It’s IBMA’s last year in Raleigh. Here’s what to know about the 2024 bluegrass festival
Update: Organizers have adjusted the time of the IBMA Bluegrass Live! street festival and concerts on Friday due to impending weather. See below.
The International Bluegrass Music Association has made Raleigh its home since 2013 for its annual conference, awards ceremony and massive street festival, complete with plenty of live music.
The World of Bluegrass has brought a who’s who in the genre to downtown Raleigh for concerts both organized and impromptu. Every year in the last week of September, those wandering downtown are sure to hear the plucks of a guitar or banjo in the halls of the Raleigh Convention Center and nearby hotels as people celebrate and honor bluegrass music and its roots.
The festival and conference have become one of the city’s signature events, attracting as many as 223,000 people. This year, however, will be the last year the IBMA holds its event in Raleigh after it and the city didn’t renew their agreement.
But before the association heads to Chattanooga, Tenn., (at least for the next three years), there’s one more year to celebrate in Raleigh.
This year’s events are Sept. 24-28 and include the IBMA Business Conference, the Bluegrass Ramble showcase and the 35th annual IBMA Bluegrass Music Awards. It culminates with two days of free and ticketed concerts — IBMA Bluegrass Live! — in and around Fayetteville Street.
On Wednesday, organizers said Friday’s street festival and concert hours would be adjusted due to impending storms. Friday’s hours will now be 5 p.m. to 11 p.m., instead of 12 noon to 11 p.m.
Here’s what else you need to know to navigate the music, food trucks, market and expo.
When and where is the 2024 IBMA World of Bluegrass in Raleigh, NC?
- The IBMA Business Conference is Sept. 24-26 at the Raleigh Convention Center. IBMA Industry Awards are given out. Advance ticketing is closed but on-site registration opens at 8 am Sept. 24. Tickets include admission to the IBMA Bluegrass Ramble.
- IBMA Bluegrass Ramble is Sept. 24-26 with concerts from dozens of emerging artists and established acts. Shows are held in the Raleigh Convention Center, Jimmy V’s in the Sheraton Hotel, The Lincoln Theatre, The Pour House and Vintage Church on South Person Street. This is a ticketed event.
- The 34th annual IBMA Bluegrass Music Awards are Sept. 26, at 7:30 p.m. at Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts. In addition to awards, the ceremony includes performances and a spotlight on artists who will be inducted into the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame. This is a ticketed event.
- IBMA Bluegrass Live! is Sept. 27-28. It includes free concerts on six stages and a street festival in and around Fayetteville Street. Concerts are at Red Hat Amphitheater, with reserved seats ticketed and general admission seating free.
- The IBMA Exhibit Hall is Sept. 24-28 in the Raleigh Convention Center. It features music vendors selling gear, services and products for music professionals and fans. It is open for IBMA conference attendees only Wednesday and Thursday, 1 to 5 p.m. It’s open to the public Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. No ticket is required on Friday and Saturday.
How much is admission to IBMA?
For some events, prices vary depending on whether you’re an IBMA member.
- Bluegrass Ramble tickets are $25 to $30 for one-day passes or $55 to $65 for all three days through etix.com.
- IBMA Bluegrass Music Awards tickets start at $40 through Ticketmaster.
- Tickets for reserved seats at Red Hat Amphitheater concerts are $25 to $80 for single-day passes and $20 to $160 for two-day passes (depending on location of reserved seat and IBMA membership). General admission seats are $10 for one day or $20 for both days. Attendees will receive a wristband to come and go during the day. General admission seating is not guaranteed if you leave the venue.
IBMA Bluegrass Live! concert schedule
Music and the street festival will be held Friday from 5 to 11 p.m. and Saturday from 12 noon to 11 p.m. Note that Friday’s outdoor hours were adjusted due to weather but pre-scheduled events in the Raleigh Convention Center begin Friday at noon.
Find the full schedule at ibma-2024.pinecone.org.
Free concerts are at:
- Pinecone Stage, at the north end of Fayetteville Street, just south of Hargett Street
- Union Grove Stage, West Hargett Street, one block west of Fayetteville Street
- Martin Street J.A.M. (Junior Applachian Musicians) stage, on East Martin Street, one block off Fayetteville Street
- Davie Street Stage, on East Davie Street, one block off Fayetteville Street
- Come Hear NC Stage, in front of One City Plaza in the 400 block of Fayetteville Street
Other music stages, including an international stage, are set up in the Raleigh Convention Center while a busking tent and jam tent are found east of Fayetteville Street.
Note: There are several streets closed in downtown from 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 26 until 6 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 29, according to the City of Raleigh.
Red Hat Amphitheater schedule
FRIDAY
- 5 p.m. Crying Uncle
- 6:15 p.m. Rhonda Vincent & the Rage
- 7:45 p.m. Sam Bush
- 9:30 p.m. Sierra Ferrell
SATURDAY
- 4:15 p.m. Kids on Bluegrass
- 5 p.m. Danny Paisley
- 6:15 p.m. Amythyst Kiah
- 7:45 p.m. Sierra Hull
- 9:30 p.m. Steep Canyon Rangers with Chatham County Line
IBMA Awards
The five nominees for the Entertainer of the Year award are Billy Strings (who won last year), Del McCoury Band (Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame member, and nine-time Entertainer of the Year), Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway (third nomination), Sister Sadie, and The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys (fourth nomination).
Alan Munde, Jerry Douglas and Katy Daley will be inducted into the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame.
What happens in Raleigh next year?
Moving forward, Pinecone, the nonprofit that produced World of Bluegrass street festival, will organize a two-day festival called Raleigh Wide Open. It’s a nod to the former name of the IBMA street festival, Wide Open Bluegrass. It is scheduled Oct. 3 and 4, 2025.
IBMA Attendance & Economic impact
Before the pandemic, World of Bluegrass set attendance records every year with a peak of 223,320 people in 2018, the sixth year of the event. In 2019, the festival hit a record of $18.65 million in direct economic impact in Wake County, according to the Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau.
The festival has twice moved inside the Raleigh Convention Center — first in 2015 during Hurricane Joaquin and in 2022, when Hurricane Ian churned up the coast. In 2020, the event was virtual.
In 2021, as in-person events slowly returned, the festival attracted 101,368 people with $5.7 million in direct economic impact, the tourism bureau reported.
Here are attendance and estimated visitor spending since the International Bluegrass Music Association moved its convention, awards show and festival to Raleigh.
Year | Total Attendance | Total Direct Economic Impact |
2013 | 140,000 | $9.28 million |
2014 | 180,000 | $10.8 million |
2015* | 98,000 | $5.6 million |
2016 | 217,225 | $11.5 million |
2017 | 221,596 | $11.7 million |
2018 | 223,320 | $12.7 million |
2019 | 218,301 | $18.65 million |
2020** | NA | |
2021*** | 101,368 | $5.7 million |
| 2022* | NA | |
| 2023 | 100,000 | NA |
Source: Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau
*Rain forced the Wide Open Bluegrass street festival inside the Raleigh Convention Center.
**The festival was virtual due to the pandemic.
***The festival was hybrid.
Information
For more details, go to worldofbluegrass.org.
This story was originally published September 24, 2024 at 8:00 AM.