The 2024 Festy Awards: The Best in Live Music & Festivals

THE 2024 FESTY AWARDS

For those who have diligently followed the Festy Awards over the years, you may notice a slight change of format this time around.

Rather than present the Awards wrapped up in hours of entertainment, jokes, laughter, tears and danger, as we have in the past, this time around, our lawyers our advising that we stick to simply presenting the Awards, and refrain from further tempting fate (and our presenter’s legal teams).

Want to relive the past Festy Fun?
2023 Festy Awards
2022 Festy Awards
2020 Festy Awards
2019 Festy Awards

So, without further ado, let’s get started with the 2024 FESTY AWARDS!

BEST NEW Music Festival

Amidst a changing festival landscape that has been marked with multiple music festival cancellations, it’s good to see new music festivals continuing to pop up and thrive!   

The 2024 winner is one that admittedly wasn’t on our radar, but it has our attention now!

WINNER: Minnesota Yacht Club

The debut festival in St. Paul featured The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Gwen Stefani and Alanis Morissette.  The 2025 announcement added a 3rd day and has Hozier, Alabama Shakes, Green Day and Weezer headlining.  Check it out.

FIRST RUNNER UP: Phish Mondegreen

There’s nothing like a Phish festival.  No word yet on any 2025 phestival plans.

SECOND RUNNER UP: The Mexico Incident

The String Cheese Incident partnered with Cloud 9 to bring their international party to Puerto Morelos, MX.

BEST International Music Festival

Speaking of Mexico, it’s hard to compete with this winner, holding the title since the inception of the Festies.  Hey, Jamcruisers, why don’t you get out the vote?

WINNER: Strings & Sol

Wanna know why this is simply the best?  Read our Strings & Sol 2024 Review.

FIRST RUNNER UP: Baja WonderGrass

The 2nd year fest in El Sargento, MX brought in Fruition and The Lil Smokies.  We’ll be back at Baja in April 2025 for Kitchen Dwellers, Pixie & the Partygrass Boys and many more!  Check it out.

SECOND RUNNER UP:

Surprisingly, we didn’t see enough votes for a 3rd mention here, despite our readers coming out for The Mexico Incident in the previous category.  We’ll chalk it up to user error and mention that fest here!

BEST Small Festival

We ❤️ Small Festivals!

WINNER: The Ramble Festival

The 2023 Festy Award Winner holds the title for another year!  Now going into its 4th year in Darlington, MD, Ramble Festival looks to be holding on as another new East Coast festival tradition.

FIRST RUNNER UP: Moonshiner’s Ball

SECOND RUNNER UP: Rhythms on the Rio

HONORABLE MENTIONs: Annapolis Baygrass, ShoeFest, Rooster Walk

BEST Family Friendly Festival

As we mentioned last year, y’all have a lot of kids on the East Coast!

WINNERS (tie) : The Ramble Festival, Annapolis Baygrass

FIRST RUNNER UP: DelFest

SECOND RUNNER UP: ShoeFest

HONORABLE MENTIONS: Rhythms on the Rio, Black Mountain Jamboree

BEST Waterside Music Festival

We LOVE dancing with our toes in the sand while listening to our favorite live music.  Strings & Sol has a bit of an advantage here, with swim-out pools and gazebo sets adding to the beach magic! 

WINNER: Strings & Sol

FIRST RUNNER UP: Annapolis Baygrass Music Festival

SECOND RUNNER UP: Moonshiners Ball

HONORABLE MENTIONS: Rhythms on the Rio, Tico Time Bluegrass, Yarmony

Congrats to all the winners so far!

This is the time in past Festy Awards where there may have been a performance, or a comedic interlude.

Our attorney, Neil, has advised against it.

And again, sincerest apologies to Julio Iglesias for that unfortunate incident last year.  We are still enforcing the lifetime ban on Jack Cloonan and Silas Herman for their involvement, but we are pleased to announce that the giraffe has fully recovered.

NOW BACK TO THE FESTY AWARDS…

BEST Sit-in or Collaboration

Nothing better than the magic that happens on stage when different artists get together at a festival. This year’s winners took this to a new level, building a tour out of collaboration, and creating something different each night.

WINNER: Leftover Salmon – Yonder Mountain String Band- Railroad Earth Summer Tour

FIRST RUNNER UP: Billy strings and anyone.  

Yeah, we get it!

SECOND RUNNER UP: Daniel Donato with Jerry Douglas

HONORABLE MENTION: Jason Carter and Jeremy Garrett with Greensky Bluegrass on “Kerosene” at Strings & Sol

MMVP (Mom’s most valuable picker)

This one’s for the moms.  They are the reason we’re all here, and they certainly have their favorites.

