Are you ready for some positive energy and a guaranteed mood booster? It’s summer and the chances to hear live music are amping up. Enjoy the great outdoors and the sense of community and togetherness we’ve been craving for so long. So what are you waiting for? Grab your blankets and chairs, slather on the sunscreen, and get ready to have fun. Here’s a roundup of this summer’s best live music along the Beerwerks Trail.
Harrisonburg
The 7th annual Sing Me High Music Festival celebrating music and faith is happening August 26-27. Bands with local or faith backgrounds will provide the soundtrack, and there will be plenty of fun, food, and fellowship for the whole family. Festival attendees can buy food like barbeque, brats, hot dogs, pizza, and ice cream on the grounds prior to the show. They can enjoy kids’ activities including a giant slip ‘n slide and a “fun zone,” and win a pie at auction. Musical acts John Schmid, Ebony Nicole, Good Company, Honeytown, and The Walking Roots Band will perform.
While the performance lineup isn’t set yet, you can still plan your trip to the Harrisonburg International Festival on September 24. The festival’s mission is to celebrate, support, and raise awareness of Harrisonburg’s diverse community by “providing a friendly forum in which cultural groups can showcase their cultural and linguistic values as a means to educate the larger community.” Visitors can sample international food, shop handmade and fair-trade artisan goods, and let the kids learn about other cultures through activity stations.
Restaurants and breweries that host regular live music:
- Brothers Craft Brewing
- Pale Fire Brewing Company
- Restless Moons Brewing
- The Golden Pony
- Clementine Cafe
Rockingham County
May 28 marks the 21sth annual ValleyFest Beer & Wine Festival on the slopes of Massanutten. Join the fun to listen to live music, drink craft beer and wine, gnosh on delicious festival food, and peruse the booths of vendors. Purchase tickets in advance or at the gate. This year’s lineup includes crowd favorite Tunnels End, country grunge band Parker Barrow Project, as well as Pebble to Pearl, and Chamomile and Whiskey.
Hurry and buy your tickets to July 3rd’s Summer Jam at Massanutten. This year’s fun event has a lineup of great music, fireworks, beer, wine, food trucks, and fun and games like face painting, henna tattoos, sensory toys for kids, and more. Headliners The Wildflowers will wow the audience with an amazing tribute to the music of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers. They’ll be joined by TC Carter, a rhythm and blues guitarist, and Brisk, a 90’s rock and alternative band. Proceeds from Summer Jam benefit the Rockingham/Harrisonburg SPCA.
Bluestone Vineyard’s Toast the Weekend concert series brings you live local bands on the 2nd and 4th Friday of each month through September. Spread a blanket, grab some dinner from the dedicated food truck, and enjoy music in a variety of genres. Artists include The Judy Chops, The Roadducks, Big City Band, Standing Room only, and more. Kids 12 and under are free.
The Rockingham County Fair is the largest annual event in the Shenandoah Valley. You’ll want to attend all the exhibits, sideshow acts, livestock displays, food, and carnival rides and games by Deggeller Attractions. But you should also add the live music events to your calendar. On August 15, come see a bluegrass concert and the music of Russell Moore and IIIrd Tyme Out, Nothing Fancy, and Caleb Bailey & Paine’s Run. Ticket holders can also catch Zach Williams & Riley Clemmons (August 16), and Dustin Lynch and Drew Parker (August 17). Track and bleacher seating is available.
Rockingham County breweries and vineyards that regularly host live music:
Augusta County
The whole family can celebrate the sounds of summer at the annual Red Wing Roots Music Festival (June 24-26). The event sets some of the biggest names in folk music against a stunning backdrop of 120-foot limestone towers at Natural Chimneys Park & Campground. Listen toThe Steel Wheels, The Jayhawks, Langhorne Slim, Aoife O’Donovan, and over 40 more as they light up five stages. Buy a day pass or make it a weekend and camp. Besides the music, festival attendees can expect a beer garden, food and craft vendors, bike rides, yoga, and lawn games for adults and kids alike. Here’s the full 2022 lineup.
Bring the whole family to Valley Pike Farm Market’s 6th annual Music at the Market series on the last Saturday of the month through September. Groove to bands like Little Walter & the Convictions, Thieves of Burden, Big City Band, and more! Bring your lawn chairs and the whole family: kids 12 and under are free.
