Don your best gingham shirt and grab a straw hat: The Kingman Island Bluegrass and Folk Festival has announced the lineup for its sixth annual festival, scheduled for Saturday, April 25. The annual celebration of local music brought 13,000 visitors to the little island in the Anacostia last year and this year, with the support of its new sponsor, REI, organizers Living Classrooms and Listen Local First aim to make the festival larger than ever.
Headlining the main bluegrass stage are Virginia-based flatpicking guitarist Larry Keel and Pennsylvania Americana sextet Cabinet. Filling out the lineup across five stages are more than three dozen local folk acts, including City Paper favorites Luray, Tomás Pagán Motta, Kingsley Flood, the Beanstalk Library, and Sara Curtin of the Sweater Set. A children’s stage will feature crafts and activities for the younger set, while BicycleSPACE will create an outdoor bike course for attendees looking for a more physical experience at the Festival. REI, which is set to open in the former Uline Arena space in late 2016, is sponsoring its own stage, as well as the chance to kayak in the river, and will bring its touring “REI Village” to the festival.
The festival unofficially kicks off April 9 at Gypsy Sally’s with a performance by the Larry Keel Experience and Walker’s Run. Festival tickets (plus additional beer tickets) are on sale now. See the full festival lineup after the jump.
Bluegrass Stage
| 12:30-1:10 | Split String Soup |
| 1:20-2:00 | Big Chimney |
| 2:10-2:50 | By & By |
| 3:00-3:40 | Bud’s Collective |
| 3:50-4:30 | Furnace Mountain |
| 4:40-5:20 | Walker’s Run |
| 5:40-6:40 | Larry Keel |
| 7:00-8:00 | Cabinet |
| Tweener Artists: | |
| Ballad’ve | |
| Laura Tsaggaris | |
| Jonny Grave |
Americana Stage:
| 1:00-1:35 | Karen Jonas Band |
| 1:50-2:25 | Lauren Calve Band |
| 2:40-3:15 | Justin Trawick and the Common Good |
| 3:30-4:05 | Luray |
| 4:20 – 4:55 | Big Hoax Band |
| 5:15-6:00 | Kingsley Flood |
| Tweener Artists: | |
| Annabeth McNamara | |
| Basswood |
REI Stage:
| 1:00-1:40 | Delafield String Band |
| 1:50-2:30 | The Stick Mob |
| 2:40-3:20 | Griff’s Room Band |
| 3:30-4:10 | Hollertown |
| 4:20-5:00 | Notes from the Underground |
| 5:10-5:50 | The Plank Stompers |
| Tweener Artists: | |
| Elena & Los Fulanos | |
| Tom McBride |
Island Stage 1:
| 12:00-12:50 | Devil and the Deep Blue Sea |
| 1:00-1:50 | Tomas Pagan Motta |
| 2:00-2:50 | Sara Curtin |
| 3:00-3:50 | 19th Street Band |
| 4:00-4:50 | The Hummingbyrds |
| 5:00-5:50 | Gramophonic |
Island Stage 2:
| 12:00-12:50 | Near Northeast |
| 1:00-1:50 | Roof Beams |
| 2:00-2:50 | LuLu’s Fate |
| 3:00-3:50 | Sweet Yonder |
| 4:00-4:50 | Dead Professional |
| 5:00-5:50 | The Beanstalk Library |
2013 festival photo courtesy Kingman Island Bluegrass and Folk Festival