WINNER: Andy Thorn

What can we say – moms LOVE Andy!  Is it the fox?  The sunrise banjo?  The unsolicited deck pics?  Hmmmm.

FIRST RUNNER UP: Daniel Rodriguez

SECOND RUNNER UP: Cris Jacobs

HONORABLE MENTION: Andrew McConathy

BEST Artist-at-Large

This differs from a sit-in or collaboration in that an artist-at-large is typically around for the entire festival, lending their skills to bands throughout the entire fest, and creating unique musical moments along the way.

WINNER: The BayBrass Horns-at-Large

Annapolis Baygrass Music Festival crushed it with their artist-at-large – bringing in not one, not two, but three of the best horn players on the scene in Jennifer Hartswick, Natalie Cressman and Ron Holloway. 

FIRST RUNNER UP: Natalie Brooke at Ramble Festival

SECOND RUNNER UP: Allie Kral (Pickin’ on Picknic)

HONORABLE MENTION: Kyle Tuttle (Ozark Mountain Soul and every other festival he appeared at!)

Favorite Festival Food Vendor

You gotta eat.  Let’s celebrate the folks keeping us fueled up to dance all day and night.  No, not those folks (although that could be its own category)… the Food Vendors!

WINNER: Stef’s Cereal Bar

A Runner-up last year, Stef’s takes the big award in 2024!

FIRST RUNNER UP: Sugar Shack

SECOND RUNNER UP: Rocky Mountain Slices

HONORABLE MENTION: Anyone still slinging a $1 heady grilled cheese. 

Most Likely to Headline in 2025

This is for a band that we expect to climb higher and higher on those festival lineup posters until they reach the top.  For those who voted “Billy Strings,” yeah, nice try. 

WINNER: Dogs In A Pile

FIRST RUNNER UP: Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country

(They were already moving up pretty quickly, but we’ll allow it)

SECOND RUNNER UP: Mountain Grass Unit

Watch out for that Mountain Grass Unit – those kids are going places!

Speaking of going places, has anyone seen my co-host?  She seems to have abandoned me this year…  Must have gotten a better gig.   Anyway…

THE FESTY AWARDS CONTINUE…

Best Album of 2024

Despite the over-dependence on streaming platforms, albums still matter.  Listening to a perfect album from front to back is an unparalleled experience, and no amount of algorithm-based playlists can ever take that away.

WINNER: Billy Strings “Highway Prayers”

That kid was bound to win a Festy eventually!

FIRST RUNNER UP: Fruition “How to Make Mistakes”

SECOND RUNNER UP: Kitchen Dwellers “Seven Devils”

Best Red Rocks Show

We finally had to break down and give Red Rocks its own category.

WINNER: String Cheese Incident (Sunday Bluegrass Show)

FIRST RUNNER UP: Brandi Carlile and the Colorado Symphony

SECOND RUNNER UP: Billy Strings????

Um, we’re pretty sure he didn’t play Red Rocks in 2024!

BEST Song of 2024

What’s been stuck in your head all year?

WINNER: “Gild the Lily” Billy Strings

Don’t you guys listen to anything else?

FIRST RUNNER UP: “American Dreamin'” Sierra Ferrell

SECOND RUNNER UP: “Saturday Night” Fruition

Best Live Cover Song

“Play Freebird!  Play Freebird! Play Freebird! “

WINNER: Molly Tuttle – White Rabbit – multiple instances

Go ask Molly.
I think she’ll know.

FIRST RUNNER UP: Big Richard

Big Richard received multiple votes for different tunes – notably, “Pink Pony Club” (Chappell Roan) and Pink Floyd’s “Time.”  Hmmm.  Maybe next they should cover Pink.  

SECOND RUNNER UP: Drunken Hearts w/ Lindsay Lou & Billy Failing- Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town – Yarmony Music Festival

HONORABLE MENTION: Phish “Sabatoge” at Dicks.  

Listen, all y’all…

That is one creepy White Rabbit!  Who was that masked rodent?

Moving on… We can’t go to music festivals every weekend (wait, why not?) but luckily there are always amazing concerts to fill in the void between festivals.

This next group of winners keeps us going between each fest, rejuvenating and filling our nights with live music.

The Festies for Live Music…

Best Indoor Music Venue

We can’t always be dancing under the stars.  Luckily, there are amazing music venues like these, that make us feel like we are.

WINNER: Mission Ballroom (Denver, CO)

FIRST RUNNER UP: The Sphere (Las Vegas, NV)

Is this really a “venue”, or a complete experience?

SECOND RUNNER UP: The Anthem (Washington, D.C.)

