The traditional Southern Appalachian sounds of string bands and clog dancing will echo off the scenic hills bordering the cool waters of Lake Junaluska as the performers of the 51st Annual Smoky Mountain Folk Festival celebrates the culture and heritage of the Appalachian region.

Experience a true Southern Appalachian tradition with the 51st Smoky Mountain Folk Festival in the historic 2,000-seat, Stuart Auditorium on the grounds of Lake Junaluska, North Carolina. 

Each night features free watermelon along with an open tent show on the lawn beginning at 5:00 p.m. and going to 6:30 p.m., then the main stage begins at 6:30 p.m. and continues until 10:30 p.m.

The festival welcomes an outstanding array of the region’s finest traditional performers including
fiddlers, banjo players, string bands, ballad singers, buck dancers, and fabulous square teams as well as the unique sounds of dulcimer, harmonica, Jew’s harp, bagpipes, and even spoons. The performers of the Smoky Mountain Folk Festival are continuing a legacy of traditional music by sharing it with a visitor to the festival and inspiring a new generation of artists as they swap tunes under the open tents on the lakeshore.

The Early outside open tent shows includes:
Bean Sidhe, a great Celtic Band, Sadie Wicker and Friends, Don Pedi, a fabulous dulcimer player, The Trantham Family, and others.

August 26th Performers on the Main Stage include:

Appalachian Consort, The Stony Creek Boys, Don Pedi, Shelia Kay Adams, Carol Rifken & Friends, The Trantham Family, The Haywood Ramblers, with Travis Stewart & Cary Fridley, The J Creek Cloggers, Williams Ritter & Friends, Frank Lee & Friends, Mack Snoderly & Flave Heart, Lorrain Conner & Ray Chena, and we’re hoping Phil & Gay Johnson & The Green Grass Cloggers will join us along with others.

August 27th Performers on the Main stage include:

Whitewater Bluegrass, Honey Holler, Cary Arrowood, The Montreat Scottish Pipes & Drums, Ginny McAfee, The Southern Appalachian Cloggers, Laura Boosinger, & Josh Goforth, Mack Snoderly and Flave Hart, The Baily Mountain Cloggers, Brook Buckner and Friends, The Trantham Family, Donna Ray Norton, The Cole Mountain Cloggers and along with others.