetter filled in on dobro.
Pitney Meyer closed the day. This is a strong new group that is bursting onto the scene.
Saturday saw the Amanda Cook Band open the show. Amanda presented a lot of their original music.
The Larry Stephenson Band is always a crowd favorite. Larry has leaned into Osborne Brothers music for many years. He now has Bobby Osborne Junior in the band and Bobby showcases some of his father’s songs.
Southern Legacy is a group that has come together to showcase the legacy of bluegrass music. They bring countless years of bluegrass music knowledge to festival stages.
Nothin’ Fancy closed out the weekend in an emotion-filled final set.
Join them next year in Luray! September 16, 17, and 18, 2027.
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