OK. This is certainly not "exhaustive". I know there are a lot more than these, but this is a good list (I think). Generated by a query with Gemini (Google AI). The query was limited to within 600 miles (+/-) of home.
You could do the same for your "neck of the woods - and get something similar. Who doesn't have Google?
Forgive the formatting - it is copy and paste and I'm not wanting to "clean up" the presentation. It's the information that is important. And - the links are not active, but the information about online points of contact should be good.
Enjoy! Retired. And now we have a small RV. Time to have some fun (while I still can). AND - let me know if there is an event you know about that isn't on the list. Thanks!
*****Here is the comprehensive master database of all the authentic old-time and traditional acoustic gatherings we’ve mapped out across the entire region. It is organized strictly chronologically by its place in the annual calendar, then grouped by state, with precise physical locations and verified online tracking information.
Home Base: Southaven, MS (38680) | Expanded Radius: ~150 to 670 miles
"Eighth of January" Old-Time Weekend
When: Early January annually (Weekend closest to Jan 8th)
State/Location: Pegram, TN (The Fiddle & Pick Center)
Vibe: Cozy indoor winter hunker-down. Fireplace jams, technical workshops, community potlucks, and indoor square dancing.
Online Info: fiddleandpick.com
Florida Open-Air Fiddle Championship
When: Late Jan / Feb annually
State/Location: Kenansville, FL (Silver Spurs Arena grounds)
Vibe: Low-stress outdoor winter camping. Warm oak trees shade a traditional old-school picking ring and classic contest.
Online Info: flafiddlers.wordpress.com
Appalachian State Fiddler's Convention
When: First full weekend of February annually
State/Location: Boone, NC (ASU Plemmons Student Union)
Vibe: Indoor university campus takeover. Hundreds of mountain pickers pack the heated stone stairwells, halls, and indoor solariums to beat the mountain freeze.
Online Info: fiddle.appstate.edu
The University of Chicago Folk Festival
When: Late February annually
State/Location: Chicago, IL (Mandel Hall & Campus Buildings)
Vibe: Pure indoor urban shelter. Musicians and midwestern traditional string bands pack heated brick rooms and building hallways for 24-hour jam cycles.
Online Info: uofcfolk.org
Highfalls Old-Time Fiddlers' Convention
When: Last Saturday in February annually
State/Location: Robbins, NC (North Moore High Auditorium)
Vibe: Old-school, single-day winter indoor gathering inside a heated community school space. A massive regional tuning-up hub before the outdoor season hits.
Online Info: themusicallysound.com
Tommy Jarrell Celebration
When: Late February annually
State/Location: Mount Airy, NC (Historic Earle Theatre)
Vibe: Indoor winter theater concerts, regional clawhammer workshops, and youth square dancing keeping the local Round Peak styles warm during the winter freeze.
Online Info: surryarts.org
Breakin' Up Winter
When: First full weekend of March annually
State/Location: Lebanon, TN (Cedars of Lebanon State Park)
Vibe: The ultimate transition retreat. Musicians rent out historic stone cabins and pack the massive heated stone forest lodge for 24-hour fireplace jams.
Online Info: notsba.org
Great Southern Old Time Fiddlers Convention
When: Annually in March
State/Location: Chattanooga, TN (Lindsay St. area)
Vibe: Intimate winter city gathering revived explicitly to honor and mirror historical 1920s tri-state string band styles indoors.
Online Info: Coordinated independently via regional notsba.org networks.
Sinking Creek Old-Time Gathering
When: Late Spring / Early Summer annually
State/Location: Avon, MO (Echo Valley Campground)
Vibe: Deep-woods shade-tree picking in the eastern Ozark foothills. A flat camping fee turns the trailer loops into a self-governing acoustic picking village.
Online Info: Track via community calendars like knoxvilleoldtime.org/calendar
The Mount Airy Fiddlers Convention
When: First full weekend in June annually
State/Location: Mount Airy, NC (Veterans Memorial Park)
Vibe: A true bluegrass and old-time Mecca. Sprawling concentric RV campground loops where intense jam sessions run non-stop for 48 hours straight under old oak trees.
Online Info: mountairyfiddlersconvention.com
The Brickyard Old-Time Gathering
When: Mid-June annually
State/Location: Glenmont, OH (Mohican Wilderness Camp)
Vibe: Uncommercial river-valley loop. Ohio and Pennsylvania string band musicians take over a wooded campground loop for zero-fluff primitive campsite picking.
Online Info: Track via the public Facebook community group: "The Brickyard Old-Time".
FARMette Folk & Showcase Gathering
When: Mid-June annually
State/Location: South Bend, IN (Indiana University South Bend Campus)
Vibe: Small-scale regional acoustic workshop, showcase room, and community jam hunker-down.
