First COVID, then flooding. What’s the status of Eastern Kentucky music festivals?

The forecast for this summer and fall is encouraging for the return of popular music festivals and events in Eastern Kentucky on at least a socially distanced scale.

Several established events are eyeing their long-awaited returns and debuts in 2021, especially after Gov. Andy Beshear’s recent announcement that once 2.5 million Kentuckians receive their first vaccination dose, some capacity restrictions would be lifted. This includes music venues, which currently have a capacity limit of 60 percent for outdoor events.

While many are pushing ahead some, like Pikeville’s Hillbilly Days, canceled again for this year. And others, like Irvine’s Kickin It On the Creek, remain up in the air due to recent flooding in the region.

From the Fallsburg Summer Stage to the Master Musicians Festival, here’s a list of some of the region’s premiere festivals for concert lovers to keep an eye (and ear) on as we ease out of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Eastern Kentucky music festivals

A Different Shade Of Blue, a new event coming to Flemingsburg and combining the region’s best blues and rock acts, will take place May 21-22. Magnolia Boulevard, Short & Company and Mojothunder are among the performers for the first year event at the Mandolin Farm Campground, which for years has hosted bluegrass festivals such as CAM Fest and Hoedown In The Holler. This will be the first blues and rock festival held on the grounds, which also has access to fishing and is within 30 minutes of Cave Run Lake and the Daniel Boone National Forest. Tickets are $30-50. While no capacity limits are in place, the event does plan to comply with local health department recommendations on social distancing and mask wearing.

The Fallsburg Summer Stage, the City of Fallsburg’s first music festival, looks to capitalize on the success of country star and Lawrence County born artist Tyler Childers when it hosts its inaugural get-together May 21-22. The event will be held on the same grounds as the Fallsburg Fearplex, a haunted house in operation since 1987 and will feature two of its five attractions in operation throughout the festival weekend. Only 1,000 weekend passes are available for $50 (with added fees for parking or camping) for the over the age of 21 event. Scheduled performers include Cincinnati artists Arlo McKinley and Buffalo Wabs & The Price Hill Hustle along with Paintsville’s own Sean Whiting and Boyd County up-and-comer Cole Chaney, among others. Golf and boat rentals are also available at the nearby Yatesville Lake State Park, along with kayak rentals on site at the festival.

The Laurel Cove Music Festival will be back at the picturesque Laurel Cove Amphitheater inside Pine Mountain State Resort Park in Pineville on June 11-12 with music from Lost Dog Street Band, Arlo McKinley, Sundy Best and Morgan Wade, among others. The 1,300 seat amphitheater is surrounded by a sea of hemlock, mountain laurel and rhododendron and features a small pond directly in front of the stage acting as a natural buffer of sorts between musicians and attendees. The area is also home to some of the state’s tallest mountains with scenic overlooks such as Chained Rock and The Pinnacle to go along with hiking, fishing, kayaking and more at both Pine Mountain and the nearby Cumberland Gap National Historical Park. According to festival organizer and Bell County Tourism Director Jon Grace, the event plans to follow all state capacity and safety protocols. Tickets are currently sold out.

Rudy Fest is coming back, moving from Grayson to Poppy Mountain outside Morehead from June 23-26 for the 20th year after postponing in 2020 due to COVID-19. While the mountain received no significant flood damage earlier this month, Rudy Fest is no stranger to the danger, having abruptly shut down its 2017 gathering early after heavy rains and flash floods. Artists for this year’s event include Larry Sparks & The Lonesome Ramblers, Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver and Dan Tyminski. The 1,400 acre property is on the edge of the Daniel Boone National Forest and features picturesque views to go with the sweet string music. Tickets start at $30.

The site also hosts the Poppy Mountain Music Festival, one of the region’s few festivals to continue in 2020, which will return this fall for the 29th consecutive year from Sept. 13-19. In pre-pandemic years the Poppy crowd has swelled to 20,000 people. Although a lineup is yet to be announced, past performers atop the mountain included the Lonesome River Band, Rowan County Ramblers and Kentucky Headhunters, among others. Festival passes start at $20.

Festival Of The Red will gather at the Natural Bridge Campground in Slade on June 25 and 26 despite recent floods in the region causing minor damage to the property in addition to mudslides wiping out nearby trails and roads. Established in 2018, the event showcases some of the region’s top talent such as Justin Wells, The Local Honeys, Laid Back Country Picker, Chelsea Nolan and Eric Bolander amid the backdrop of the majestic Red River Gorge. This year’s lineup will have Nicholas Jamerson & the Morning Jays and Josh Morningstar headlining with tickets on sale for $75 per person. Attendance will be limited to 50% of normal campground capacity.

Appalachian Strings & Things Music Festival will be held July 2-3 at the Jenny Wiley Amphitheater inside Jenny Wiley State Resort Park featuring an eclectic blend of folk, traditional and progressive bluegrass including the likes of Sideline, Wolfpen Branch, Mama Said String Band and the Coal Cave Hollow Boys. The park also is home to Dewey Lake which has fishing, boat and canoe rentals to go with hiking, mountain bike trails and more. Tickets are $50 per person and on sale now. Capacity will be restricted to 50-60%.