HONORABLE MENTION: The Salt Shed (Chicago, IL)

Best Outdoor Music Venue

It’s not really a fair contest, but…

WINNER: Red Rocks Amphitheatre (Morrison, CO)

FIRST RUNNER UP: Dillon Amphitheater (Dillon, CO)

Dillon is amazing, and starting to catch up with Red Rocks, but we doubt they’ll ever overtake the OG!

SECOND RUNNER UP: Salvage Station

This one is a little sad, since it had been announced that the beloved Asheville, NC venue was shutting down to make way for a highway overpass (or something like that), and then it was wiped out by the 2024 floods before it could finish out the season.  Still, Salvage Station will always be remembered as the incredibly special space it was.  ❤️

Best Opening Band

Sometimes the openers are the ones bringing the real heat.

WINNER: Mountain Grass Unit – Boulder Theater, CO  (Leftover Salmon)

FIRST RUNNER UP: Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway  – The Anthem, D.C. (Greensky Bluegrass)

SECOND RUNNER UP: Widespread Panic – Mile High Stadium, Denver (Rolling Stones)

We’re not used to seeing Widepread Panic as an opener, but I guess when Mick calls, you answer.

HONORABLE MENTION: Those folks spinning fire at strings and Sol before the Late-night Palapa set

Best Multi-night Run

What’s better than seeing your favorite band once? Seeing them 3 nights in a row! (“But don’t they just play the same songs over and over”  No, mom, this is jamgrass.)

WINNER: Phish Dicks

4 nights and a shit ton of songs and balloons. 

FIRST RUNNER UP: Kitchen Dwellers at Pine Creek Lodge

SECOND RUNNER UP: Leftover Salmon’s Thanksgiving Boulder Theater Run

HONORABLE MENTION: King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard at Red Rocks

Best Concert

We’re blessed to have so many to choose from, but there can be only one winner…

WINNER: Dead & Company – Sphere  (any weekend)

This doesn’t seem fair, and could easily have won “Best Multi-night Run,” but so many of you voted for individual Dead & Co. Sphere shows that it had to take the cake. 

FIRST RUNNER UP: Kitchen Dwellers and Daniel Donato – Mission Ballroom -Denver, CO

SECOND RUNNER UP: Brandi Carlile and The Colorado Symphony – Red Rocks

HONORABLE MENTION: Billy Strings  🤦 

Wow.  There were some heavy hitters in that batch of Festies.

One thing is sure, from Mission Ballroom to Phish Dicks, Red Rocks and the Rolling Stones, Colorado seems to be at the epicenter of music, and we feel blessed to live here.

Now if we could only do something about the prairie dogs.

on to our Final Group of Festy Award Winners…

BEST Festival Theme

We LOVE dressing up at music festivals.  Just ask our pet unicorn (and attorney), Neil. 

Festival themes are a way to add flair and take the strange to the next level.  These festivals did it better than any:

WINNER: Strings & Sol Train

Strings & Sol always brings great themes, but this was one of their best.  Disco dancers took over the Mexico resort, on and off the stage.  There was even a dance competition, although the judges were paid off and the fix was in.

FIRST RUNNER UP: The Ramble Festival – various

Ramble sets themes for each night, like “Bubble Bugaloo” and “Be Onesie With The Universe.”

SECOND RUNNER UP: Yarmony – Pirates

While not an “official” theme, pirates have always been synonymous with Yaaarrrrrrmony Festival, which made a return to Colorado after a brief hiatus.

HONORABLE MENTION: Caturday

Let’s give it up for “Caturday,” a universal festival theme that is really more a way of life.

Best Late-Night Performance

…we’re gonna let it all hang out…

WINNER: Jon Stickley Trio – Strings & Sol

Man, Stickley Trio absolutely shredded the late-night Palapa at Strings & Sol.

FIRST RUNNER UP: Sneezy – Closing Set at Ramble Festival

SECOND RUNNER UP: Mountain Grass Unit – Renewal Festival

When Billy Strings (drink) had to leave his own festival to be with his wife for the birth of their child, Mountain Grass Unit stepped up in a huge way, and absloutely crushed it.

HONORABLE MENTION: Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country after Billy Strings in Asheville,NC (Feb 2024)

Most Memorable Musical Moment

This one is highly subjective.  What defines something as memorable?  I’m sure being in the circle of puke at that ill-fated Greensky show was very memorable for some, just like getting hit in the face with a flying gorilla at a Leftover Salmon show would also be memorable.

Here, we were looking for the more positive memories, and we left this open to the voters.

The point is that music makes lasting memories that can stay with us forever. 

