More than 100 artists will steward a dreamscape across nine stages and five days for the 2016 edition of the award-winning FloydFest, dubbed “Dreamweavin’” and taking place July 27-31 at Milepost 170.5 on the Blue Ridge Parkway in Patrick County.
Remaining tickets are available at www.floydfest.com or by calling (888) 695-0888 for five days of music, magic and mountains, featuring outdoor adventure, vibrant and varied vendors, craft brews and chews, healing arts and children’s activities.
The musical lineup features Gregg Allman, Warren Haynes’ Ashes & Dust, Bruce Hornsby & The Noisemakers, Leftover Salmon, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, Nahko and Medicine for the People, Keller Williams, Femi Kuti & Positive Force, Shakey Graves, Railroad Earth, The Wood Brothers, Elephant Revival, Anders Osborne, Rich Robinson and many more.
FloydFest has received top accolades from TIME Magazine and Fox News as the Southeast’s premier summer outdoor music.
“This year’s lineup represents what we at AtWP love most: non-hype roots music that delivers soul-wrenching, heart-drenching performances every time,” Kris Hodges, producer and CEO, said. “When you strip away the hype, what’s left is the core or soul of anything. Strip our artists and us down and we’ll show you what we mean. and have fun, to boot! No roots. No tree. It’s simple.”
Voted ‘Best Outdoor Music Festival,’ FloydFest also offers myriad ticket options for its Outdoor Adventure programs, including its popular On-the-Water Guided Float Trips (kayaking, tubing, canoeing), 5K Trail Race and Belcher Mountain Beatdown mountain-bike excursion.
Emanating from FloydFest’s Outdoor Adventure Headquarters, both ticketed and free outdoor adventure excursions launch daily, including guided hikes on the Moonstomper Hiking Trail, disc golf on the venue’s Innova Disc Golf Course, and mountain-bike trips. Visit www.floydfest.com/activities/outdoor-adventure/ for more information and a packing list.
There will be myriad workshops and panels, peppered over the five days of the festival. From to mixed media to meditation, from capeoria to cape making, from stilt walking to storytelling, from drumming to dance, and from coffee talks to campfire jams to wilderness medicine, patrons will listen and learn between the music and magic.
“Crafting a holistic outdoor event can’t be something you posture; it has to be about pulling together all the elements that combine to create your own ideal outdoor music festival—and for all of us it’s all these things: music, camping, fun outdoor games and adventure, workshops, children, art, ambiance, great craft beer, etc.; it’s a ‘friends-around-the-campfire’ sort of thing,” Erika Johnson, co-founder and CFO, said.
Children and teens also have a home at FloydFest. Complimentary childcare is offered via FloydFest’s Children’s Universe, as well as a plethora of activities, such as juggling, face painting, puppets, stilts, hooping, yoga, open mic sessions, a playground, and more. Teens will enjoy the onsite climbing wall, art workshops, drumming lessons, meditation, and ‘chill zones,’ as well as daily planned activities in the Teen Scene at the Imagine Tent.
Healing Arts are also core to FloydFest, including meditation, tarot readings, dream interpretation, facials, Reiki, medicinal/edible plant walks, and more. Multiple massage therapists are in attendance, offering everything from deep tissue, prenatal, hot stones, and migraine therapy, and yoga is featured daily. There’s even a dreamcatcher-making workshop.
“One of FloydFest’s most unique characteristics is how the theme changes annually. It really lends to keeping it fresh and relevant,” Johnson said. “Our theory is that if you’re not shaking things up a bit, being exploratory, then you risk becoming complacent. This is true for individuals, for businesses, for artists, for events, for everything, really. Dreamweavin’ is about that exploration; it’s about giving credibility to the imagination, about cultivating a willingness to suspend our growing collective cynicism, and to honor our own inner dreamer and the collective potential to dream together.”
Onsite and offsite camping tickets are still available through the website at www.floydfest.com. When purchasing tickets, don’t forget to donate $1 to Appalachian Voices, FloydFest’s partner and 2016 featured nonprofit; FloydFest will match every patron donation.
FloydFest is located at Milepost 170.5 on the Blue Ridge Parkway in Meadows of Dan. Detailed directions are available by clicking to www.floydfest.com.
For more information, click to www.floydfest.com, call (888) VA-FESTS or email info@floydfest.com. Stay informed via FloydFest’s newsletter at http://floydfest.com/newsletter/, and find FloydFest on Twitter (twitter.com/floydfest), Instagram (instagram.com/floydfestva/) and Facebook (facebook.com/FloydFestVA/).
