Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Choosing A Music Festival North Carolina

By Sharlene Fleming


If you need your fix of a music festival North Carolina will have just what you need. Whether you're into jazz, rock or bluegrass, there will be an event somewhere in the Tar Heel State. You can also choose between ones with more formal set-ups and ones that offer a weekend's camping.

There is at least one festive musical gathering a month taking place somewhere in the state. The outdoor ones that require camping usually happen in the warmer months of spring through to fall. These are also the busiest seasons and you may have to budget for more than one event. In winter there is less to choose from and what there is, is usually indoors and more formal.

The state has an abundance of events for jazz aficionados. It starts with the All That Jazz Weekend in Asheville. February sees the North Carolina Jazz Festival, taking place in Wilmington. This is not only the premier musical event in the city, but also one of the biggest in the Southeast. Musicians come from as far afield as Finland to perform in this city on the banks of the Cape Fear River.

April is the month to head to Durham for young up-and-coming jazz ensembles. They play at several venues on North Carolina Central University's campus during the NCCU Jazz Festival. Since there are many free performances, you don't need to blow your entire monthly budget either.

Midsummer and again in September you can head to Charlotte for two different events, while in August you can celebrate the life and work of John Coltrane together with jazz and blues musicians in High Point. A great place to go to during fall is Pleasure Island, where you can enjoy seafood while listening to jazz and blues too.

One of the Tar Heel State's claims to fame is its old-time and bluegrass music. Fiddles, banjos and harmonicas abound at various festivals throughout the year. You just need to decide whether you want to go to Asheville, Boone, Charlotte, Cherokee, Cherryville, Clyde, Denton, Eden, Franklinton, Hot Springs, Lake Junaluska, Lansing, Lenoir, Manteo, Marion, Mars Hill, Moncure, Morganton, Mount Airy, Oakboro, Pinnacle, Pleasure Island, Raleigh, Roxboro, Silk Hope, Snow Camp, Stella, Sugar Grove, Tryon, Union Grove or Wilkesboro and whether you want an event that lasts one day only or one that happens over three or more days.

Other genres get their fair share of exposure too. For world music, go to Camp Rockmont near Black Mountain in May for LEAF. There are several gospel events in different towns throughout the year and even metalheads will find that the state accommodates their needs. One of the biggest festivals in the state is Hopscotch which takes place in Raleigh in the fall. National as well as international bands converge on the city for three days that feature everything from rock, heavy metal, punk and hip-hop to alt-country, folk and even classical.

There is even an event that honors the musical instruments invented by Robert Moog, who gave the world the minimoog. This takes place in Asheville in October. To pick the music festival North Carolina has just for you, all you need to do it check the state's tourism sites and events calendars online.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment