DelFest 2024 – A Family Afair

Another run of fun under the bluegrass sun in Cumberland, Maryland made its way into the hearts and memories of so many who returned to the happy fields of the Allegany County Fairgrounds Memorial Day Weekend.  Fans of all ages gathered to celebrate, enjoy, and praise, not only the music of Del McCoury, but also reunite with the extended family that has been built year after year filling up our bluegrass-loving cups once again. 

The 2024 version of the not-to-miss festival brought musicians old and new to the stages where sharing is caring, and collaborative performances go down in the history books, giving bragging rights to festival goers time and time again.  The festival would start with the premier of the DelFest documentary, "Sweet Appalachia The Story of DelFest," with a capacity crowd, including the McCourys, taking in the love and joy that is abundant at any DelFest.  This year's version boasted plenty of returning vets – among them Greensky Bluegrass, Leftover Salmon and Larry Keel, just to name a few and added quite a few musical notches to its belt with the addition of Lukas Nelson, Shinyribs, John Craigie and the epic show of Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country.  

For the folks that aren’t just fans of music, but are musicians themselves, the festival offers up the ability for them to file in early and come be part of the magic that is Delcademy.   The chance to learn from the McCourys themselves, meet other musicians, and form bands that they then get to play and perform together with is just another something that sets Delfest apart from other festivals.  The winner of a band scramble from the Academy also got to shine onstage after Del, and the boys finished their soundcheck Thursday afternoon covering “Tower” by Cabinet.  A noticeable highlight of the band that was awarded this honor was one of the guitar players known well to attendees as Delvis, who Joe Craven made sure to give a special introduction to after they finished their performance.

Delvis and the Delcademy aren’t the only things that truly sets it apart from others.  There are again the shared stages that never cease to amaze, staples like the Bluegrass Chicken Man and better yet, the amount of giving back that the McCoury family and organizers behind the festival extend to the Allegany County area in many ways, including, but not limited to Del’s Army.  Things like the family friendly kids zone and floats down the river make it easy for adults and children to all have experiences that won’t be forgotten and held close to the heart for years to come. 

Family is a common theme at DelFest, which goes without saying, as we continue to see the McCoury clan grow as well as see the ages span decades when they take the stage.  The 2024 version of Delfest also welcomed another family namesake to the stage with Lukas Nelson, son of legendary artist Willie Nelson.  Swapping his normal backing band Promise of the Real for The Travelin McCourys, and delivering an amazing set paying homage to many a legend, he also welcomed Sierra Ferrell to wow the crowd as she sang one-half of the romantic “Hope You Find Yourself”.  A new favorite of this writer, and another addition to the ‘family theme’ is Megan Jean’s Secret Family, who not only killed it in the music hall for a daytime set, but also was able to celebrate the lead singer's birthday while at the festival.

Worthy to note, this was Sierra’s return to DelFest, and it could be easily seen that she drew a crowd of her very own, fresh off a sell-out show at 9:30 Club Wednesday night, which got anyone who was able to attend extra hyped for the main stage set she was scheduled for.   Fashionably dressed as always, she showcased her vocal capabilities and ability to shine brightly, popping up during the festival with numerous sit-ins and a mind-blowing cover of Adele’s “Someone Like You”. Strong women musicians, fans of them, and fellow industry heavyweights who support them voiced their appreciation throughout the weekend.  Bands like Big Richard showed how important and impressive all-female bands are and what they bring to the table at festivals and in the scene in general.  The Sweet Lillies are another band, with multiple strong women, that are ever impressive in the diversity of style and entertainment value they always bring to the stage.  A washboard and a rap are an unexpected treat that you never knew you needed and now can never live without.  The energy that the group shows onstage and their relentless ability to get a party started are something no festival should go without.

For those of us who made it to the late-night venue, we were treated to kicking it off with The Dirty Grass Players, who leave no musical stone unturned and never fail to make you stop and appreciate their ability to incorporate songs by artists like Lorde or Dr. Dre, proving just about everything sounds good when you add more strings to it.  While dancing into the wee hours of the morning is always inviting, so is wandering the campground where campfires and pickers can be seen and heard until just before the sun rises - and sometimes beyond. 

DelFest truly has something for everyone - from young to old, from campground pickers to all-night partiers, from young families to empty nesters.  DelFest is the reason that there are so many members of the "16 Timer's Club," who have attended all sixteen editions of DelFest.  Each year, DelFest has new surprises for fans around every corner of the campgrounds that are waiting to be discovered and celebrated.  One never knows when an artist will walk on stage and make a guest appearance, or when you will reunite with a long-time friend and exchange Delbows, or when you hear the hushed whisper of Riverside Session, stumble upon a spontaneous jam, or decide to take the most relaxing river tube ride down the Potomac River as music echos along the mountains above.  As we have said for years, you cannot plan special - special just happens.  More often than not, special moments at DelFest will spontaneously materialize before you in each and every moment of your DelFest experience.  Everyone at DelFest walks away with a different experience, different memories, and different moments of joy that they take away from their DelFest weekend.  Like drops of water, we navigate the experiences in our DelFest experience.  Best summed up "Row, row, row your boat. Gently down the stream. Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily - DeFest is but a dream."

Drawing fans from as far as Washington State and Alaska, the Delfest lineup is something that fans always look forward to and heed the call to the Potomac Riverside for a holiday weekend that none can match.  Crowd pleasers and multiple Delfest alumni graced the stages in 2024 – Leftover Salmon, Greensky Bluegrass, Yonder Mountain String Band, The Broomestix and Sunday night closers, Old Crow Medicine Show, to name just a few.  The list of repeat offenders simply exemplifies how this festival keeps artists coming back because they know that it feels like just what Del aims for them to be – family.

Long Live DelFest - and long live our loving family and community at DelFest.  If you have not made the pilgrimage to DelFest we encourage you to join the family.  If you have been to one or all sixteen editions, you understand why this festival is not to be missed.  See you all in May 2025!

To learn more about DelFest, please see the following web resources:

• Webpage
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• Facebook - DelTopia Community
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• Twitter
• YouTube
• Spotify