NELSONVILLE, Ohio – When it comes to national quality summer camp-out music festivals few are held in such high regard as Nelsonville Music Fest or NMF. Now in its 18th year, NMR reels in eclectic, epic acts, shares a wave of incoming artists ready to break, and celebrates the sweet vibe of community through the sharing of music, food, art, sustainability and goodwill in the Great Outdoors.
Located just a stone’s throw from the progressive Appalachian oasis of Athens, Ohio, NMF has through the years hosted a who’s who of America’s most influential artists from Willie Nelson, George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic and John Prine to Loretta Lynn, Mavis Staples and Emmylou Harris. NMF has also reeled in a consistent string of ready-to-break artists such as Tyler Childers, Sierra Ferrell and Tank and The Bangas, before they all broke big nationally.
Curated by Tim Peacock, his team of music taste-makers at Stuart’s Opera House, and aided by the greater Athens’ community, the 18th annual Nelsonville Music Festival (NMF24) is set to run Friday through Sunday, July 26-28 at the Snow Fork Event Center in Nelsonville, Ohio.
We call it the Goldilocks of music festivals, not too big, not too small, but just right. Time Out Chicago calls it “one of the Midwest’s best festivals.” The AV Club and Ohio Magazine calls it the “Best Music Festival in Ohio,” Whatever you call it, NMF includes three days of music featuring more than 50 eclectic performances across 3 stages, camping, a ton of kids’ activities, artisans, and funky and downhome regional food and beverage vendors. And all of that is presented leaving no trace or guilt as a Zero Waste fest.
A Killer Lineup on the Mic
This year’s lineup includes sweeps across all genres with headliners such as Australian rocker Courtney Barnett, who torched the stage at NMF in 2016, the sweet sunny Cali soul of Thee Sacred Souls, whose self-titled debut of sweet soul music in 2022 led to national TV performances on CBS Saturday, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, sold-out headlining shows across the US, UK and Europe.
And to kick off the fest on Friday, the Grammy-laden Atlanta hip hop veteran Killer MIke, who swept the 2024 Grammy’s winning best rap album for ‘Michael,’ while his song “Scientists and Engineers” won best rap song and best rap performance. Interestingly, Mike, also known as a bridge-building community activist is playing NMF in between appearances at two of the world’s largest folk fests – Winnipeg Folk Festival, and the Newport Folk Festival, the famed Rhode Island, seaside fest which he plays the day after NMF.
Some of the many other acts include: Amyl and The Sniffers, The Felice Brothers, The Deslondes, La Lom, Sheer Meg, Indigo de Souza, Bonnie Prince Billy, The Nude Party, Eileen Jewell, John Vincent III, Sean Kuti and Egypt 80, The Heavy Heavy Bob Mould, The Local Honeys, Suss, Yasmin Williams, and playing the fest (every year since its inception) iconic folk songwriting hero Michael Hurley. View the full schedule and set times here … https://nelsonvillefest.org/nmf-artists/
Discounted Passes On Sale Through Thursday, June 13
Do your wallet a favor and secure your tickets now. All Weekend Passes will increase to Tier 3 next Thursday, June 13th. Save yourself some cash and lock in your tickets today starting at just 25% down with a payment plan available at checkout. There’s also a limited number of Single Day Passes on sale too.
Weekend passes for all three days are on sale now for $190 (includes camping), and the price will increase as the festival weekend gets closer. Teen Weekend Passes with Camping Wristband start at $95 (ages 13-17). Kids 12 and under get in FREE and camp at no additional charge. All individuals 17 and under must be accompanied by a ticket holding adult.
Weekend passes for Nelsonville and Buchtel residents are free with proof of residency, which must be shown in person at the Stuart’s Opera House box officeMonday-Friday, 12-4 pm. Tickets and more information can be found at nelsonvillefest.org or by calling 740-753-1924.
The Woods to Explore
Set in the beautiful rolling hills of Southeast Ohio and surrounded by the Wayne National Forest,
the laid back, family-friendly weekend offers a carefully curated, diverse lineup of national,
regional, and local acts in an intimate setting. Snow Fork is located at 5685 Happy Hollow Road in Nelsonville. It is just 3 miles from U.S. Route 33. Tucked up against the Wayne National Forest, the festival site features stellar camping sites, as well as a walk-to wooded secretive stage The Sycamore Sessions. Pop up your hammock and sway to the incredible sounds of some of the main stage acts playing a warm up set that’s being recorded by Ohio University Media Arts and Studies students at the Creekside Stage. The sessions are a collaborative effort with our friends at WOUB Public Media and the Ohio University Scripps College of Communication’s School of Media Arts and Studies. Check out past Sycamore Sessions here including some incredible sets from Sierra Ferrell, S.G. Goodman, Tre Burt, Sunny War and many more. https://nelsonvillefest.org/sycamore-sessions/
Be sure and take some time to tromp around and soak up some of the shade and beauty of Snow Fork, and be sure and download the app, as last year there were some pop-up outdoor delights including a foraging hike with social media star and outdoor educator Alexis Nikole Nelson (better known as BlackForager).
The Cause – Arts Education Programs
Get a warm fuzzy feeling supporting NMF because since its inception The Nelsonville Music Festival has been a production of Stuart’s Opera House, a Nelsonville-based historic, non-profit theater that presents live music, theater, educational programming and community building. All proceeds directly support Stuart’s Opera House including their tuition-free Arts Education programs. Stuart’s signature Arts Education program is the After School Music Program (AMP). High school students meet weekly and learn not only how to make music, but valuable life skills while working together to form bands, write songs, and produce music. And AMP bands get to perform at NMF!!
Just a few of the Arts Education programs include: Free admission to NMF for all children under 12, discounts for teen tickets, a Kids Area activities at NMF, Artist workshops and masterclasses in area schools and at Stuart’s, Music & arts performances for local children, After School Music Program (AMP), Nelsonville-York Drama Club, Summer Performing Arts Camp, Old-Time Music Week, Monthly Paint & Pour classes, Community Choir, Spoken & Heard Poetry Series, Poetry Out Loud, Private Music Lessons and Adult Creative Writing Learn more about Stuart’s by visiting stuartsoperahouse.org.
The Best Family Fest
Because of the community-centric mission of NMF, the fest has a special place for making the fest fun and open to the next generation of music fans – the Kids! There’s FREE admission for all kids 12 and under, discounted passes for teens (13 to 17), a dedicated quiet/family camping area AND an absolute smorgasbord of awesome interactive fun for kids.
The NMF team works with the Federal Hocking School’s Art and Drama Clubs, Passion Works (look them up they are amazing!!) and other local partners to create an incredible kids area. Past activities have included parades, making postcards, games, workshops, face painting, photo booth, making costumes/flags/puppets, youth yoga, and more.
And don’t miss the always rocking performance of the AMP (After School Music Project) kids bands on stage at NMF!
Go online at https://nelsonvillefest.org/festival-info/kids-family/ to learn more about kids and family activities at NMF.
The Impact of Sustainability
Sustainability is a huge factor of the locally-sourced NMF. Once again NMF is
working with Rural Action’s Zero Waste Even Productions to provide waste diversion and materials management within the festival grounds. This is the 13th year of their partnership. They hit a 94% diversion rate in 2015, and have maintained a diversion rate in the 90 percentile since then. Their team collects and sorts through all the materials generated within the festival grounds in order to separate both recyclable and compostable materials and prevent them from entering the landfill.
Go online at https://zerowastefest.com/ to find out more about Zero Waste Event Productions, which last year helped bring sustainability to 38 events in 11 states.
