Saturday October 8, 2022

We are so excited to announce that we will be able to hold the Lunsford Festival in person this year! Important note: The Lunsford Festival and the Madison Heritage Arts Festival will not be in their usual locations this year, due to upcoming construction on MHU’s campus. Instead, we will both be behind Broyhill Chapel on Cascade Street.

About the Festival

The Lunsford Festival is an all-day festival celebrating regional music and dance traditions. The event is the second longest-running folk festival in Western North Carolina and was named in honor of Bascom Lamar Lunsford, who was a musician and folklorist who dedicated his life to collecting and promoting the music of the Southern Appalachians.

The festival brings out the region’s finest musicians, ballad singers, and dancers and it happens on the same day as the Madison Heritage Arts Festival, so Mars Hill is abuzz. Everything is free of charge . Join us in honoring the rich cultural traditions of the Southern Appalachians!

For more information, please contact Leila Weinstein at (828) 689-1115 or lweinstein@mhu.edu. Click here for a downloadable campus map showing festival locations.

The Ramsey Center is a proud site on the Blue Ridge Music Trails of North Carolina.

Thank you to our generous 2022 Festival Sponsors and Partners

While you’re waiting for 2022 to roll around, please enjoy the 2020 virtual festival: