Photo credit: DV Photo Video

CaveFest is back and set to stage on October 11-13. For its third annual event, the festival will once again bring some of the biggest names in bluegrass and folk–including Railroad Earth, The Travelin’ McCourys and Béla Fleck & Abigail Washburn–to the subterranean stage of Grundy County, Tenn.’s The Caverns for a soul-stirring Americana experience. “Now in our 3rd year, CaveFest is a signature festival at The Caverns,” shares The Caverns owner Todd Mayo on the event’s return. “The community of bands and fans, the idyllic setting—both above and below ground— and Tennessee’s beautiful autumn weather, it’s all a recipe for a magical weekend in Grundy County.”

CaveFest’s full artist lineup boasts 22 acts, to be distributed across the venue’s two stages. The festival will be led by headliners Railroad Earth, The Travelin’ McCourys, Yonder Mountain String Band, Fleck & Washburn and The Grateful Ball, featuring The Travelin’ McCourys and special guests, all of whom will take the stage at the spacious Caverns Amphitheater against a backdrop of the scenic Cumberland Plateau. The Caverns’ underground concert hall will provide a second stage for other performances, as well as daily jam sessions, late-night shows, a sound bath and cave yoga.

Other artists featured on the bill include Jim Lauderdale & The Game Changers, The Larry Keel Experience, Sicard Hollow, Big Richard and Lindsay Lou, the rising singer-songwriter affectionately known as “Queen of CaveFest” who will return as the festival’s artist-in-residence for the third time. This year, Lou will be joined in this role by John Mailander, while Larry Nager will serve as the event’s emcee. Offstage, CaveFest offers gourmet local food vendors and a range of immersive activities in the unique setting, from on-site camping, to guided walking tours, to the Adventure Cave Tour, which will bring attendees deep into the heart of the cave system to witness matchless geological wonders.

Presale for CaveFest 2024 begins on Thursday, Feb. 15 at 12 p.m. CT; registration for presale tickets is open now. General on sale begins this Friday, Feb. 16 at 12 p.m. CT. $1 from every ticket sold will go to the Sewanee Mountain Grotto to support cave conservation. For more information, visit the CaveFest website.