Article Contributed by Gratefulweb
Published on 2026-06-16
The Ramble Festival will return to Camp Ramblewood in Darlington, Maryland, October 9–11, 2026, marking its fifth anniversary with a full lineup now led by Lettuce, the internationally celebrated funk phenomenon performing two headlining sets.
The latest wave of additions also brings Vince Herman of Leftover Salmon, who will help anchor The Ramble Band Goes Interstellar alongside his own solo set. Speaking directly to Ramble’s cross-pollinated spirit, the festival has teed up a trio of special late-night performances from Diggin Lillies, featuring members of Diggin Dirt and The Sweet Lillies; Big Vibes, bringing together Big Something and Big Blitz; and an all-female Ramble Ladies Jam.
Extra-late jams will be led by dynamic rock-and-roll guitarist Shawn Eckels, formerly of Andy Frasco & The U.N.
Now five years in, Ramble has quietly evolved into one of the Mid-Atlantic’s most distinctive and dynamic independent festivals, known for its intentionally intimate scale, non-overlapping sets and emphasis on artist collaboration.
Built around a fully immersive campground experience, The Ramble is a music festival, but it functions more like a living environment built around participation, proximity and the kind of shared experience that does not translate neatly onto a poster.
Festival founder and producer Brick Lohr says:
“This lineup reflects what The Ramble is all about. There’s real range here, from funk and bluegrass to roots, jam, indie, brass, soul and songwriter music. The magic happens when those lines blur and collaborative moments arise. The Ramble is special because artists and attendees show up with open hearts, lean into the community and embrace collaboration. That’s what creates the moments people talk about all year: unexpected sit-ins, late-night jams and once-in-a-lifetime musical conversations that only happen here.”
WATCH THE RAMBLE FESTIVAL 2025 RECAP VIDEO
This full lineup announcement pushes that identity forward. At Ramble, collaboration is not an accessory to the weekend; it is the operating system. Artists move between stages, late-night sets become one-off assemblies, buskers wander the grounds and campfire jams keep the thread alive long after the scheduled programming has ended.
The result is a weekend where the poster is only the beginning, and the real story is written in the spaces between sets.
Lettuce performing two sets; Kitchen Dwellers performing two sets, including a special Dwellin’ on the Dark Side Pink Floyd tribute; Ripe; Big Something; Clay Street Unit; The Ramble Band Goes Interstellar featuring Vince Herman; Sneezy; Diggin Dirt; Bombargo; Kendall Street Company; Armchair Boogie; New Potato Caboose; Squeaky Feet; Bearly Dead; Vince Herman; Bella Rayne; Hayley Jane; The Sweet Lillies; Shawn Eckels; Twin Fin; Boot Juice; Banshee Tree; The Hip Snacks; Caleb Stine; Big Blitz; The Young Guns; Naptown Brass Band; and Skyler Cumbia.
Nick MacDaniels of Big Something says:
“The Ramble has become one of those weekends I circle on the calendar every year. This will be my third year coming up, and every time I’ve been there, it’s felt less like just another festival and more like a community I’m lucky to be part of. With The Big What? taking 2026 off, I’m especially grateful for the chance to spend that kind of time with the Ramble family, play with Big Something, sit in with friends and be part of all the collaborations that make this festival so special.”
The festival’s annual collaborative centerpiece, The Ramble Band, will return in 2026 as The Ramble Band Goes Interstellar, this year featuring Vince Herman. The curated one-off set keeps its full lineup and theme under wraps until showtime, continuing a tradition of surprise collaborations designed to feel shared, unrepeatable and unmistakably Ramble.
Furthering the festival’s discovery-minded approach, The Ramble will also roll out a pair of one-of-a-kind collaborations with Heady Wax Fiends as the record club spotlights a handful of ascending national talents.
Twin Fin, Boot Juice and Banshee Tree will perform Emerging Artist Sets, while feel-good soul-jam act The Hip Snacks, winners of the Heady Wax Fiends Vinyl Submission Contest, will make their Ramble debut. The festival’s collaboration with Heady Wax Fiends is now in its second year, expanding the relationship between the festival community, vinyl culture and artist exposure.
Programming across the weekend is structured less around schedule and more around discovery. A highlight remains the sit-in-heavy collaborative late-night sets that keep attendees Ramblin’ well into the night.
The weekend will also include roaming buskers, live-painted murals and installations, a curated art gallery, nightly artist-led community campfire jams, health and wellness workshops and daily New Orleans-style second line parades.
The Ramble Festival is built for the whole family, with children 12 and under admitted free and a designated family camping area. The Kid’s Kove features activities and music where children’s connection to the music comes first, treating the next generation of Ramblers as part of the community rather than an afterthought.
Visual art is embedded throughout the festival. Live painters, installations and a rotating gallery at the Beer Hall Stage create a continuing dialogue between sound and visual expression, while the campground becomes part canvas, part neighborhood and part late-night meeting place.
Ramble’s approach to hospitality remains consistent: no VIP tiers, transparent pricing with no hidden fees and a focus on raising the experience for everyone rather than segmenting it.
Full weekend passes include late-night programming and tent camping. Camp Ramblewood’s on-site cabins offer a summer camp-style experience that has become central to the festival’s identity, with car camping, RV camping, group cabin rentals and glamping options also available.
Additional programming details, Heady Wax Fiends collaboration information and experience announcements will follow in the coming weeks.
For more information and passes, visit RambleFestival.com.
Ramble Festival is an independent music and arts gathering held annually at Camp Ramblewood in Darlington, Maryland. Known for its intentionally intimate setting and emphasis on collaboration, Ramble has quickly emerged as one of the Mid-Atlantic’s most respected boutique festivals, blending national touring acts with rising talent in a community-driven environment.
The festival received multiple honors at the 2024 Festy Awards, including Best Small Festival, a tie for Best Family Friendly Festival and Favorite Festival Food Vendor for Stef’s Cereal Bar. It also earned runner-up finishes for Best Artist-at-Large for Natalie Brooke and Best Late-Night Performance for Sneezy’s closing set.
Built around a fully immersive campground experience with no VIP tiers, Ramble prioritizes accessibility, shared discovery and artist-audience connection, creating a weekend where performance and participation are part of the same continuum.
