Hoxeyville uncorks its unique musical charm in the Manistee National Forest west of Cadillac this weekend with Marcus King, Molly Tuttle & more. Get the lowdown on this much-adored gathering.
Glorious Setting, Devoted Fans: The Hoxeyville Music Festival site. (Photo/Anna Sink)
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When it came to bolstering the 2023 edition of northern Michigan’s Hoxeyville Music Festival, organizer Jake Robinson wanted to “really up the level of talent and production.”
The resulting lineup for this weekend’s gathering on a site surrounded by the Manistee National Forest west of Cadillac serves as proof of that mission thanks to a few of the hottest names on the summer festival circuit.
That includes South Carolina blues and Southern rock phenom Marcus King, who’s been playing arenas across the country, Grammy Award-winning bluegrass guitarist Molly Tuttle with her band Golden Highway, and genre-melding, virtuosic folk heroes The Wood Brothers.
Saturday Night Headliner: Marcus King (Photo/Chelsea Whitaker)
Robinson noted that Hoxeyville had initially booked New York’s The Wood Brothers for the 2020 festival before the event was canceled due to the COVID pandemic.
“We’re excited to finally have them on the stage Sunday night,” he said, adding that all three acts are bands “that we’ve tried to do for quite a long time. Overall, we’re just kind of raising the bar a little bit as far as talent.”
He added that this year’s Hoxeyville also has “a great undercard,” with national touring acts such as Keller Williams & Grateful Grass, Circles Around the Sun and Sierra Hull along with Michigan-bred favorites Lindsay Lou, May Erlewine, Luke Winslow-King, Full Cord, The Crane Wives and more.
With two stages hosting performances over three days, Aug. 18-20, the festival expects to attract upwards of 4,000 people to the picturesque property in Wellston.
For the second year in a row, both stages will feature matching production, audio and lighting to better serve performers and fans, he said.
The festival also will feature an on-site, 30,000-square-foot cannabis consumption and sales area for those 21 and older hosted by Dunegrass Co., which debuted at Hoxeyville in 2022.
“It’s a bigger footprint” for the cannabis area, Robinson said, noting that Hoxeyville was the first festival in the state to offer the service last year.
HOXEYVILLE MUSIC FESTIVAL 2023
Returning to Hoxey: Luke Winslow-King (Photo/Anna Sink)
WHERE: 11130 W. 48-1/2 Road, Wellston (Manistee National Forest)
WEBSITE: https://hoxeyville.com/
THE LINEUP: Marcus King, Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway, The Wood Brothers, Keller Williams Grateful Grass, Circles Around the Sun, Sierra Hull, Lindsay Lou, May Erlewine, Luke Winslow-King, Full Cord, The Crane Wives, Silver Creek Revival, Airborne or Aquatic, Neighbor, Myron Elkins & The Dying Breed, comedian Rodney Norman, The Insiders Tom Petty tribute, Seth Bernard, Scott Pellegrom Trio, Breathe Owl Breathe, Mystic Dub and Kait Rose.
QUOTE: “Hoxeyville always has had an amazing lineup and is situated in the heart of the Manistee National Forest. This combination makes it easy to understand why they have developed a great following of festival lovers over the years. Looks like a great weather forecast for the coming weekend too.” – Luke Winslow-King, who performs with his full band at 5:15 p.m. Saturday (and as a duo with Roberto Luti at 9 p.m. Thursday for early arrivals)
TICKETS: Adult weekend tickets are $250; children 5-15 $75. Day passes are $100 each; $25 for children 5-15. Get tickets, upgrade information and more details online at hoxeyville.com.
WEATHER FORECAST (as of Aug. 15):
Thursday – High of 73 degrees, cloudy and breezy, with possible thunderstorms
Friday – High of 75 degrees, mostly sunny and pleasant
Saturday – High of 83 degrees, mostly sunny
Sunday – High of 88 degrees, sunny, warm and humid
HOXEYVILLE 2023: THE SCHEDULE
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HOXEYVILLE 2023: The Local Spins Playlist
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