5,231 live bluegrass shows in 50 states this quarter. Tennessee and Colorado have the most, but the music is well spread out. Pennsylvania cracked the top 10.

Key Takeaways from Q3 2026

  • → 5,231+ live bluegrass shows tracked across 50 states
  • → Shows are spread out, with the Southeast at 29% and strong scenes coast to coast
  • → Nashville, TN has the most shows of any city we track
  • → Some bands are hitting 20+ states in a single quarter

Here's what we found when we dug into this quarter's numbers.

Q3 2026 at a Glance

5,231
Live Events
542
Bands Tracked
3,286
Venues
50
U.S. States
512
Festivals
46
Countries

Based on 5,231 events collected from 542 band websites and venue listings currently in our system. This is a sample, not a census. Many active bands and venues are not yet tracked. Plus 508 events across 46 countries.

That's 57% more shows than we tracked last quarter (3,322 → 5,231), with 177 more bands on the calendar. Some of that is real growth as we add bands and venues, and some is simply summer: festival and touring season packs the calendar.

What Kind of Bluegrass

Bluegrass isn't one sound. Here's the range of styles on stage this quarter, from the traditional core to the many flavors around it

The Traditional Core

The Wider Circle

Across the quarter, 8 distinct styles shared the stage. Traditional Bluegrass is the anchor the whole scene is built on, but it's far from the only sound out there. Look past the core and you'll find singer-songwriter, americana, and jamgrass filling out the calendar. Plenty of room to wander.

Percentages are shares of all tracked shows. Within “The Wider Circle,” bar lengths are scaled to that group so the smaller styles are easier to compare. Genre reflects the primary style of each band, matched for 98% of tracked shows. Explore bands by genre →

What's Playing

Breakdown by event type this quarter. Festival counts here are individual performances (band sets), not distinct festivals

Where Bluegrass Lives

Top U.S. states by number of tracked events

Shows are spread pretty evenly this quarter. The Southeast has 29% and the rest is scattered across 50 states.

U.S. Bluegrass Activity

Every dot of heat is a real event. 4722 events mapped.

5,231 bluegrass events mapped across the U.S. Explore the interactive map →

Most Visited Cities

Cities where bands played the most shows this quarter

1 Nashville, TN 145 events
2 Hiram, ME 37 events
3 Denver, CO 37 events
4 Pittsburgh, PA 32 events
5 Livingston, MT 31 events
6 Portland, OR 31 events
7 Lyons, CO 29 events
8 Asheville, NC 27 events
9 Louisville, KY 26 events
10 Madison, WI 26 events
Nashville, TN leads with 145 tracked events, followed by Hiram, ME at 37.

Most Active Bands

Bands with the most shows in our tracking this quarter

1 Molly Tuttle 46 shows
2 Alison Krauss & Union Station 42 shows
3 Martha Spencer 41 shows
4 Front Porch 37 shows
5 The Brothers Comatose 36 shows
6 Magoo 35 shows
7 Sierra Hull 34 shows
8 The Truffle Valley Boys 34 shows
9 Sequoia Rose 34 shows
10 Kitchen Dwellers 34 shows
Molly Tuttle played the most shows we tracked: 46 in three months, which works out to roughly one every 2 days. Alison Krauss & Union Station is right there too at 42.

Busiest Venues

The venues with the most shows on the calendar this quarter

1 Grand Ole Opry · Nashville, TN 35 shows
2 The Station Inn · Nashville, TN 35 shows
3 Pine Creek Lodge · Livingston, MT 19 shows
4 Club Possum Event Center · Mountain View, AR 13 shows
5 The Bluegrass Lounge - Olde Town · Arvada, CO 10 shows
6 The Ryman Auditorium · Nashville, TN 10 shows
7 Service Brewing Co. · Savannah, GA 9 shows
8 Historic Rock Castle · Hendersonville, TN 9 shows
9 Pilgrim Firs Conference Center · Port Orchard, WA 8 shows
10 Pickin' in the Pasture · Lodi, NY 8 shows
Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, TN had the most shows on the calendar with 35 this quarter. If you're anywhere nearby, chances are there's something playing.