Online Info: hoosieroriginalmusic.com
The Indiana Fiddlers' Gathering
When: Last full weekend in June annually
State/Location: Battle Ground, IN (Tippecanoe Battlefield Park)
Vibe: High-quality shade-tree picking under massive historic trees. Sprawling grass lawns host an incredible network of traditional midwestern jam circles.
Online Info: indianafiddlersgathering.org
"Stickerville" at Weiser
When: Late June annually
State/Location: Weiser, ID (Stickerville Campground field)
Vibe: Independent, renegade field-camping village. Rigs park in concentric circles for wide-open non-stop string band picking completely separate from the formal town contests.
Online Info: Independent picker travel blogs and Facebook community pages.
Bluegrass Along the Harpeth
When: Late July annually (Typically the fourth weekend)
State/Location: Franklin, TN (Historic Town Square)
Vibe: Historic brick storefront layout. Old-time street competition categories (clawhammer, string band, buckdancing) spark fierce sidewalk jam circles.
Online Info: bluegrassalongtheharpeth.com
Ashe County Fiddlers Convention
When: Late July annually
State/Location: Jefferson, NC (Ashe County Park)
Vibe: High-elevation mountain gathering. Cheap primitive camping right against a mountain ridge where acoustic banjos and fiddles echo through the trees all night.
Online Info: ashefiddlersconvention.org
Stidham Old Time Music Gathering
When: Late July annually
State/Location: Tomahawk, KY (James E. Webb Instrument Shop)
Vibe: Hyper-local, completely grassroots Appalachian weekend popping right out of a mountain instrument repair shop yard.
Online Info: Monitored via regional Eastern Kentucky community Facebook old-time groups.
Appalachian String Band Music Festival ("Clifftop")
When: Late July / Early August annually
State/Location: Clifftop, WV (Camp Washington-Carver)
Vibe: The undisputed global mountaintop Mecca of old-time music. Elaborate primitive camps set up for over a week under pine trees for non-stop, 24-hour acoustic circle jamming.
Online Info: wvculture.org
The Galax Old Fiddler’s Convention
When: Early August annually (Always the first full week)
State/Location: Galax, VA (Felts Park Campground)
Vibe: Sprawling, legendary 1935 canvas-tent and trailer city. Non-stop, hardcore field jamming across the park grass that defines the historic mountain convention style.
Online Info: oldfiddlersconvention.com
Centralia Old-Time Music Campout
When: Mid-August annually (Massive 9-day run)
State/Location: Centralia, WA (Private Skookumchuck River sheep pasture)
Vibe: The ultimate definition of pure camp-and-pick. Zero stages, zero contests, zero generators allowed. Pure primitive campsite jamming.
Online Info: Shared via independent old-time travel blogs and west coast string band forums.
Meadowgreen Music Park Campout
When: Late August annually
State/Location: Clay City, KY (Meadowgreen Music Park)
Vibe: An old-school, independent music park right near the Red River Gorge built with primitive loops strictly designed for camper-awning picking lines.
Online Info: Shared via Kentucky traditional music forums and regional acoustic jam pages.
The Happy Valley Fiddlers Convention
When: Late August / Labor Day Weekend annually
State/Location: Lenoir, NC (Jones Family Farm, along the Yadkin River)
Vibe: Set right out in the open hayfields of a working historic valley farm. Relaxed shade-tree picking loops, river camping, and flatfoot dancing on a plywood stage.
Online Info: happyvalleyfiddlers.org
The Central Illinois Old-Time Music Camp
When: Late August / Early Sept annually
State/Location: Joliet, IL (Pilcher Park Nature Center)
Vibe: Tucked inside a rustic timber-frame park building. Focused entirely on traditional midwestern tune swaps and acoustic flatfoot steps.
Online Info: Tracked via localized Illinois old-time and square dance blogs.
The Fraley Festival of Traditional Music
When: First weekend after Labor Day annually
State/Location: Olive Hill, KY (Carter Caves State Resort Park)
Vibe: The ultimate 50-year-old state park takeover. Musicians rule the lodge porch, parking loops, and campsite areas. Features an authentic square dance held deep inside a massive cave.
Online Info: fraleyfestival.net or parks.ky.gov
Kennedy Creek Old-Time Music Festival
When: Mid-September annually
State/Location: Suches, GA (Kennedy Creek Resort)
Vibe: The absolute campground-picking gold standard. Free gate admission via grants, zero performance stages, and a rugged North Georgia layout built for open camp circles.
Online Info: Active community group updates on Facebook at: "Kennedy Creek Old-Time Music Festival".
Great River Road Old-Time Music Campout
When: Mid-September annually
State/Location: Sainte Genevieve, MO (Tower Rock Campground)
Vibe: Completely uncommercial word-of-mouth campout along the Mississippi River bluffs. No gates or tickets; purists just book sites and pick all night.