The Shriners Bluegrass Festival plans to return to the 44-acre Shrine Park in Olive Hill for its 30th year from July 8-10 with music from Russell Moore And IIIrd Tyme Out, Hammertowne, Blue Highway, Ralph Stanley II & The Clinch Mountain Boys and more. The is curated by the Carter County Shrine Club and raises thousands of dollars each year for Shriners Hospitals for Children. It plans to return to full capacity this summer barring any restrictions from Shriners International or government officials after putting off events last year due to COVID-19. The park is situated along Tygarts Creek and offers fishing, canoeing and kayaking on the grounds in addition to a “soup Bean and cornbread” potluck during festival eve on July 7. Tickets are $10-75 per person.

The Master Musicians Festival will return to the campus of Somerset Community College from July 16-17 for it’s 28th year with most of its previously booked lineup for 2020 intact headlined by Blues Traveler, The Steeldrivers, Devon Gilfillian and Kelsey Waldon. Two-day passes are available for $45 (plus processing fees) and are being capped at 3,000 sold. Boating, hiking, kayaking and more is accessible nearby at Pulaski County Park along Lake Cumberland.

The North Fork Music Festival, started in Hazard in 2019 as a means of showcasing the mountain town’s renovated downtown, will be held from July 23-24. According to organizer Tim Parks, the lineup for the event, which plans to have 50-60% capacity restrictions in place, will be revealed in April with $5 tickets. Performers at North Fork’s inaugural 2019 gathering included Sydney Adams, Short & Company, Trippin Roots and Laid Back Country Picker.

The free-to-attend Manchester Music Festival plans to announce it’s 2021 performer lineup in April for the late summer event in downtown Manchester Aug. 26-28. Past artists who’ve played the festival include Cody Canada, Chris Knight, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Whiskey Myers and Ward Davis. The festival, which plans to operate at normal capacity, also features a parade and fireworks show. New this year will be a wedding chapel for spontaneous couples to tie the knot in between sets.

Established in 1989, the World Chicken Festival is set to return to the streets of London from Sept. 23-26 with it’s quirky Colonel Sanders look-alike contest, world’s largest skillet frying chicken non-stop throughout the event, and wing eating contest. That will pair perfectly with with two stages of music that in the past has played host to Chris Stapleton and Bret Michaels. The musical lineup for this year’s free-to-attend event, which hopes to be able to run at full capacity, includes Tyler Smith & the Stillrunners, Good Rockin’ Tonight and more.

The Moonshiner’s Ball is back for its seventh year, and third at the Rockcastle Riverside campground in Mt. Vernon, from Oct. 7-10. Most of the acts booked for it’s canceled 2020 event are scheduled to return including Bluegrass icon and mandolin master Sam Bush, S.G. Goodman, Moon Hooch, Magnolia Boulevard and the festival host Blind Corn Liquor Pickers. The property, nestled along the Rockcastle River, will also have paddling expeditions and moonshine distilling workshops available throughout the weekend. Rockcastle Riverside suffered significant damage during the March 1 flash floods that decimated many areas of Eastern Kentucky. Campground owner John Hamilton and daughter Jessica Falk said on a GoFundMe page, currently just shy of $5,000 raised, that the campground store and office was destroyed along with the site’s water and electric infrastructure. Despite the damage, plans for the Moonshiner’s Ball remain a go. Weekend passes are currently $110 per person and being capped at 800 sold.

Festival plans uncertain

Estill County gem Kickin’ It On The Creek, usually held the third weekend in September, currently has its 2021 plans in limbo after the March 1 floods devastated the county and region. While festival host Byron Roberts received no structural damage to his family’s home he has been hard at work assisting in cleanup and relief efforts for the many homes destroyed in the county by the rising waters. Since the floods, the festival has teamed up with WhizzBangBAM management to host two live stream benefit concerts thus far featuring Tyler Childers, Arlo McKinley, Joslyn & The Sweet Compression, The Local Honeys and others who’ve performed at the intimate, off the grid gathering since its inception in 2015. The shows have raised over $27,000 with at least one more on the way. A recent auction helped bring in $3,500 for flood relief.

Canceled festival

Hillbilly Days, celebrated annually in Pikeville since 1977, announced it’s cancellation for the second straight year on Feb. 9 with plans to return in 2022. The popular free event typically featured three stages of music of varying genres to go with clogging, square dancing and “hillbilly shenanigans. Other attractions in the area included various Hatfield and McCoy feud sites, Dils Cemetery (where many of the McCoys are buried) and Breaks Interstate Park, which has the largest canyon east of the Mississippi River perfect for seasonal whitewater rafting.

Other Music Festivals

Bash At The Branch: Irvine, Estill County. July 23-24.

Bearded Man’s Music Festival: McKee, Jackson County, Aug. 19-21.

Breathitt County Honey Festival: Jackson, Breathitt County, Sept. 3-6.

The Osborne Brothers Hometown Festival: Hyden, Leslie County, TBA.

Sweet Land Of Liberty Music Festival: Mt. Vernon, Rockcastle County. July 2-3.

Swift Silver Mine Festival: Campton, Wolfe County. TBA.

Thunder Over Big Woods: Wellington, Menifee County. July 3.