Media Room

Important Dates

  • August 13-30, 2024 – Patron renewals
  • September 9-27, 2024 – Reserved seat renewals
  • October 1, 2024 – Volunteer applications open
  • November 1, 2024 – Vendor applications open
  • November 12, 2024 – Tickets on sale at 10 a.m. EST
  • November 12, 2024 – Initial lineup announced at 10 a.m. EST
  • April 15, 2025 – Volunteer applications deadline
  • April 24-27, 2025 – MerleFest 

Who is Flattop?

The big friendly raccoon you will see at MerleFest is our mascot, Flattop. Why a raccoon? Merle Watson’s band, Frosty Morn, used a raccoon as its logo, based on his suggestion. A naming contest gave Flattop his name–a truly fitting one because of Merle and Doc’s mastery of the flattop guitar.