When it comes to MeadowGrass, there are so many things to love. But you don’t survive for 17 years as a music festival without killer lineups. And MeadowGrass has continued to deliver those with eclectic and creative blends of exceptional artists across a wide range of genres. This year is no exception. MeadowGrass 2026 happens on Memorial Day weekend, May 22-24 this year, and its lineup has officially released.
To get some highlights, we checked in with Steve Harris, the man behind the music who has been responsible for crafting and contracting the stellar MeadowGrass musical lineups since 2010. If there’s a theme to the entire mix, you can call it Colorado.
“For the 17th annual MeadowGrass Music Festival, we are leaning into Colorado’s wealth of musical talent, bringing back some of our favorite artists while also introducing our audience to up and coming bands,” Harris says. Overall, it’s a lineup that will excite the festival faithful while also appealing to new music lovers who may not have ventured into Black Forest for MeadowGrass before.
The Headliners
As for any changes to the formula of crafting a magical lineup, