The intimate, long-running festival at Eaton County Fairgrounds boasts a ‘surprise’ Thursday headlining set by Billy Strings, but also features a host of national bluegrass acts. Details and schedule.
Returning to His First Bluegrass Festival: Billy Strings. (Billy Strings Photo/Derek Ketchum, Festival/Courtesy Photo)
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When Billy Strings plays the Charlotte Bluegrass Festival on Thursday night, he’ll reshape the atmosphere of this cozy, long-running Michigan celebration.
Now a bona fide, international superstar who sells out sprawling arenas everywhere, the virtuoso guitarist first attended this festival many years ago as boy — when he was just known as Billy Apostol — soaking in the wonders of traditional bluegrass music.
On May 26, the festival and Billy made the “surprise” announcement that he’d perform during the 2025 festival’s opening day at the Eaton County Fairgrounds, sparking a run on tickets and almost immediately tselling out Thursday’s one-day passes. Since then, the festival’s three-day passes have sold out.
“This is the first bluegrass festival I ever attended and it changed my whole life,” Apostol gushed on Facebook when promoting the festival that takes place just 35 miles south of Muir, the town where he grew up.
Bluegrass Charm: The scene from a previous Charlotte Bluegrass Festival. (Courtesy Photo/Joel Dinda)
The unexpected appearance comes just a couple of weeks after Billy Strings and his band sold out two nights at Grand Rapids’ 12,000-capacity Van Andel Arena and the day before they travel to Lexington, Ky., to play two sold-out concerts at Rupp Arena.
The special opening night serves as a milestone for the intimate Charlotte Bluegrass Festival celebrating its 53rd year, making it the state’s longest-running music festival.
“Billy made contact with me and we were over the moon excited for his return after 10 years,” said festival organizer Wes Pettinger. “We were blown away that we were given the opportunity to give him our stage. Thursday tickets sold out in 12 hours.”
On Thursday, Billy Strings will join several notable bluegrass artists in the festival lineup, including Junior Sisk, Edgar Loudermilk Band, Harbourtown and Red Camel Collective. Music starts at 2 p.m.; Billy’s set will begin at 8:30 p.m.
The rest of the weekend at the festival — which has long exuded a laid-back milieu — features favorites in the national bluegrass scene as well, including Seldom Scene, Volume Five, Appalachian Roadshow and The David Mayfield Parade. (Some one-day tickets, $35, for Friday and Saturday are still available; ticket info and camping details here.)
But the star attraction on Thursday will certainly draw new attendees to the fairgrounds, namely, ultra-devoted “Billy Goat” fans from across the country, many of whom follow their beloved bluegrass hero on tour and infuse Billy Strings performances with a psychedelic, hippie flavor and jam-band vibe.
Noted Daniel Gragg on Facebook: “The impact his celebrity will have on this little festival is going to be huge.”
For his part, Pettinger said he thinks “this will help bridge a few of the Billy Goats to our bluegrass culture and rebirth a new generation of followers.”
The Eaton County Fairgrounds festival site (1025 S. Cochran Road, Charlotte) is 63 miles southeast of Grand Rapids, 204 miles south of Traverse City and 114 miles west of Detroit.
CHARLOTTE BLUEGRASS FESTIVAL 2025: THE SCHEDULE
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