Restaurants and breweries that host regular live music:
Staunton
After a 4-year hiatus, Staunton Jams is back, bigger and better than ever, hosted by The Judy Chops and supported by a number of Staunton businesses. This free, all-day music and art event will take over downtown Staunton on May 28. Look for 20 acts representing a variety of musical styles to appear at the Sunspots Pavilion, the Staunton Patio, along Beverley Street, in the Wharf, and more. There’s even an afterparty scheduled at Tempest Bar & Lounge. The event will also showcase artists, vendors, food, street performers, and more. Check Facebook for a schedule.
Spend a summer night relaxing on your blanket listening to music under the stars at the Blackburn Inn’s Friday night SummerStage concert series. The concerts will extend through Labor Day and they will showcase talents like David Wax Museum, Danielle Nicole, Chatham Rabbits, Scott Miller, The Judy Chops, and more playing in a wide range of genres. Along with the music, you can enjoy food from the 2nd Draft Bistro and beverages from local vineyards, cideries, and breweries. In fact, Beerwerks is partnering with Summerstage, and you can enjoy tastes from a variety of our breweries. Don’t forget your Beerwerks passport – you might be able to sip your way to a new shirt! The grounds and bar open at 6 p.m. and the music starts at 7 p.m. See the full schedule and buy tickets.
From now thru September, relax at Redbeard Brewing Company on select Saturday nights for their Live Summer Concert Series. Favorite groups like The Judy Chops, Six Shot Rebellion, The Findells, and Drägön Wägön will headline. Here’s the full schedule.
Rock out to free live music from local acts, Rhonda Vincent and The Rage, and headliner Wilson Fairchild at Staunton’s July 4th Happy Birthday America celebration. Fireworks follow the performances. The event also features a 5K race, a lively parade, a parent/child baseball game, vesper’s service, a beauty pageant, and concessions.
Staunton area restaurants and breweries that regularly host live music:
Waynesboro
Waynesboro Parks and Rec’s Groovin’ at the Greenway at Constitution Park is a wonderful way to enjoy music in the outdoors and celebrate the spirit of community. The Thursday night concert series presents a variety of artists and genres including rock, blues, funk, swing, soul, alt-country, and more. You’ll hear the rock n’ soul sounds of Who Shot John, rock and Americana from Thieves of Burden, r&b and classic soul from Shades of Gray, and more. Concert goers should bring blankets or chairs and each concert features an onsite food truck. The event is family-friendly and Blue Ridge Children’s Museum will have activities to occupy the kids. The concerts are from 6-8 p.m. and extend through July 29.
The Wayne Theatre’s Wayne on Main also provides outdoor live music to the public. Musicians will set up under the Wayne marquee and play a variety of genres on the last Wednesday of each month from 6-8 p.m. The 500 block of Main Street will be closed to vehicles during the shows, so concertgoers can set up chairs in the street. Upcoming performances go through September 28 and include Don’t Look Up, Prime, Sundried Opposum, and more.
Waynesboro area restaurants and breweries that regularly host live music:
Lexington-Rockbridge
The Lime Kiln Theater Summer Concert Series offers a seventh season of music in the trees and under the stars. Once a turn-of-the-century lime quarry, the venue is now a prime spot for local, regional, and national outdoor music and performance art. This year the Lime Kiln welcomes Shakey Graves, Madison Cunningham, The Milk Carton Kids, The Steel Wheels, and more. Here’s the entire 2022 schedule. While season passes are already sold out, you can still purchase tickets to individual shows. Concerts extend through October 8th. Food trucks, as well as wine and beer, will be available before and during the show.
The Freedom Food Festival (July 3) is a food and music festival on Main Street in downtown Lexington. Local nonprofit organizations pair with celebrity chefs and restaurants to prepare July 4th picnic-style fare that will be judged “cook-off” style. Meal tickets and tables may be reserved online. Kid’s meals, desserts, and beer/wine/alcohol sales will be available. Performances by Acoustic Syndicate, Rob Ickes & Trey Hensley, and 49 Winchester. Admission is FREE making the Freedom Food Festival the perfect family-friendly Independence Weekend activity!
Rockbridge area breweries with regular live music:
- Devils Backbone Outpost Taproom & Kitchen
- Great Valley Farm Brewery and Winery
- Rockbridge Vineyard & Brewery