Here are a few:

👉 “The rain pouring down during Kitchen Dwellers’ set at Strings & Sol, as Torrin broke into the chorus,  ‘Am I supposed to hop the next train, Or stand here drowning in the Oregon rain.'”

👉 “Sunday show singalong at Hillberry with Steve Poltz and Bridget Law. The crowd formed a circle around them and we all sang “Hand Me Down (Ripple).” My kind of church!”

👉 “Leftover Salmon with Sam Bush and Sierra Hull at Annapolis Baygrass Festival”

👉 “Horseshoes and Hand Grenades doing Ripple as an acoustic encore at the last set of Blue Ox because no one wanted it to end but sound had to be turned off for quiet hours. The whole crowd stayed quiet enough for them to perform. It was a special magical moment.”

👉 “Getting evacuated for the 2nd time ever, the 2nd year in a row, at Telluride Bluegrass & making my friend evacuate really really slowly because I Knew there was a 🌈 coming & then, there it was -a big double 🌈🌈 & everyone stopped their evacuation long enough to snap some fabulously inadequate pics!”

Best Music Festival Performance

THIS is a big one.  The BEST Music Festival Performance.  There were thousands of sets that took place across the country (and beyond), performed by thousands of artists.  These are the ones that stood out the most to our readers, cementing themselves into festival legend.

WINNER: Kitchen Dwellers Main Stage Set at Strings & Sol

This was already referenced as a Best Musical Moment (the rain pouring down during Seven Devils) but the entire set was pure magic. Definitely an electric feeling connecting everyone on the beach for this special set.

First Runner-Up: Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country at Annapolis Baygrass Music Festival

It got real cosmic on the shores of the Chesapeake with Daniel Donato.  With sit-ins by The BayBrass Horns at Large (Best Artist-at-Large Winners Natalie Cressman, Jennifer Hartswick, and Ron Holloway) and Torrin Daniels (Kitchen Dwellers), this is one worth watching/listening to over and over!   (luckily you can – see YouTube video below!)

SECOND RUNNER UP: Diggin’ Dirt at Rhythms on the Rio

This took many by surprise who were not familiar with this funk powerhouse.  Rhythms on the Rio went off for this Sunday set!

HONORABLE MENTION: Cory Wong, Rooster Walk

2024 was obviously an incredible year of live music and festivals.

At Festy GoNuts, we are honored and blessed to be involved with this amazing music scene.  Thank you to everyone who voted in the Festy Awards, and to everyone who reads and follows Festy GoNuts.  We appreciate each and every one of you.

AND NOW ON TO THE FINAL AWARD, BEST OVERALL MUSIC FESTIVAL:

Best Overall Music Festival

This is the BIG one.  These festivals just did it all right.  The music, vibe, location, staff, and attendees all combined to put these festivals over the top.  We expect them to be around for a long time, leading the charge and setting an example of what a great music festival can be.

WINNER: Annapolis Baygrass Music Festival

After being part of a 3-way tie for this in 2023, Annapolis Baygrass is now standing alone at the top!  Baygrass turned heads with a killer lineup that many said was the best of the year. With missions to help restore and protect the Chesapeake Bay and support mental health, Baygrass bills themselves as “more than a music festival,” and we concur.

Attendees remarked on the way this young festival is run – with efficiency, cleanliness and style that we see in veteran festivals.  And nothing beats dancing in the sand!

Congrats, Baygrass! Looking forward to many many more years of Shaking Our Baygrass!

FIRST RUNNER UP: DelFest

DEL-YEAH!  This East-coast staple is simply amazing.  If you’ve never been to the annual celebration in Cumberland, MD, put this on your bucket list!

SECOND RUNNER UPS (tie): The Ramble Festival, Rhythms on the Rio

We love seeing these smaller festivals continue to get recognition.  Ramble is proving themselves to be another new fest that should be around for a long time.  Rhythms on the Rio is an amazing non-profit in their 18th year, but only their 4th in a new location that sees them reinventing themselves to continue to compete with the big boys in Colorado!

HONORABLE MENTION: Strings & Sol

Strings & Sol always gets so many votes in so many categories, it deserves all the awards.  If you’ve never made it to this bucket-list festival, it’s time to get a bigger bucket!

Congrats to everyone taking home a 2024 Festy Award!

What a list of winners!

Thank you to everyone for joining us for the 2024 Festy Awards.

Apologies to Billy Strings, we’ve run out of time and had to cut his performance, which seems to happen every year.  Maybe next year we’ll try to have him at the top of the show.

Until next year, keep dancing, keep seeing live music, and always remember to be your fest self!

Much Love,

Festy GoNuts

And now, to take us out, we have a very special performance from the Unfamous Stringbusters.  Enjoy! (and, again, sorry, Billy.)