Bluegrass First Class offers an up-close-and-personal bluegrass experience, with hotel room doors flung open to fellow festival-goers and impromptu jam sessions spilling out of hallways, stairwells and even some of the elevators. “The idea is for people to be able to pick in the rooms, up and down the halls, in every crevice and corner,” Harkey said. “If people want to listen to a jam, they can just walk down from the stages and listen to them. ”What sets a festival like Bluegrass First Class apart from others like it, Harkey said, is his dedication to recognizing bluegrass in its distilled, unadulterated form. While many acoustic groups embrace the bluegrass label, Harkey hones in on those that eat, sleep and breathe the music as it was meant to be played. “Bluegrass is its own genre — it’s not just somebody playing acoustic music somewhere. There’s a lot of that,” he said. “Bluegrass is beautiful music, and if you want to hear what it really sounds like within the pillars of Bluegrass, this is the show to come to.”

2026 Schedule

Feb 13-Friday 10:30am - Doors Open, 12:00pm - Event Start

501 Central

Seth Mulder & Midnight Run

Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out

Appalachian Road Show

Lonesome River Band

Feb 14-Saturday 10:30am - Doors Open, 11:00am - Event Start

King James Boys

Cotton Pickin Kids

Olivia Jo

The Malpass Brothers

The Grascals

Authentic Unlimited

Feb 15-Sunday

9:00am

King James Boys - Showcase Stage in the Lobby