The 53rd Telluride Bluegrass Festival was held June 18 – 21, 2026 in Telluride, Colorado. This year’s lineup featured Tedeschi Trucks Band, Gregory Alan Isakov, Larkin Poe, Shakey Graves, Greensky Bluegrass, Infamous Stringdusters, Leftover Salmon and many more. 

Choose Your Own Adventure at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival

Let me be completely honest with you all.  It had been eight years since we personally attended Telluride Bluegrass. That’s a shock to say out loud!

Now, Festy GoNuts has been represented at Bluegrass by several amazing contributors since 2018.  It’s just that Jelly (Jason and Kelly) have not returned in a long time.

What the hell were we thinking?  We live in Colorado.  We own a media outlet dedicated to music festivals.  We have a pretty strong focus on covering bluegrass, newgrass, and folk music events. We have about 100 friends who go every single year.  And, according to Festygonuts.com, it sounded like we had a hell of a time in 2018.  [Read our review of 2018 Telluride Bluegrass Festival] 

The truth is that this festival still seems a little daunting.  Tickets sell quickly. Lodging is expensive.  Camping is confusing.  Telluride Bluegrass takes planning and a little patience. We just flaked out every year!

Our catalyst for attending this year was the unfortunate loss of our good friend, Christine Kirk.  We met Kirk at our last Telluride Bluegrass when we camped in Town Park with The Herd on Third.  We became instant friends, and we were fortunate to live only a few minutes apart. We knew she would be celebrated at this year’s festival, so we made it a point to return to reconnect and honor our lovely friend.

Your Unique Bluegrass Experience

The earliest we could arrive was Wednesday, which meant we’d be able to check out the free First Grass music in Mountain Village with East Nash Grass, followed by the Bluegrass Eve show with Salmon and Friends.  But it also meant we’d probably have to skip camping. Although I’m sure we could have bribed some friends to hold a spot for us, we knew we wouldn’t have time to get our ducks in a row to make it happen.

Most campers arrive the week before to lock down their acreage for their campmates. In case you aren’t aware, there’s a week of festival before the festival in Town Park campground.  It’s a whole thing, and you ought to experience it at least once in your life.  Or 50 times in your life, if you’re Cindy Lou.

As luck would have it, we were able to find a room at the Mountainside Inn.  We assumed this was a sign from the Telluride gods that we should lock it in and commit to returning to Bluegrass.

And that’s the beauty of this festival.  You get to choose how you experience it, and that can look very different for everyone.

Maybe you camp for 10 nights – and sleep for half of them.

Maybe you stay in a fancy ski condo and use the gondola as your main source of transportation.

Maybe you camp in a quiet spot outside of town and take the Galloping Goose shuttle to and from.

Or maybe you book a room at the Mountainside Inn and ride your bike to the music.

You really can’t go wrong.  There’s a lodging and transportation combo that’s perfect for your unique festivating style

Create Your Telluride Bluegrass Musical Journey

Not only can you customize your sleeping and showering experience (or lack thereof), but you can also build your musical journey as well.

Since we hadn’t been to Telluride in several years, we knew we wanted to spend time enjoying the town and the mountains.  We hiked to Bear Creek Falls, enjoyed several delicious meals at restaurants, and soaked in our hotel’s incredible hot tub.  Our hotel was about a mile from the festival grounds, so we selectively chose a few main stage sets we knew we couldn’t miss – Leftover Salmon, Infamous Stringdusters, Greensky Bluegrass, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Sam Bush, and Sierra Hull.

On the flip side, we were much closer to Elks Park for the afternoon sets, and even closer to the Palm Theater for our NightGrass shows.  We loved having the flexibility to experience music all around Telluride, instead of sitting on a tarp in the sun for the full festival day.

Here’s how that played out on Friday:

We strolled the Farmer’s Market before chilling on the hill in Elks Park to watch Dallahan, and then grabbed a late lunch in town before catching Leftover Salmon on the Main Stage.  Then we hung out with friends in Town Park while listening to Béla Fleck before biking back to town to grab dinner and put on warmer clothes as the sun set. We caught an exciting set by Clay Street Unit at the Palm Theater, before heading back to the festival to watch Greensky Bluegrass close out the main stage.  Then, we returned to Town Park campground and caught a mind-blowing set in Camp Run-a-Muck with Arvind Panjabi and Jeremy Garrett.  We decided this was the night to send it, so we partied in Town Park until the sun almost came up. We played weird games, stumbled upon incredible picking circles, got lost (twice), and laughed so hard our stomachs hurt the next day.

Shew.  Now that is a killer day at Telluride Bluegrass. 

Of course, Saturday was a little more relaxing, but just as enjoyable.

No matter how you choose to fill your days and nights, your Telluride Bluegrass experience will be perfect.

Hike to the waterfall. Swim in the river. Grab tacos at Uno, Dos, Tres. Listen to music from your campsite. Make reservations at a nice restaurant. Wake up early for Yoga in Elks Park.  Go to NightGrass and sleep in.  Get dressed up with your little ones for the Kids Parade.  Ride the gondola for free music in Mountain Village.

The options are endless.  Make it your festival experience. 

The Festival that Fits Everyone

Telluride Bluegrass can indeed seem daunting, but don’t let the details overwhelm you. Instead, let the options available to you help pave the path of your festival journey.

Remember, this festival has been happening for over five decades. If you need info, simply ask a festivarian, visit the official website, or buy your tickets and make it happen!

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2026 Telluride Bluegrass Festival | 2026 People of TBF