Article Contributed by Dreamspider Publicity
Published on 2026-09-17
For the fourth year, the Annapolis Baygrass Music Festival returns to its beachfront home at Sandy Point State Park along the Chesapeake Bay in Annapolis, Maryland, on Saturday and Sunday, September 19–20, 2026. With the festival taking place this weekend, Baygrass has announced the daily schedules for music, workshops, KidZone activities, yoga and more.
Annapolis Baygrass features a stellar festival lineup with performances taking place on two alternating beachside stages.
Little Feat anchors this year’s event with a two-hour closing set on Saturday night, preceded by Yonder Mountain String Band’s early evening set. Also performing Saturday are Shadowgrass, Sister Sadie, Fireside Collective, Jammy Buffet, Midnight North, led by Grahame Lesh and Elliott Peck, and Melody Trucks & The Fitzkee Brothers.
Fans can expect to see the three Artists-at-Large throughout the weekend—Allie Kral, Alvin “Uncle Al” Lee of The Lee Boys and Patrick Rainey—making their rounds and creating unique moments with their special improvisational magic.
On Sunday evening, Béla Fleck My Bluegrass Heart will take the stage shortly before sunset. The ensemble includes Michael Cleveland on fiddle, Dominick Leslie on mandolin, Jeff Partin on dobro, Mark Schatz on bass and Jake Stargel on guitar. They will be followed by Sam Bush.
Also performing Sunday are Mountain Grass Unit, SCYTHIAN, the Official Baygrass House Band Geraldine and Cris Jacobs, who will be a special guest throughout the day.
There will also be exclusive VIP stage performances by Melody Trucks & The Fitzkee Brothers on Saturday and Geraldine on Sunday.
The official Friday Night Baygrass Kickoff Party at Maryland Hall features two sets from Jammy Buffet, along with Cumberland Honey.
Fans can maximize their Baygrass experience with the official festival guide powered by Let’s Rallie, available through both the mobile app and a web browser. The guide puts everything guests need in one place, including music and workshop schedules, an interactive festival map, shuttle information, real-time festival notifications and a nearby restaurant guide.
Download the official Annapolis Baygrass Festival Guide
KFAT Radio will broadcast live from Baygrass, including performances from the stages. Coverage begins at noon Friday from the station’s mobile studio at Sandy Point State Park before moving to Maryland Hall Friday evening to broadcast the kickoff party. The station will then return to Sandy Point and remain live through midnight Sunday.
93.5 WRNR will broadcast live from Baygrass throughout Saturday. Hosts Neci and Rich Fisher will be on the air from the festival, with Neci broadcasting from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Fisher taking over from 3 to 7 p.m. Fans can also listen through iHeart, Audacy, TuneIn and Live365.
Throughout the weekend, Baygrass offers something for everyone, from interactive music and educational workshops to beach yoga, yard and tabletop games, a vibrant artisan village, an unforgettable KidZone, a lively waterfront beer garden and an exceptional VIP experience. Guests can also savor the best of the region with fresh Chesapeake seafood, gourmet barbecue and a selection of vegan and vegetarian fare. The festival site is ADA accessible.
Fans are encouraged to get into the Baygrass spirit with costumes and flair inspired by the official festival themes:
Saturday: Put On Your Sailin’ Shoes
Sunday: Tie-Dye Tradition
The Baygrass KidZone includes crafts connected to this year’s Baygrass themes. Young festivalgoers can enjoy daily arts and crafts, face painting, a Little Fiddle Workshop, games, activities, a sandbox and more. Kids’ passes for ages 6–15 remain at last year’s price, while children 5 and younger are admitted free.
Saturday’s workshops include From Bay to Ballad: The Story, Songwriting and Live Performance of “The Secrets That She Keeps” by Benny “Burle” Galloway with Dave Johnston, Allie Kral and Cory Chubb; a Sacred Steel Workshop hosted by Uncle Al of The Lee Boys; and Shuck Like a Pro, hosted by Oyster Recovery Partnership.
