Fayetteville Roots Fest / Photo: Clayton Taylor
After the year we’ve had, we could all use a little something to look forward to about now.
Luckily for all of us, the folks behind a host of music festivals and other gatherings we’ve come to love over the years are hard at work putting together lineups for events beginning this summer and extending through the fall.
Here’s a roundup of several events we know about so far, including what we know about their festival lineups, dates, and ticket information so you can get the ones that sound fun to you on your calendars.
We’ll likely add to this list in the coming months as more events make plans to return this summer and fall.
As always, let us know about other big events coming in the comments below.
JerryBerry
When: May 14-15
Where: The Farm, Eureka springs
What: An outdoor music festival is coming to the Farm in Eureka Springs this month.
The festival, called Jerry Berry will include performances by Melvi Seals & JGB, The 1 Oz. Jig, Country Jesus, Crazy Neighbor, and Eureka Strings.
Tickets are now on sale, and range from $55 for a one day pass to $100 for a two day pass.
For more information, visit stubs.net.
Spaceberry
When: July 1-3
Where: The Farm, Eureka Springs
What: Not long after Jerry Berry, another berry-themed festival will take over the Farm at Eureka Springs.
Spaceberry is set for July 1-3, and will include performances by Tauk, Big Something, Forgotten Space, Steady Flow, Aaron Kamm & The One Drops, Trymore Mojo, Lucia, Friends of the Family, One Way Traffic, Skye Pollard & Family Holler, Vintage Pistol, Monk is King, and Lily B. Moonflower.
Tickets range from $50 for a one-day pass, to $125 for a full three-day event pass.
For more information, including tickets, visit spaceberryfestival.com.
Peacemaker Festival
When: July 30-31
Where: Downtown Fort Smith
What: Fort Smith’s “music festival by music lovers for music lovers” will return for another year July 30-31.
This year’s lineup includes Cody Johnson, Paul Cauthen, Muscadine Bloodline, Lucero, Kylie Frey, Band of Heathens, Kolby Cooper, Giovanne & The Hired Guns, Tanner Usrey, and Cody Hibbard.
Tickets range from $59.50 to $249, and are on sale now at peacemakerfest.com.
Bentonville Film Festival
When: Aug. 3-8
Where: Bentonville
What: The 7th Annual Bentonville Film Festival will take place on August 3-8, 2021 in Bentonville.
The festival, founded by actor Geena Davis, has a mission to increase diversity in media “by supporting the achievements of diverse storytellers and connecting them with entertainment industry leaders and major corporate changemakers.”
The event will be a “hybrid edition” this year, with virtual and in-person events this year as a result of the pandemic.
More details for this year’s festival, including lineup and event information, will be released at a later date.
For more info, visit bentonvillefilm.org.
Fayetteville Roots Festival
When: Aug. 26-28
Where: Pratt Place Inn and Barn
What: Fayetteville Roots Festival is set to return to town for three nights of music in 2021.
Festival officials announced recently the lineup for this year’s event, which will include headliners Shovels & Rope, Watchhouse (formerly known as Mandolin Orange), Capitol Sun Rays (a supergroup made up of Amy Helm, members of Birds of Chicago, Luther Dickinson of North Missisippi of Allstars, and Graham Lesh) and more.
The festival this year will take place outdoors on the grounds of Pratt Place Inn and Barn, located at 2231 W Markham Rd, during the weekend of Aug. 26-28.
Many of the first run of tickets are already sold out, likely because several folks had already purchased tickets to last year’s festival and are using those credits for this year’s event.
Waitlists are available for each evening, however, and we expect that more tickets will become available between now and festival time in August.
To sign up for the ticket wait list, visit fayettevilleroots.org.
Backwoods at Mulberry
When: Aug. 26 – Aug. 29
Where: Mulberry Mountain
What: The Backwoods at Mulberry Mountain is set for Aug. 26-29, as the name suggests, at Mulberry Mountain in Arkansas.
Featured headliners include The String Cheese Incident, Shpongle, Greensky Bluegrass and more.
The lineup also includes performances from AC Slater, Acid Katz, Andy Frasco & The U.N., Arkansauce, Artifakts, Avry, Bumpin Uglies, Carbin, Cnopes, Com Truise, Cycles, Dalton Richmond, Detox Unit, Dirtfoot, Flintwick, Fractal Sky, Freddy Todd, The Irie Lions, Jeff White, Jonteal, Keller Williams, Lusic, Maddy O’Neal, Modeling, Mlotik, Molokai, Of The Trees, Opal Agafia, Papadosio, PLS&TY, Prado, Ryan Viser, Spafford, Stiff Necked, Sunsquabi, Trymore Mojo and Zeke Beats.