Online Info: Strictly word-of-mouth via independent Midwestern picker blogs and forum circles.
The Hagood Mill Old-Time Fiddlers Convention
When: Mid-September annually
State/Location: Pickens, SC (Hagood Mill Historic Site)
Vibe: Located at an active 1845 water-powered gristmill. Camp primitively directly on the historic homestead grounds with open fires and barn jams under timber sheds.
Online Info: hagoodmillhistoricsite.com
Hoppin’ John Fiddlers’ Convention
When: Mid-September annually
State/Location: Pittsboro, NC (Shakori Hills Community Arts Center)
Vibe: A major favorite for the younger generation of string band purists. Wooded campsite loops, instrument workshops, and a traditional Hoppin' John camp stew cook-off.
Online Info: hoppinjohn.org
The End of Times Festival
When: Late September annually (They run a Spring "Dawn" and a Fall "End")
State/Location: Jasper, AR (Lost Times Retreat by the Buffalo River)
Vibe: Built as an antidote to rigid folk schools. A completely independent, rugged mountain retreat campout with primitive loops, bonfires, and unrestricted picking.
Online Info: losttimesfestival.com
Tennessee Valley Old Time Fiddlers Convention
When: First weekend of October annually
State/Location: Athens, AL (Athens State University Lawn)
Vibe: Landmark convention on a historic university campus. While stage crowds are massive, old-growth oak trees across campus host a massive network of field jams.
Online Info: athensfiddlers.org
3 Sisters Bluegrass Festival
When: Early October annually
State/Location: Chattanooga, TN (Ross's Landing Riverfront)
Vibe: Free open-air public riverfront park. Regional pickers routinely bring lawn chairs to claim spots under park trees to form independent jam circles away from the stage.
Online Info: 3sistersbluegrass.com
HOOTenanny Stringband Weekend
When: Early October annually
State/Location: Mountain View, AR (Dry Creek Campground at the Folk Center)
Vibe: Skip the crowded concrete town square and book the wooded state park loop where traveling musicians completely take over the campground loops for porch-picking circles.
Online Info: Track via the state park portal calendar at arkansasstateparks.com
CaveFest
When: Mid-October annually
State/Location: Pelham, TN (The Caverns Campground)
Vibe: A mid-sized roots festival on a mountain property where tickets include primitive camping. Sprawling grass loops move into natural limestone caves at night.
Online Info: thecaverns.com/cavefest
Florida State Fiddlers Association Convention
When: Mid-October annually
State/Location: High Springs, FL (O'Leno State Park Campground)
Vibe: Non-public, dedicated old-time rustic park campout takeover. Musicians occupy historic CCC log cabins and open loops for continuous tree-line jamming.
Online Info: flafiddlers.wordpress.com
The Ozark Heritage Festival
When: Mid-October annually
State/Location: West Plains, MO (Civic Center & Town Grounds)
Vibe: Free community festival focused strictly on regional tunes and old-style jig dancing. Features a massive hall square dance backed by live local string bands.
Online Info: Monitored via West Plains community arts calendars or their dedicated Facebook event pages.
Arcadia Valley Fall Mountain Music Festival
When: Mid-October annually
State/Location: Ironton, MO (Courthouse lawn & Echo Bluff State Park)
Vibe: Court square flatfooting during the day, which spills backward into a major old-time musician trailer-camping takeover at Echo Bluff State Park at night.
Online Info: Monitored via regional Missouri Ozark tourism portals and local community boards.
Old-Time & Gee's Bend Weekend
When: Late October annually
State/Location: Nauvoo, AL (Camp McDowell)
Vibe: Immersive educational weekend operating on a formal folk school model. Features structured cabin workshops, schedule blocks, and dining hall group setups.
Online Info: campmcdowell.org
IBMA World of Bluegrass (Lobby Scene)
When: Late October annually
State/Location: Chattanooga, TN (Downtown Hotel Lobbies)
Vibe: A massive city-wide hotel-lobby takeover. While the formal convention is inside, the public hotel lobbies and adjacent street corners host 24-hour jam circles for free.
Online Info: Track via Chattanooga Tourism Board and regional IBMA local portals.
The Lake Toccoa Old-Time Gathering
When: Late October / Early November annually
State/Location: Toccoa, GA (Lakeside Environmental Center)
Vibe: Crisp-weather hidden gem. Musicians take over lakeside campsites and rustic screened cabins for massive pavilion jams and potlucks around giant outdoor fireplaces.
Online Info: Coordinated independently through regional old-time listservs and Georgia Old-Time Pickers community networks.
Edited by - tonyelder on 07/07/2026 09:14:03
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