Sunday’s workshops include From Tradition to Tomorrow: Bluegrass at 80. The Talk & Tunes session will be hosted by acclaimed author Tim Newby and Rolling Stone writer Garret K. Woodward, with special musical guests including Sam Bush and Mountain Grass Unit’s Drury Anderson.
Sunday will also feature Mental Health Matters: A Conversation With Cris Jacobs, hosted by John Way, founder of The VA Way, and Blue Cat & Brew, a food and beer pairing in the Beer Garden with Chesapeake Chef Service and M8 Beer.
Both days will include beach yoga hosted by YogaRoots Movement and Sober Space meetups.
The Baygrass culinary experience is led by local catering and concessions partner Chesapeake Chefs Services, serving Maryland crab cakes, Old Bay shrimp salad, blue catfish po’ boys, soft-shell crab sandwiches, pit barbecue, boardwalk fries and brick-oven pizzas.
Ashling Kitchen will serve grilled burgers and other street fare, while additional vendors will offer crepes, Thai food, vegan and vegetarian selections, kettle corn and other sweets.
The Baytoberfest Beer Garden includes the Dewey Beach Bar, M8 Beer Pavilion, BayCrush Bar and Oyster Bar, along with beer garden snacks including brats, Bavarian pretzels and crab dip. Beverage areas will feature selections from OtherSide Beverage Project and Baygrass partners M8 Beer, including its new signature Baytoberfest Beer, and Dewey Beer Co., which is once again brewing a Baygrass Bay Keeper IPA.
Guests can also enjoy coffee, tea and lemonade from Chesapeake Coffee Roasters, along with craft sodas from Wild Bill’s Craft Beverages. SOBAR will serve nonalcoholic beer and mocktails.
Guests should bring a refillable water bottle. Baygrass does not sell or allow single-use plastic water bottles, and filtered water stations will be available throughout the festival.
The Maker’s Mark VIP Lounge, home to the exclusive evening VIP performances, will serve small-batch Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey, along with seltzer, tequila, rum and vodka from Suntory distribution. Daily complimentary tastings and hot catered meals are included with VIP passes. Organic hard cider from Shacksbury Cider, craft cocktails from Gray Wolf Distillery and wines from Soul Summit will also be available.
Attendees staying at select partner hotels or the KOA on the official Baygrass shuttle route—or those wishing to use the Harry S. Truman Park-and-Ride—may purchase a weekend shuttle pass for transportation to and from the festival. Quantities are limited.
View Baygrass shuttle information
Sandy Point State Park, a 786-acre Maryland State Park located along the northwestern shore of the Chesapeake Bay, provides the backdrop for the festival. With views of the bay, the Bay Bridge and the historic Sandy Point Shoal Lighthouse, festivalgoers can spread out across the park’s sandy beaches and green spaces.
Annapolis Baygrass has grown into one of the country’s leading eco-focused destination festivals since its inception in 2022 and first festival in 2023. Fans of progressive bluegrass, improvisational jam and American roots music have traveled from 38 states, Canada and Europe to attend.
Annapolis Baygrass fosters a safe, open and welcoming community focused on love, compassion and inclusion. Its nonprofit bay conservation beneficiaries include Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, Oyster Recovery Partnership and Watershed Stewards Academy. Mental health partners include The VA Way, the Anne Arundel County Health Department, the National Council for Mental Wellbeing, the National Alliance on Mental Illness and the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
Annapolis Baygrass Music Festival
Saturday and Sunday, September 19–20, 2026
Sandy Point State Park
1100 East College Parkway
Annapolis, MD 21409
Friday Night Baygrass Kickoff Party
Friday, September 18, 2026
Maryland Hall
Featuring Jammy Buffet and Cumberland Honey
Two-day and single-day general admission tickets, VIP passes and kickoff-party tickets are available now. VIP Saturday and two-day passes are nearly sold out, while VIP Sunday passes are selling quickly.
