Full lineup of 40+ artists announced for music festival in downtown Raleigh
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- Raleigh Wide Open revealed a lineup of more than 40 bands for its free 2026 event.
- The music festival includes concerts downtown and on N.C. State’s Centennial Campus.
- Organizers said the lineup spans several genres, including bluegrass, gospel and blues.
A music festival is coming to Raleigh — and now we know who will hit the stage.
More than 40 bands are set to entertain concertgoers when Raleigh Wide Open returns in October. Those “acts represent a wide range of genres with deep roots in North Carolina, including bluegrass, folk, gospel, Latin and blues,” the music nonprofit PineCone said in a Tuesday, May 12 news release.
Here’s what to know about who’s playing at the free music festival, where it will be held and when it will take place.
Wide Open concert lineup
Raleigh Wide Open’s 2026 concert lineup is filled with dozens of artists, including a group from Iceland. Here’s who’s on it:
- Alice Gerrard
- Allison de Groot & Tatiana Hargreaves
- The Asheville Mountain Boys
- Big Richard
- The Blue Ridge Girls
- Brek
- Caleb Caudle
- Carolina Bluegrass Band
- The Carolina Cutups
- Earl White Stringband
- The Fairfield Four
- The Five Points Rounders
- From China to Appalachia artists
- The Gospel Jubilators
- Hank, Pattie & the Current
- The Honey Dewdrops
- Hubby Jenkins
- Jacob Sharp (of Mipso)
- Jerron Paxton
- Jim Lauderdale
- Joe Troop’s Truth Machine
- Joseph Terrell (of Mipso)
- Junior Appalachian Musicians
- Larry & Joe
- Liam Purcell & Cane Mill Road
- Luke & the Cool Hands
- Mattie & Debbie
- Nancy Mamlin
- Nixon, Williams & Gage
- The Onlies
- Phil Jamison
- The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys
- Podunk Ramblers
- Redbud Bluegrass
- Shinyribs
- Skyrie
- Son de Carolina
- Sonny Miles
- The Tan & Sober Gentlemen
- Tony Trischka’s EarlJam
- Tray Wellington Band
- Trio Huasteco
- Viv & Riley
“It’s going to be so much fun to see this collection of performers come downtown,” David Brower, executive director of PineCone, said in the news release. “With bluegrass, old-time, gospel, blues and even a little norteño, this is a lineup that speaks to who we are as a community.”
Where and when is the festival?
Raleigh Wide Open is scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 1, to Saturday, Oct. 3. The music events will take place in locations across the city, The News & Observer previously reported.
Here’s what fans can expect:
- Oct. 1: Music and food truck celebration on the Centennial Campus of N.C. State University
- Oct. 2 to Oct. 3: Music, food trucks, beer and an art market on Fayetteville Street in downtown Raleigh
The festival is coming back to Raleigh for the second year in a row. It has helped fill the gap left behind after World of Bluegrass pulled out of the city in 2024, The N&O previously reported.
“The 2025 festival drew 155,000 people downtown and generated millions of dollars in economic impact for local businesses,” organizers wrote in a past news release. “The 2026 event is expected to continue putting Raleigh on the map as a cultural tourism destination, a town that welcomes music, art, and visitors.”
You can find more information about the festival at raleighwideopen.com.
