Event Date:
Saturday, July 30, 2016 - 7:30pm to 9:30pm
John’s enduringly powerful performances draw on a lifetime of making music and living life. The singer-songwriter rose to stardom on the country charts of the 1990s with such mega hits as Your Love Amazes Me, Standing on the Edge of Goodbye and She’s Taken a Shine. His annual Christmas tours brighten the holidays for thousands, as does his electrifying rendition of O’ Holy Night.

Event Date:
Sunday, July 31, 2016 - 11:30am to 8:30pm
All the Celtic Music you love from melodic to mayhem, packed into one great day! Celtic Ceilidh: featuring The Appalachian Highlanders, Sigean, Rathkeltair and Tuatha Dea. Each band has its own flavor style and experience, so plan to stay all day!

Event Date:
Friday, August 5, 2016 - 7:30pm to 10:00pm
The Southwest Virginia Community College Jazz Combo, Dr. Joseph Trivette, conductor, will be joined by Guest Artist Extraordinaire, Rich Willey on trumpet to present an evening of dance and listening music. The range of selections will include: big band standards like “Jump, Jive, and Wail,” the beach-music classic “Under the Boardwalk,” rock favorite “Old Time Rock and Roll,” and often-requested “Tennessee Waltz.”

Event Date:
Saturday, August 6, 2016 - 7:30 to 10:00pm
Gomer and the Three Pyles are the Tri-Cities’ top performing band. Based out of Abingdon, Virginia, this fun group offers not only great music spanning decades, but creates a party atmosphere involving the crowd; you won’t want to miss this chance to get your groove on! Rick Ratliff – Bass; Brandon Nadler – Lead Guitar; David Mays – Backing Vocals; Lou Avila Percussion; Bob Keene – Rhythm Guitar & Lead Vocals; Dr. Clint Sutherland – Bagpipes. Great time guaranteed!

Event Date:
Sunday, August 7, 2016 - 2:00 to 4:30pm
The Highlands Fellowship Country Band is comprised of some of the most talented musicians in the Tri-Cities. They play at the Highlands Fellowship Country venue each weekend. Singing the latest country music on the charts and transforming modern worship songs into country gems, see this group in person for an incredible, uplifting time... worthy of your "bucket list!"

Event Date:
Sunday, August 7, 2016 – 3:00 to 5:00pm
Each summer we like to indulge our classy side, because not every festival event requires kettle corn and sunscreen. Join us indoors for an afternoon musical performance by harpist Colleen Potter Thorburn and vocalist Benjamin Thorburn that is sure to make your heartstrings sing.

Event Date:
Friday, July 28, 2017 – 7:30pm to 10:00pm

Phantom has a well-deserved reputation for really pleasing a crowd. One of the most popular groups in the area, they headline fairs and festivals of all types all over the Mountain Empire and beyond. Not bad for a bunch of country boys from Damascus, VA who just enjoy playing a little rock & roll for a few thousand of their closest friends!

Tickets are $5 cash at the door.

Event Date
Saturday, July 29, 2017 - 2:00 to 10:30pm

The Celtic Ceilidh returns to Saturday! Join us for an entire day of contemporary Celtic Folk/Rock from three of the finest bands in this genre! Catch the Appalachian Highlanders at the Barter Fountain at 1:00 pm then head over to the Pavilion for a full day of contemporary Celtic music. Special Celtic vendors will be on-hand throughout the day, and the beer garden will be open. So raise a glass and dance a jig because this party happens rain or shine!

$10.00 for the day, children under 12 free

Event Schedule

Appalachian Highlanders - 1:00pm (At the Barter Fountain)
Tuatha Dea - 2:00 to 3:00pm
Tempest - 3:30 to 4:30pm
Coyote Run - 5:00 to 6:00pm
Tuatha Dea - 6:30 to 7:30pm
Tempest - 8:00 to 9:00pm
Coyote Run - 9:30 to 10:30pm

Event Date:
Sunday, July 30, 2017 - 1:00 to 9:00pm

The Crooked Road: Virginia’s Heritage Music Trail concert celebrates the traditional music that has been kept by families and communities of Southwest Virginia since colonial times. Settlers of this mountainous region since the 1700’s have brought various ingredients – a cappella gospel music from German tradition that lives in the Old Regular Baptist churches today; spirituals, emotive singing and a musical gourd we now call a banjo from African tradition; and ballads and fiddles brought by the Scots-Irish and English.

