Article Contributed by McGuckin Entertainment PR
Published on 2026-07-27
The California Bluegrass Association’s Father’s Day Bluegrass Festival has been nominated for the 2026 IBMA Industry Award for Event of the Year.
The California Bluegrass Association’s 50th Anniversary Father’s Day Bluegrass Festival has been nominated for Event of the Year in the 2026 International Bluegrass Music Association Industry & Momentum Awards. The nomination recognizes the festival’s enduring impact on the bluegrass community and its legacy as one of the nation’s premier bluegrass gatherings.
The 50th anniversary edition of the Father’s Day Bluegrass Festival, held in June 2025, joins a slate of nominees that includes the Annapolis Baygrass Music Festival in Maryland, Bluegrass in La Roche at 20 in France, Bluegrass Spartanburg in South Carolina, and the Marysville Winter Bluegrass Series in Ohio.
“This nomination is a tremendous honor for the California Bluegrass Association and the thousands of volunteers, musicians, and fans who have made this festival a beloved tradition for more than 50 years,” said Pete Ludé of the California Bluegrass Association. “It’s a celebration of the incredible bluegrass community that continues to gather each Father’s Day in Grass Valley.”
The recognition comes after the CBA recently hosted the 51st annual Father’s Day Bluegrass Festival from June 18–21, 2026, at the scenic Nevada County Fairgrounds in Grass Valley, California.
Known as “the best jamming west of the Rockies,” the four-day festival brings together nationally acclaimed artists, emerging talent, workshops, youth programs, camping, and around-the-clock campground jam sessions beneath the towering pines of the Sierra Nevada foothills.
The 52nd annual Father’s Day Bluegrass Festival is scheduled for June 17–20, 2027.
About the California Bluegrass Association
Founded in 1975, the California Bluegrass Association is a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving, promoting, and celebrating bluegrass, old-time, gospel, and traditional acoustic music. Operated almost entirely by volunteers, the CBA presents educational programs, community events, and one of the country’s longest-running and most respected bluegrass festivals.
For more information, visit fathersdaybluegrassfestival.com.
