LITCHFIELD — Blistered Fingers Bluegrass Festival will celebrate its 51st festival Aug. 22 through Aug 26, with early bird camping starting Aug. 19, at the Litchfield Fairgrounds on 30 Plains Road. Directions are located on the flyers or on the website.
The festival grounds have a big stage that was built in 2010, with idoor bathroom facilities, four free hot showers and numerous water hookups throughout the grounds, and electrical hookups. There will be several types of vendors located on the grounds. The festival location has that ‘Welcome Home’ country atmosphere. There’s also a lot of field picking through the whole time of the festival.
The festivals also offers its Blistered Fingers Kids Academy. Blistered Fingers has a free, relaxed, informative three-day music program for children for ages 6-18. The focus is how to play, sing and perform bluegrass music. Students can bring their own instruments and will commit to the three-day program. Children all get a free T-shirt and perform a couple of songs as a group on the main stage.
The gates will open at 8 a.m. on Sunday, Aug. 19. Weekend tickets for each festival will cover four days of music and camping from Wednesday to Saturday and Sunday Morning Gospel Sing Along and Jam. Day tickets are also available at the gate. There will be several types of vendors located on the grounds and an extra large tent for coverage — bring lawn chairs.
Performers include The Gibson Brothers, Ralph Stanley II & The Clinch Mountain Boys, Nothin Fancy, The Bluegrass Brothers, Bluegrass Diamonds, Remington Ryde, Zink & Company, Aaron Foster & Dreamcatcher, The Feinberg Brothers, Phat Burger Deluxe, Bluegrass Gospel Sing & Jam and host band Blistered Fingers.
Prices per person:
• Earl Bird Camping (Sunday, Monday and Tuesday before festival) $10 a day per camper
• All four days with free camping $90
• Children 16 and younger free with paying adult
• Wednesday only $15
• Thursday only $20
• Friday only $35, after 5 p.m. $25
• Saturday only $35, after 5 p.m. $25
• Sunday free with weekend pass
• Dogs $10
• Power $35 for entire stay
For additional information, visit the website at BlisteredFingers.com or contact Sandy Cormier at blist-f@blisteredfingers.com or 873-6539.
About Blistered Fingers: Voted 1 of out the 10 top festivals to attend. Some of the greatest Bluegrass music can be heard at one of the largest family musical events in New England. Blistered Fingers is a fast-moving traditional Bluegrass Band from the central Maine area that travels extensively around the northeast and eastern Canada. Blistered Fingers’ obvious love of bluegrass, their fans, and field picking makes Blistered Fingers a special group with their delightful mix of original material, soulful ballads and hard driving traditional bluegrass music with a little good humor thrown in. The Bluegrass Festival takes place twice every year and brings thousands of music lovers from all over the world to Litchfield to hear banjos, fiddles, and high, lonesome harmonies. This event features many worldwide and local bands. This festival has something for all ages and has occurred every June and August since 1991.
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