Kick off festival season with Merlefest right here in North Carolina, the last weekend of April. Merlefest has a lot going for it, and is well worth whatever time and money it takes for you to show up for the full weekend with your family. My first experience was going with my extended family, camping by the YMCA and volunteering in the festival, and for the last 10 years I have attended Merlefest. In this article, I want to touch on a few important points for getting the most out of your Merlefest experience.
CAMPING: One of the biggest things to ensure a successful multi-day festival is where you camp. This can make or break your 3+ day experience. So, how is camping for Merlefest? In a nutshell – great and plentiful. There is no onsite camping apart from a lot set aside for RV’s (and I’m pretty sure it sells out months, if not years, in advance). If being parked in the middle of high rolling RV’s is your thing, then trying to get a spot here should be on your “to do” list, asap! Aside from onsite RV camping, there are many great offsite camping sites. To decide which one is for you, you must ask yourself a few questions. Are you bringing your family and do you like a quieter, cleaner atmosphere, with clean hot showers, a pool, and exercise equipment? Then camping at the YMCA is for you. The area is flat, grassy and has easy access to parking and shuttles, or you can even walk to the festival grounds easily. For another camping option ask yourself “Am I a dirty hippy who loves to hang with other hippies and is not afraid to camp “in a van down by the river”? If your answer is a resounding “yes!” then Rivers Edge camping is for you. Lots of fun, late night partying, and campfire jamming. This is high demand camping with limited sites available and a spot needs to be grabbed as early as possible. This is in the same area as the YMCA and has easy access to parking and shuttles. Keep in mind this is not where you go camping if you value sleep during your festival adventure.
If neither of these options sound right for you, then the good news is there are many other options to choose from. Several campgrounds operate as fundraisers for civic organizations. There is camping at the VFW, or Volunteer Fire Department (Sewerfest!) to name a few and then plenty of options for private fields that are up for grabs for camping (just keep an eye out for signs). We have always been able to find camping even if we had not made a reservation somewhere, though reservations are highly recommended as festival attendance grows each year. We have camped at all of these campgrounds, except for Rivers Edge. Our absolute favorite spot to camp is at the VFW campground, and that is because it has the best (in my opinion) after hours fireside jamming that I have found at any festival; there are campfire circles of incredible talent whipping out one hot lick and sing-along-able song after another. Every year I have to pry myself away from the jamming circles just to get a little sleep before the sun comes up. The great thing about this campground is that there is tons of space so you can wander over to the music and when you need to get to bed you can wander away from the music. But where ever you close your eyes you will hear the faint drone of a double bass thumping away until the sun rises. In my opinion, what happens around these campfires at night is just as good as the festival itself.
What to check out in the festival: The lineup is always great. The music provided is almost to exclusively bluegrass and country with small variances here and there. The main stage gets crowded when a big name is on and Hillside album hour, hosted by The Way Backs,
is a must see, and you have to get there early, by several hours, to get a good spot. You might think the woods on the edge of the hill is a good area to escape the sun and the crowds, but be aware that there are poison ivy and ticks to deal with. An excellent offering that Merlefest has over other festivals in the area is the opportunity to offer many performances and workshops inside the buildings (where the air conditioning will help you cool down a little). Make sure you save some energy for the late-night dance tent hosted by the band Scythian and other energetic bands, like Donna the Buffalo. They never fail to get everyone’s feet moving! No matter how much I want to get back to the jamming circles at the campground I know I can’t leave the festival without taking my wife to the dance tent, and it’s always worth it!
Kids activities: This is a super festival to bring kids to, not only because of the family-friendly atmosphere but also because a main focus of Merlefest is getting kids to experience music. A kid specific stage has a daily schedule full of music, activities, and entertainment. In the same area as the kid’s tents are a large field and craft area hosted each year by The Scrap Exchange (a local favorite reuse craft/artist shop in our hometown of Durham – my wife highly recommends this place!). This is a great place to let the kids make some friends while you set up your chair and catch whoever is playing on the main stage via jumbotron.
Family Friendliness: Merlefest caters to the entire family. The crowd is generally huge and tight in lots of places so have a system to keep a good eye on your young kids. Older kids will find plenty to do and see if they branch out on their own. The sand sculpture is a great place to set as a meeting point and there are many other prominent fixtures that would work for meeting up at as well. At other festivals, parents might worry about their kids running into drug and alcohol use or excess. While we have had that concern with our own kids at other festivals, we have not found this to be an issue within Merlefest. No alcohol is served on site and bag check is pretty thorough entering the festival grounds. Occasionally, you’ll find an enterprising person who has sneaked in a flask, but we have never experienced any concerning behaviors. I enjoy a cold beer at a festival as much as anyone, but it is pretty nice to be in a large crowd like this where no one has gone overboard and everyone is still having a great time. Even in my experience with several different camping areas mentioned previously, the family-friendly atmosphere pervades. A possible exception to this might be the River’s Edge camping area where things get a little crazier late at night, but even it is well patrolled by security. While the idea of “family friendliness” varies from family to family, in our opinion, Merlefest ranks at the top. That’s not to say(!) that if you want a child-free wild and crazy time you won’t find it, but it will probably be back at camp in the early morning hours. Whatever your age, you’re going to have a blast!
Insider tips: Whether it is in the forecast or not, plan for rain and high temperatures (though we have been there when the temperatures dropped drastically and we had to invest in some warm clothing from some of the vendors). Download the Merlefest app to see artists and events and lay out your daily schedule. Bring money to tip the shuttle drivers as this is a big fundraiser for the local Boy Scout chapters, VFW, and fire department. If you are buying food on site try to eat at off hours, the food tent gets busy! Comfortable shoes, you will get your 10,000 steps in (and possibly 10,000 more!).
Overall, Merlefest is an excellent option for your first venture into a music festival and a multi-day festival experience. There are other festivals with smaller crowds, on-site camping, beer tents or a wider variety of music, but over the 30-year life of the festival, the organizers have dialed in this festival to meet and exceed a patron’s expectations and deliver great times for the whole family! More information can be found on their website at Merlefest.org.
We would love to see your comments and experiences with Merlefest and to hear what you do to make for a better festival experience. Thanks for reading, see you there!
