Friday, Aug. 28
It’s Fayetteville Roots Festival weekend, and our annual celebration of roots, folk, and Americana music is kind of dominating the calendar this week.
Main Stage acts at the Fayetteville Town Center on Friday night include JD McPherson, John Fullbright, Pokey LaFarge, The Steel Wheels, Martha Scanlan, and John Moreland. Here’s an interview we did with Moreland recently. It starts at 3 p.m. The event was previously listed as sold out, but organizers recently announced a few more tickets have become available.
There are a handful of roots fest related activities that are free this weekend as well, and won’t require tickets. Maxine’s Tap Room has New Orleans-style horn band Crescent City Combo, and local band Ozarka Orkestra will also play a free show at Kingfish.
In non-Roots Festival news, local theatre troupe TheatreSquared will open their new show, Amadeus, this weekend at Nadine Baum Studios. Here’s more information about that, and tickets are available here.
Friday, August 28
Saturday, Aug. 29
A new Fayetteville Roots Festival event this year is the Chef Cook Off. The Iron Chef-style cook off will take place at the Fayetteville Town Center on Saturday, Aug. 30 during the Fayetteville Farmers’ Market. The event will feature teams of chefs from Benton and Washington County paired up to create their best dish made exclusively from Fayetteville Farmers’ Market produce and local protein from Crystal Lake Farms. It’s free to attend. Here’s more.
Roots Festival headliners at Fayetteville Town Center on Saturday start at 3 p.m., and include The Punch Brothers, Sara Watkins, Sarah Jarosz, and Aoife O’Donovan, The Shook Twins, Smokey and the Mirror, Ben Miller Band, and Cory Branan. Here’s a full Roots Festival schedule.
Late night Roots Festival shows include Cutty Rye, Pokey LaFarge, and Ben Miller Band at George’s, Arkansauce at Maxine’s, and 1 Oz. Jig at Kingfish.
Saturday, August 29
7:00 am | Saturday Farmers’ MarketFayetteville Square | Community |
7:00 am | St. Jude Fayetteville 10kLake Fayetteville | Activity |
8:00 am | Roots Fest: Songwriting Workshop hosted by J WagnerFayetteville Public Library | Activity |
8:30 am | Yoga in the GardenBotanical Garden of the Ozarks | Activity |
9:00 am | Farmers’ Market YogaFayetteville Underground | Activity |
9:00 am | Roots Fest: Farmers’ Market Chef Cook-offFayetteville Town Center | Activity |
10:00 am | Roots Fest: Mark Bilyeu & Cindy Woolf sing Woody Gutherie Kid SongsFayetteville Public Library | Family |
10:00 am | Roots Fest: Still on the Hill presents Ed Stilley’s Folk Art GuitarsFayetteville Underground | Music |
11:00 am | Roots Fest: Ozark Flatfooting WorkshopFayetteville Underground | Music |
12:00 pm | Live from Fayetteville Roots hosted by Kyle KellamsFayetteville Public Library | Music |
12:00 pm | Roots Fest: Ozark Storytelling WorkshopFayetteville Underground | Activity |
1:00 pm | Roots Fest: Ozark Music Workshop w/ Joe CravenMay Bell Music | Activity |
2:00 pm | TheatreSquared: AmadeusNadine Baum Studios | Performance |
3:00 pm | Roots Fest: Main Stage music beginsFayetteville Town Center | Music |
3:30 pm | Roots Fest: Arkansas Traditional Music on the SquareFayetteville Underground | Music |
5:00 pm | Paul Price – Harp guitarEmelia’s Kitchen | Music |
7:00 pm | Kelly RoadFoghorn’s | Music |
7:00 pm | Last Saturday Variety ShowFayetteville Underground | Performance |
7:00 pm | RuckusJose’s | Music |
7:30 pm | Loose ChangeDickson Street Pub | Music |
9:00 pm | American LionsSmoke & Barrel Tavern | Music |
9:30 pm | Roots Fest: Cutty Rye / Pokey LaFarge / Ben Miller BandGeorge’s Majestic Lounge | Music |
9:30 pm | Roots Fest: Family Folk Sing-Along with Carol WidderFayetteville Underground | Music |
10:00 pm | Roots Fest: 1 Oz. JigKingfish | Music |
11:00 pm | Roots Fest: ArkansauceMaxine’s Tap Room | Music |
Sunday Aug. 30
There will be a giant slip and slide set up on Dickson Street on Sunday. Slide the City will take place from 9 a.m. until 9 p.m. Here are all the details.
Another free Roots Festival event is taking place on Sunday. Little Rock-based Tales from the South will be broadcasting live from the Fayetteville Public Library at 3 p.m., and Moors & McCumber and Cory Branan will be telling performing.
Later on, there’s another impressive lineup at the Fayetteville Town Center. It starts at 3:30 p.m. with John Elliot, followed by Dana Louise and the Glorious Birds, Devon Sproule, and Jimmy LaFave. Closing out the festival is supergroup Watkins Family Hour, featuring Sarah Watkins, Sean Watkins, Fiona Apple, Don Heffington, Sebastian Steinberg, Benmont Tench, and special guests. It should be awesome.
Sunday, August 30
9:00 am | Slide the CityDickson Street | Activity |
10:00 am | Roots Fest: Roots Brunch at Greenhouse GrilleGreenhouse Grille | Music |
1:00 pm | Roots Fest: Children’s Instrument WorkshopFayetteville Public Library | Family |
2:00 pm | TheatreSquared: AmadeusNadine Baum Studios | Performance |
3:00 pm | Roots Fest: Tales from the South w/ Moors & McCumber, Cory BrananFayetteville Public Library | Music |
3:30 pm | Roots Fest: Friends of the Festival PartyGeorge’s Majestic Lounge | Music |
7:30 pm | Open mic nightDickson Street Pub | Music |
9:30 pm | Sean Danielsen (Smile Empty Soul) / Jesse DeanRyleigh’s | Music |