Blue Ox Music Festival Unveils 2026 Lineup: Charley Crockett, Marcus King, Kurt Vile, I’m With Her, Daniel Donato and More
Blue Ox Music Festival has officially announced the initial artist lineup for its 2026 staging. Returning to Eau Claire, Wis.’s scenic The Pines Music Park from June 25-27, the 12th annual staging of the essential Midwestern festival will once again welcome the leading redional and national acts from the worlds of bluegrass, country, Southern rock, jam, indie-rock and more. With 29 acts signed on already, next year’s tight-knit community event will be championed by headliners like Charley Crockett and the Marcus King Band and longtime host band Pert Near Sandstone, who will perform twice.
Beyond Crockett, who first joined the Blue Ox family back in 2020 and has remained a staple since, many of the acts billed for 2026 are returning festival favorites, including the newly five-time Grammy nominated mandolin master Sierra Hull, acclaimed Nashville axeman Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country, progressive string band Horseshoes & Hand Grenades, indie-folk duo The Lowest Pair and Eau Claire’s own folk-rock powerhouse Them Coulee Boys. Other standouts from the stacked program include I’m With Her, Kurt Vile & The Violators, The Dead South, Valerie June, Shadowgrass, Dom Flemons & The Traveling Wildfires, Etran De L’aïr, Bronwyn Keith-Hynes, Folk Bitch Trio, Horseshoes & Hand Grenades, Silverada, The Steel Wheels and Wild Horses.
Blue Ox’s host of performers – and more still to be announced – will be distributed across the Main Stage, Saloon Stage, Backwoods Stage around The Pines Music Park. On top of the music, the venue offers 155 acres of pristine forest, with hiking trails and wide-open landscaped lawns for a serene and immersive music and camping experience.
Tickets for the 2026 Blue Ox Music Festival are available now. For more information, visit blueoxmusicfestival.com.
One among many highlights from 2025’s Blue Ox Music Festival was a surprise collaboration between Greensky Bluegrass and Molly Tuttle. Watch a pro-shot video of that memorable moment here.