Recently Added to GrassGigs

The newest bands we started tracking this quarter

1 Buffalo Wabs & The Price Hill Hustle 7 shows
2 The Howard Brothers 1 shows
3 High Horse 9 shows
4 Ashlee Watkins & Andrew Small 4 shows
5 Possum Monorail 4 shows
6 Brightwood & Friends 6 shows
7 Elephant Revival 4 shows
8 Valley Fox 16 shows
9 Tricky Britches Band 7 shows
10 Eight Dollar Mountain 1 shows
New to our data, not necessarily new to the scene. We recently started tracking these bands' websites. Worth a listen if you haven't heard them.

Made the list?

Top bands, venues, and cities. Share your ranking with your fans.

Community Stages

Venues hosting the most different bands, not just one residency

1 Grand Ole Opry · Nashville, TN 21 different acts
2 The Station Inn · Nashville, TN 19 different acts
3 Walsh Farm · Oak Hill, NY 19 different acts
4 Pine Creek Lodge · Livingston, MT 16 different acts
5 Goshen Fair Grounds · Goshen, CT 12 different acts
6 Nelson Ledges Quarry Park · Garrettsville, OH 12 different acts
7 Earl Scruggs Center · Mill Spring, NC 12 different acts
8 Glen Maury Park · Buena Vista, VA 12 different acts
9 Pepsi Amphitheater · Flagstaff, AZ 12 different acts
10 Bristol Virginia-Tennessee Slogan Sign · Bristol, TN 11 different acts
These places are rotating through a good variety of bands every week. If you're looking for a gig or just want to hear something different, start here.

Road Warriors

Bands playing in the most states, spreading bluegrass far and wide

1 Sierra Ferrell 24 states
2 Sierra Hull 23 states
3 Old Crow Medicine Show 23 states
4 Alison Krauss & Union Station 23 states
5 Molly Tuttle 22 states
6 Bronwyn 21 states
7 Mountain Grass Unit 20 states
8 Sequoia Rose 20 states
9 Leftover Salmon 19 states
10 Ricky Skaggs 18 states
Sierra Ferrell hit 24 states this quarter. That's a lot of windshield time.

Festival Season

Of the 512 festivals we're tracking this quarter, these have the most going on, ranked by number of tracked performances (individual band sets)

1 Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival · Jul 15-17 · Oak Hill, NY 24 performances
2 The Ossipee Valley Music Festival · Jul 23 · Hiram, ME 21 performances
3 Walnut Valley Festival · Sep 17-20 · Winfield, KS 19 performances
4 AMERICANAFEST 2026 · Sep 15-19 · Nashville, TN 17 performances
5 Starvy Creek Bluegrass Festival 2026 · Sep 17-19 · Conway, MO 16 performances
6 RockyGrass 2026 · Jul 19-26 · Lyons, CO 16 performances
7 Crooked River Gathering · Sep 3-6 · Hiram, ME 15 performances
8 Pickin' in Parsons Bluegrass Festival 14 performances
9 Annapolis Baygrass Music Festival · Sep 19-20 · Annapolis, MD 13 performances
10 Bristol Rhythm and Roots Reunion · Sep 12 · Bristol, TN-VA 12 performances
Festivals are the anchor of bluegrass season. Multi-day events pack the calendar and pull people in from all over.

Browse all festivals →

Most Buzzed-About Shows

The events fans reacted to most, whether they saved them for later or marked "I'm Going"

1 Hickory Bottom Band · Downtown Bedford, Inc., Bedford PA 3 saved
2 Watershed Ramblers · Noble County Fairgrounds, Kendallville IN 1 going · 1 saved
3 Full Cord · Lake Ann Brewing Company, Lake Ann MI 2 going
4 Chosen Road · Mon-Aetna Baptist Church, Union SC 2 going
5 Hunter Skeens and The Forerunners · Atwood Lake, Atwood Lake OH 1 going · 1 saved
These are the shows fans saved and marked "I'm Going" the most. Every reaction helps other folks find what's worth showing up for. Tap Save to keep a show in your list, or I'm Going when you've committed.

