Things To Do

The Shoppes at MerleFest is a centrally located shopping village of commercial vendors, official MerleFest memorabilia, and services such as first aid, lost and found, internet access and a charging station. Festival guests can peruse vendor booths, check email, charge cell phones or tablets and pick up an official MerleFest t-shirt all in one spot!

The Little Pickers Family Area is full of activities for all ages: bubble fun, pictures with Flattop, amusements, games, and so much more! Look for the big tent to find all of our crafts. Annual crafts may include:

  • Chalk Art
  • Shimmer Bottles
  • Sand Art
  • Tambourines
  • Banjos
  • Flattop masks
  • Straw windpipe
  • Mural Wall
  • Bead Necklaces
  • Face Painting

The Little Pickers Stage performances include unique acts selected with children in mind, such as scheduled “meet and greet” with Flattop. Bring a camera and get your photo made with Flattop! Entertainment will be scheduled throughout the weekend on the Little Pickers Stage.

A large Shade Tent, located within the Little Pickers Family Area, provides a place for guests to sit down and relax and for children, accompanied by a parent, to nap. Enjoy the Shade Tent when you need a little break from the MerleFest action.

Perform on a MerleFest stage in Acoustic Kids! For over 20 years, MerleFest has supported young musicians in the festival audience by providing opportunities for them to perform on festival stages in Andy May’s Acoustic Kids Showcases. These welcoming showcases allow young pickers and singers (through age 18) of any skill level to perform in a supportive environment within a professional setting. Accompanists may be any age, and bands are eligible as long as at least one featured performer is 18 years of age or younger. Click here for FAQs / eligibility details.

As a show, the Acoustic Kids Showcases are not for kids only; they are for music lovers of all ages. Come applaud the efforts of the next generation of pickers, singers, and other traditional style performers. You will be treated to an Opry-style stream of young entertainers who will warm your heart and take your breath away. You’ll come away knowing that “the music’s in good hands.”

Registration and Instructions

Registration is open February 1- March 15. Register online here.

  • Please read the Registration Instructions before filling out the registration form. It will help you – and us!
  • With your registration, you will need to include one to three demos of pieces you want to play in the showcase. Please see the Acoustic Kids Demo Requirements for details.
  • Acoustic Kids Showcases are provided by the festival for festival attendees. There is no charge to participate, but participation does not give you or your family members free admission to the festival. Everyone over the age of 12 must purchase a ticket, and children under 12 are admitted free only if accompanied by a paying adult. However, adults may volunteer for MerleFest and gain entry into the festival on the day(s) they work. Click here to learn more about volunteering. 

Visit the Acoustic Kids website for more information about the history and philosophy behind Andy May’s youth performance showcases.

Please help us get the word out! Send this page to young musicians you know who may be interested in performing in Acoustic Kids Showcases at MerleFest.

Founded by Pete Wernick in 1999, MerleFest Bluegrass Jam Camp, Monday-Thursday pre-festival, is a unique combination of classroom instruction, small group jamming and performing. This year it will be directed by Gilbert Nelson and Pete Wernick with leading teachers in the field of jam teaching. The location is Camp Harrison, a spacious, rustic, well-built Y camp 12 miles south of MerleFest.

All ages, all skill levels, all bluegrass instruments are welcome, each student on their individualized learning track with the goal of making good bluegrass music with others. Students jam in small groups that complement one another’s skills, coached by expert teachers. The jam circles provide opportunity for instruction, questions and constructive critique.

Entry-level – no jamming experience necessary, but the jamming starts almost immediately — on the ground level and upward from there. The main requirement: ability to switch smoothly between G, C, D, and A chords (or the matching notes on fiddle and bass).

More experienced jammers meet in well-matched groups mentored in the full range of instrumental and vocal skills that distinguish the bluegrass tradition.

Topical breakout sessions focus on instrumental solos and backup, lead singing and harmony, song leading, fills and licks, ear skills, practice techniques, improvising, and more.

After-hours jamming is a tradition at Wernick Method jam camps. Open mic, jamboree night, slow jams, fast jams, fiddle tune jams, teacher-led and student-led impromptu jamming are all part of the experience. Camp concludes with a short but exciting performance on the Cabin Stage Thursday evening of MerleFest.

Most jam campers stay at Camp Harrison for the fullest experience. Shared bunk houses and limited RV spaces available. The dining hall serves satisfying  meals and can accommodate diet preferences.

Scholarships available. Click here for more information.

The Pickin’ Place is more than a stage; it’s an entire venue devoted to pickin’ and grinnin’! Included in The Pickin’ Place are the Traditional Old Time Pickin’ Tent, Bluegrass Pickin’ Tent, and Anything Goes Pickin’ Tent.

Bring your acoustic instrument to this area hosted by the Wilkes Acoustic Folk Society and pick to your heart’s content!

  • All tours take place at 2 p.m.
  • Backstage tour includes:
    • Merle Watson Garden of the Senses
    • MerleFest Museum
    • Doc Watson Dressing Room
    • Backstage Green Room
    • Artist Getaway
    • Official MerleFest Poster
  • All proceeds go towards the Doc Watson Student Emergency Fund
  • Must have festival entry pass to purchase. You may purchase tickets prior to the festival or at the box office during the festival (if tickets are still available).

Come out and join local naturalist Ken Crouse of Peaceful Valley Gardens for an easy hike through the gardens and forest of the WCC Campus. Take a look at the wildflowers, trees, mushrooms and ferns that make the local ecology so unique. Learn about the folklore, plus the edible and medicinal uses of many of our local native plants and fungi. Walk through some of the many “theme gardens” and learn the history of the WCC Gardens.

You will also learn about some of the plants that have been the inspiration for many of the traditional songs of the Southern Appalachian Mountains.

Nature walks will begin by the red Waldon Caboose and will last about one hour.

Tour Times:

  • Friday: 4:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
  • Saturday: 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.

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.