High Mountain Hay Fever Bluegrass Festival, July 10-13, 2025, Is Here!
Press Release
The High Mountain Hay Fever Bluegrass Festival: Great Music, Great Place, Great Cause! Music will ring out across the Wet Mountain Valley at the 22nd annual High Mountain Hay Fever Bluegrass Festival in July in the heart of the Rockies. Come enjoy stunning views of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, the youth music program, the camaraderie of on-site camping and pickin’ in addition to a full roster of exciting bluegrass performers. Festival dates are Thursday through Sunday, July 10 – 13, 2025, at The Bluff Park in Westcliffe, Colorado.
The 2025 line-up features our festival host, the always entertaining Dry Branch Fire Squad led by the valley’s own Ron Thomason. We are pleased to have Rhonda Vincent and the Rage as our featured act this year! Other acts scheduled to appear are Joe Mullins and the Radio Ramblers, Missy Raines and Allegheny, Becky Buller Band, Mike Compton and Joe Newberry, Ismay, Fog Holler, The Baker Family, My Brother’s Keeper, Dayton, Heidi Clare and Ron Thomason and the High Mountain Hayseeds. Many of these performers will also conduct workshops throughout the weekend which will afford festival-goers the opportunity to experience the performers in a more intimate setting. Dancers are welcome Friday and Saturday nights at the Sibbald-Brown stage, formerly the workshop stage, for a dance hosted by the Eagle Peaks Dance Band with square dance caller Hal Barnes on Saturday night. And don’t forget the always popular High Mountain Hay Seeds children’s program – bring the kids and their instruments!
High Mountain Hay Fever is also the best deal in bluegrass. Four-Day Passes are $130 at the gate. Single day ticket prices are $25 for Thursday evening, $60 for Friday, $60 for Saturday, and $40 for Sunday. Students 13-18 with ID are $10 and children 12 and under are free. Tickets are on sale on our website: www.highmountainhayfever.org and at the gate during the festival. On Thursday of the festival, tickets will be available at the gate at 1:00 with gates opening at 3:30 and music beginning at 5:00.
Dry camping and RV parking are available adjacent to the performance grounds and are assigned on a first-come, first-served basis. A reminder to local folks that South Adams Blvd will be closed between Main St and Rosita Ave. during the festival.
The festival is a 501(c)3 nonprofit formed to enhance the Wet Mountain Valley as a quality event destination that benefits the entire community. The festival has raised over $900,000 for Wet Mountain Valley charitable organizations over the years of its existence, with a strong focus on children’s health. The High Mountain Hay Fever Festival Association is run by a great group of volunteers who work year-round to make the event happen. We were honored that the festival was nominated in 2024 for “Event of the Year” by the International Bluegrass Music Association. The festival remains an intimate event, avoiding the sprawl and congestion of large festivals while offering nationally recognized bluegrass talent, remaining true to its motto: “Small Scale, Big Time”.
For more information contact us at www.highmountainhayfever.org.
We are excited to welcome Jim Lauderdale as our featured performer this year. He has won two Grammys, released 36 full-length albums, and has taken home the Americana Music Association’s coveted Wagonmaster Award, along with being a great performer. The line-up also features our festival host, the always entertaining Dry Branch Fire Squad. Other acts scheduled to appear are Ralph Stanley II & the Clinch Mountain Boys, Laurie Lewis and the Right Hands, Valerie Smith & Liberty Pike, Jim Gaudet and the Railroad Boys, The Wilder Flower, Mike Mitchell Band, My Brother’s Keeper, Fog Holler, The Red Mountain Boys, Orchard Creek, Abbie Gardner, and Heidi Clare and Ron Thomason.