When Bluegrass Happens

Day-of-week and monthly patterns

Day of Week

Monthly Breakdown

Saturdays are the biggest night (31.1% of shows). Best weeknight? Thursday, with 766 shows this quarter. Overall, 26.1% of shows happen Tue-Thu, so there's plenty of live music if you're not waiting for the weekend.
September was the busiest month with 1931 events.

Beyond the U.S.

Bluegrass doesn't stop at the border: 508 events across 46 countries

1 United Kingdom 200 events
2 Czech Republic 38 events
3 Germany 33 events
4 Sweden 32 events
5 Ontario 31 events
6 Netherlands 28 events
7 British Columbia 15 events
8 Quebec 12 events
9 Spain 10 events
10 Switzerland 10 events

European Bluegrass Activity

506 international events mapped.

The U.S. is home base, but bluegrass keeps growing overseas. The UK and Czech Republic have especially strong scenes.

Coming Up: Q4 2026

A look ahead: 3,036 shows and 163 festivals are already on the calendar for next quarter

Festivals to Plan Around

1 Hillberry Music Festival · Oct 7 · Eureka Springs, AR 16 performances
2 Blue Highway Fest · Oct 8-11 · Big Stone Gap, VA 15 performances
3 Silver Dollar City - Bluegrass & BBQ 13 performances
4 Festival Park · Oct 15-17 · Manteo, NC 12 performances
5 Three Sisters Bluegrass Festival · Oct 3 · Chattanooga, TN 9 performances
6 The 14th Annual Outer Banks Bluegrass Island Music Festival · Oct 14-17 · Manteo, NC 9 performances
7 Oklahoma's International Bluegrass Festival · Oct 9-10 · Guthrie, OK 9 performances
8 Hillberry Music Festival 2026 8 performances
9 Headin’ Home Fest · Oct 14-18 · Hazlehurst, GA 8 performances
10 Withlacoochee Bluegrass Festival 2026 · Nov 19-20 · Dunnellon, FL 7 performances

Who's On the Road

1 Rhonda Vincent 38 shows · 10 states
2 Chris Thile 37 shows · 23 states
3 Magoo 36 shows · 16 states
4 Two Runner Music 35 shows · 11 states
5 Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper 34 shows · 24 states
6 Old Crow Medicine Show 30 shows · 19 states
7 Mountain Grass Unit 29 shows · 20 states
8 Martha Spencer 28 shows · 5 states
9 Punch Brothers 27 shows · 19 states
10 The Brothers Comatose 26 shows · 13 states
These shows are already booked for next quarter. Follow your favorite bands on GrassGigs and we'll let you know when they're playing near you.

How We've Grown in 2026

Bands and festivals we track, quarter by quarter. These grow as we add sources, not with the seasons, so they're the truest picture of how far the map has come

Bands Tracked

Festivals Tracked

From Q1 to Q3, the bands we track grew from 217 to 542 and the festivals from 44 to 512. Total shows climb too, but a lot of that is summer: festival and touring season naturally packs the calendar. The steady rise in bands and festivals is the part that's really us building the map.

Find a bluegrass show near you this week →

Every event on an interactive map. Filter by band, city, or date

Explore the Map →

This is a snapshot, not the full picture. We add new bands and venues every week. If your scene isn't showing up here, let us know. Register your band or submit a venue and we'll get you in the next one.

About This Data

We pulled 5,231 events from 542 band websites and venue listings that are currently in our system. This isn't everything happening in bluegrass, just what we've been able to find and track so far. That includes 508 international shows.

States and venues that rank high here are the ones well-represented in our data. Plenty of great scenes have been going strong for decades without us knowing about them yet. We're adding more every quarter.

Data as of October 01, 2026. Know a scene we're missing? Register your band or submit a venue.

Cite This Report

GrassGigs. (2026). The State of Bluegrass - Q3 2026. Retrieved from https://grassgigs.com/blog/2026/09/state-of-bluegrass-q3-2026.html