In downtown Raleigh this weekend, a traditional music festival offers much more than Appalachian bluegrass.
Now in its second year, Raleigh Wide Open is produced by PineCone, the music nonprofit that formerly produced the International Bluegrass Music Association’s long-running World of Bluegrass festival in Raleigh. When World of Bluegrass moved to Chattanooga in 2024, Raleigh Wide Open emerged to fill the gap.
The festival, which is free and open to the public, kicks off the evening of October 1 on NC State’s campus at 941 Main Campus Drive. Subsequent performances on October 2 and 3 take place along Fayetteville Street.
For its sophomore iteration, PineCone is further expanding the scope of traditional music. Alongside bluegrass legends like Alice Gerrard and The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys, this year’s lineup features acts that draw from wide-ranging traditions, including gospel, Son huasteco, classical Chinese influences, and more.
Courtney Wheeler, the new executive director of PineCone, said that this global representation of traditional music is part of the organization’s vision for the festival.
Related stories
“We like to call it a cultural celebration, really blending world-class music with local flavor,” Wheeler told the INDY. “A lot of these bands that are from other cultures have found a home here, and we love showcasing how multicultural North Carolina and North Carolina music is.”
Highlights from the 40-act lineup include The Fairfield Four, a gospel a capella group that has existed, with rotating members, since 1921; From China to Appalachia, a band that combines American roots artists with the traditional Chinese hammered dulcimer; and Trio Huasteco, a string band that plays traditional music from the Mexican state of Hidalgo.
As for the biggest international influence on this year’s festival? Iceland.
New to this year’s lineup, acoustic foursome Brek is an award-winning band based in Reykjavik that combines a traditional Icelandic style with other forms of folk music. Brek appears in multiple Raleigh Wide Open–affiliated events this week, in addition to playing the Davie Street stage on Saturday night.
In tandem with the appearance, Raleigh Wide Open is offering two round-trip flights to Iceland from Raleigh-Durham International Airport, which began offering nonstop flights via Icelandair in 2022. The contest is free for anyone to enter.
Another Raleigh Wide Open performer, Hank Smith, the Raleigh-based banjoist of Hank, Pattie & the Current, met Brek while searching for a bluegrass jam in Reykjavik. A friendship quickly sparked between the artists, leading to Brek’s participation in this year’s festival, as well as Icelandair’s partnership with PineCone for the ticket contest. Brek is also currently participating in a weeklong NC State LIVE artist’s residency with Smith and Pattie Hopkins Kinlaw.
For Wheeler, this international friendship and the partnerships that have grown from it “show the power of this music, and the power of the community that it builds.”
To comment on this story, email [email protected].
You must be logged in to post a comment.