2025 Lunsford Festival (Saturday Oct. 4, evening)

About the Festival

This year, we are excited to announce that we will be holding the Lunsford Festival as an indoor, evening, sit-down concert in MHU’s Moore Auditorium (due to construction taking place on campus). The event will be free and open to the public and will feature some of the region’s finest regional music and dance traditions. (We also look forward to a celebratory return to MHU’s Lunsford Commons in 2026 for an all-day outdoor festival on the brand-new upper quad!)

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 Southern Appalachia.  Please join us in honoring the rich cultural traditions of the Southern Appalachian Mountains!

Please direct questions to Leila Weinstein at (828) 689-1115 or lweinstein@mhu.edu.

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

Thank you so much to the Madison County Tourism Development Authority for sponsoring the 2025 Lunsford Festival!

While you’re waiting for 2025 to roll around, please enjoy the 2020 virtual festival: