KENNEDY MEADOWS RESORT AND PACK STATION, Calif. — The Kennedy Meadows Music Festival returns August 21–23, 2026, bringing three days of live music to the Upper Meadow at Kennedy Meadows in California’s Sierra Nevada.

Now in its third year, the festival continues to build its reputation as a one-of-a-kind mountain music experience — deliberately intimate, laid-back and focused on the musicians, the setting and the people who come together to enjoy both.

“This festival was created because we wanted something that felt different,” festival organizers said. “We wanted an event where the music really matters, where artists want to stick around and listen to each other, and where the audience gets to experience incredible performers in a setting you just can’t recreate anywhere else.”

The 2026 festival features more than 20 performers across three days, with a lineup spanning Country, Americana, Western, Bluegrass, Folk and music.

Friday’s lineup includes JoDee Claxton, Berlyn Broadhead, Scott Patrick, Gage Burton, Kenzie DuBoiz, Low Gap and North Fork.

Saturday features Randy Mandy Frequency Experience, Brady Stovall, The Lack Family, The Beard Picker, Dallas Burrow, Zach Aaron, The Flinns, Chad Bushnell and Haggard.

Sunday closes the weekend with Brady Stovall, Jennifer Grant, George Croft, Olivia Harms, Trinity Seely and Dave Stamey.

Ben and Noel Haggard Bring a Legendary Country Music Legacy to Saturday Night

A centerpiece of the 2026 festival will be a Saturday night performance by Ben and Noel Haggard, sons of country music legend Merle Haggard.

Carrying forward one of the most recognizable legacies in American country music, Ben and Noel Haggard bring both a direct connection to their father’s catalog and their own lifelong experience as musicians and performers. Their appearance at Kennedy Meadows gives festivalgoers an opportunity to hear songs deeply rooted in the Bakersfield sound in the intimate setting of the Upper Meadow.

“We’re incredibly excited to have Ben and Noel Haggard at Kennedy Meadows,” festival organizers said. “There’s something really special about hearing this music performed by the family that lived it, and having that happen in a meadow in the Sierra Nevada makes it even more memorable.”

Organizers said the Haggard performance reflects the type of artist experience the festival was built around — authentic music presented without unnecessary production or distance between the performer and audience.

“This festival is about putting great songs and great musicians in front of people who genuinely want to listen,” organizers said. “Ben and Noel represent an incredible piece of country music history, and we think Saturday night is going to be one of those moments people remember long after the weekend is over.”

Festival organizers say the range of performers across the weekend is an important part of what makes the event special.

“You don’t want to miss any of these acts,” organizers said. “We’re especially stoked to have Low Gap, The Flinns,the legendary Dave Stamey  and Zach Aaron with us this year, but one of the things we love most about this festival is watching people discover an artist they may not have known before. Some of the best moments of the weekend happen when someone walks into the meadow having never heard a performer and leaves as a new fan.”

Unlike large commercial music festivals, Kennedy Meadows emphasizes a relaxed atmosphere and avoids the feel of a heavily corporate-sponsored event. The mountain setting, smaller audience and full-weekend format give musicians and festivalgoers an opportunity to spend more time together and experience the entire lineup.

“We’re proud of what this festival is becoming,” organizers said. “It’s still laid-back. It’s still about the music. You can spend the weekend in the mountains, listen to an incredible group of artists and feel like you’re actually part of the event rather than just another person in a crowd.”

Festival camping opens at 12 p.m. Thursday, August 20, allowing weekend guests to settle in before performances begin Friday afternoon. Festivalgoers attending for the day or weekend will park in designated venue parking near the intersection of Highway 108 and Kennedy Meadows Road and use continuously operating festival shuttles to access the event. Additional camping 

The festival is located at 42421 Highway 108, Pinecrest, California, with performances taking place in the Upper Meadow.

Attendees are encouraged to plan for a true mountain festival experience and to stay for the entire weekend. Festival wristbands must be worn throughout the event. Vehicles are not permitted in the Upper Meadow, animals are not allowed on festival grounds, and wood-burning fires are prohibited. Outside alcohol is also prohibited within the festival grounds.

For organizers, preserving the character of Kennedy Meadows remains just as important as growing the event.

“There are plenty of places to see live music, but there aren’t many places where you can listen to it like this,” organizers said. “Kennedy Meadows is special. Our goal is to put great musicians in the meadow, give people a reason to spend a weekend in the mountains and make sure the festival never loses the personality that made people fall in love with it in the first place.”

The Third Annual Kennedy Meadows Music Festival takes place Friday, August 21 through Sunday, August 23, 2026.

Tickets, festival camping information and additional event details are available at kennedymeadowsmusicfest.com.

MEDIA CONTACT

Heidi Lupo, 209-985-3044

info@kennedymeadowsmusicfest.com

Kennedy Meadows Music Festival
Kennedy Meadows, California
kennedymeadowsmusicfest.com

ABOUT THE KENNEDY MEADOWS MUSIC FESTIVAL

The Kennedy Meadows Music Festival is an independent three-day music festival held in the Sierra Nevada at Kennedy Meadows. Founded around a love of live music and the mountain community, the festival brings together established and emerging country, Western, Americana,  folk, bluegrass and roots musicians for an intimate weekend of performances in the Upper Meadow. Photos included from 2025 Kennedy Meadows Music Festival. Photo Credit to Storybrook Photography.