Mixed together, these ingredients have produced one of the richest musical traditions on earth. The variety of it is amazing - old time string bands, a cappella gospel, blues, 300 year-old ballads, bluegrass, and more! It is a music tradition that is as vibrant today as it has ever been. We hope you enjoy a day of Music from The Crooked Road at the Virginia Highlands Festival. For more information about The Crooked Road, visit www.thecrookedroad.org or call 276-492-2409.

Tickets are $1-$3

Event Date:
Tuesday, August 1, 2017 - 8:00 to 9:30pm

Twelve-year old bluegrass fiddle player Carson Peters is a seasoned performer playing numerous venues throughout the region and on national TV as a guest on NBC’s The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Little Big Shots with Steve Harvey, with Jimmy Fortune on the floor of the Tennessee State Senate, the Grand Ole Opry, and the Ryman Auditorium. Carson is blessed to have a great band, Iron Mountain, to help him entertain audiences performing old-time, bluegrass, and gospel music. The band consists of Carson’s father, Jamie Peters; Eric Marshall and Ben Marshall of Mount Airy, North Carolina; and Austin Tate of Marion, Virginia.

Adults $5.00. Children 12 & Under Free.

Event Date:
Thursday, August 3, 2017 - 6:30 to 8:00pm

Hailing from the bluegrass state with a sound as unique and smooth as the region's' beloved bourbon, C2 & The Brothers Reed performs all-Kentucky music from their studio debut album, Weigh Station Tour, with songs that explores gritty rock and roll while referencing 60's and 70's-era soul music, embracing a sound that is nearly lost but deeply needed in the surge of modern sound and technology. Their songs call for revolution and change while simultaneously offering an escape from the grind.The band – singer/bassist Cameron Clark, guitarist Kelly Reed, drummer Kody Reed, and keyboardist James Weishar – hide behind nothing on the record, with a 'realness' that has been constantly attributed to their live performance.

Tickets $5 cash only at the door. Children 12 and under free.

Event Date
Thursday, August 3, 2017 - 8:30pm to 10:30pm

Virginia Ground plays such a unique style of music, they created their own genre to describe it: Appalachiaphonic. Jamen Denton and his fountainesque songwriting combined with an ensemble of inventive musicians collaborate to create a sound at once electrically novel yet hauntingly familiar. With Justin Denton on drums, Derrick Boardwine on the five-string bass, Blake Collins on mandolin, and electric guitar, Will Outlaw on trombone, Ben Smith on harmonica, Jon McGlocklin on harmony vocals, and Jamen on acoustic guitar and lead vocals, this group marries sounds from blues and funk to country, rock, and reggae, tempering their forceful and fluid sounds with elements of Dixieland and swing to craft the Appalachiaphonic.

Admission is $5 at the door. Admission is free for children under 12.

Event Date:
Friday, August 4, 2017 - 2:00 to 5:00pm
Tickets $1 - $3 cash only at the door
Join us for an afternoon of acoustic music in the air-conditioned Barter Stage II. Featuring Robin & Will, Larry Mangum, and The Brother Boys (Ed Snodderly and Eugene Wolf).

Event Date:
Saturday, August 5, 2017 - 7:00pm Thomas Taylor
Saturday, August 5, 2017 - 8:00pm Vegas McGraw

Whether it's date night or ladies' night, you'll want to head down to the Market Pavilion for the hottest country show in town! Adam Tucker returns with his Tim McGraw tribute show, straight from Las Vegas to Abingdon. Opening for him will be local favorite, Thomas Taylor, so you know it's gonna be a huge party to close out this year's Festival!

Tickets are $5 cash only at the gate. Children 12 and under are free.