The inaugural Earl Scruggs Music Festival to be hosted at Tryon International Equestrian Center & Resort (TIEC) has been rescheduled from September 3-4, 2021 to September 2-3, 2022 because of the uncertainty of hosting indoor festivals this summer due to the pandemic. With public safety as the primary focus, festival organizers from the Earl Scruggs Center in Shelby, NC, and Isothermal Community College are apprehensive about moving forward with planning due to the uncertainty of COVID restrictions that may still be in place in early September.
“While we are hopeful that indoor festivals will be allowed by September this year, no one is sure yet and we don’t want to risk having to dilute the festival experience for our patrons or reduce attendance because of COVID,” said JT Scruggs, Festival Director and Member Emeritus of the Earl Scruggs Center Board of Directors. “After carefully considering the pros and cons, our committee decided that the best decision was to wait until 2022.”
Celebrating the life and music of the legendary musician Earl Scruggs, the two-day festival will include multiple Bluegrass and Americana bands to perform over the holiday weekend, all of whom were influenced by the late Earl Scruggs’ talent and legacy. Changes to the 2022 lineup will be announced soon.
“We are so thankful to have such loyal ticket holders and appreciate them hanging in there with us until we can produce the festival that we have our hearts set on to give Earl the tribute he deserves,” added Scruggs. “We know it will be worth the wait.”
The Earl Scruggs Music Festival was originally scheduled for Labor Day weekend in 2020 but was rescheduled to Labor Day weekend in 2021 like most events last year. Tickets purchased for either year’s event will automatically roll over to the 2022 festival. As an added thank you to those attending the 2022 festival, current ticket holders can also enjoy additional benefits from the festival partners including the Earl Scruggs Center, WNCW 88.7FM, and TIEC. For a complete list of options, please visit EarlScruggsMusicFestival.com.