Also planned are comedians, workshops, and other performances, officials said.
Tickets are available at backwoodsmusicfestival.com.
Soar NWA
When: Aug. 28
Where: Drake Field in Fayetteville.
What: A promising new festival that debuted two years ago will return to Fayetteville in 2021.
Local non-profit Open Avenues plans to host their second SOAR NWA hot air balloon festival on Saturday, Aug. 28 at Drake Field in Fayetteville.
The event will include hot air ballon activities (weather permitting), aeronautic events, circus performers, a kid zone, car exhibit, live entertainment, beer garden, food trucks, a “balloon glow,” and more.
The event will kick off at 7 a.m., and will end at around 9 p.m.
Tickets to the event are $15 for adults and $5 for kids 10 and under. Rides and some activities at the event will be available for purchase.
For tickets to the festival, visit soarnwa.com.
Stars & Sauce
When: Sept. 10
Where: The Farm, Eureka Springs
What: A fun event is coming to The Farm in Eureka Springs this fall.
The event, called Stars and Sauce, is a hybrid star gazing and live music event featuring music by Fayetteville bluegrass band, Arkansauce.
From the description:
“Live music and staring into space…sounds like a great time to us! We’ll have music during the day and we’ll have an area dedicated to telescopes at night.”
Tickets are $75-$300, available here.
Bikes, Blues, and Barbecue
When: Sept. 22-25
Where:Downtown Fayetteville / Benton County Fairgrounds
What: After a year hiatus last year, Bikes, Blues & BBQ will once again rumble through Fayetteville this fall.
The event includes live music, a motorcycle parade, festival food, and of course, thousands and thousands of motorcycles from all over the US.
The event also raises money for local charities. According to their website, they have raised more than $2 million for local organizations in the last 20 years.
For more information about the 2021 event, visit bikesbluesandbbq.org.
Wakaan
When: Sept. 30-Oct. 2
Where: Mulberry Mountain
What: An electronic music festival is coming to the Mulberry Mountain this fall.
The event, called Wakaan, is set for Sept. 30-Oct. 2 this year.
The lineup has yet to be announced for this one.
Keep an eye on wakaanfestival.com for more info.
Fresh Grass – Bentonville
When: Oct. 1-2
Where: The Momentary
What: Fresh Grass festival in coming to Bentonville this fall.
Billy Strings, Old Crow Medicine Show, and Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue are set to headline the event.
The festival is set for Oct. 1-2, and will take place on the grounds of The Momentary contemporary art space in Bentonville.
FreshGrass has been held annually at MASS MoCA museum in North Adams, Massachusetts, and had announced plans to hold a second event at the Momentary last spring, but of course, we all know what happened in 2020. The 2021 event this fall will end up being the inaugural Arkansas installment of the festival.
Earlier this week, officials announced that Steep Canyon Rangers, Aoife O’Donovan & Noam Pikelny, Alison Brown, Flor de Toloache, Leyla McCalla, a Tribute to Sister Rosetta Tharpe with Felicia Collins, Smokey & the Mirror, and The Ozark Highballers are also on the bill this year.
Tickets to the event are now on sale. For more info, visit freshgrass.com.
Homegrown Festival
When: Oct. 2
Where: Siloam Springs
What:The Homegrown Festival is coming up this fall in Siloam Springs.
The even twill include music, local handmade goods, curated vintage items for sale, along with food trucks and live music.
The line up for this year’s event will be released at a later date.
For more, visit the Facebook event.
Hillberry
When: Oct. 8-10
Where: The Farm, Eureka Springs
What: The Hillberry / Harvest Moon Festival is set for Oct. 8-10, 2021 at The Farm in Eureka Springs.
This year’s festival will include two nights of performances by Railroad Earth, and others. The full lineup for this year’s event will be released later this summer.
In addition to the music, the event will include workshops, activities, and food and craft vendors.
For more information, visit hillberryfestival.com.
Fayetteville Film Festival
When: Nov. 11-13
Where: Fayetteville
What: The Fayetteville Film Festival will return Nov. 11-13 this fall.
The festival is currently accepting submissions for this year’s event. Submissions are open through July 31, and the lineup will be announced shortly after that.
The festival is in its 13th year. In addition to the film screenings, the event also includes panel discussions, artists talks, and more.
For more info, visit fayettevillefilmfest.org.
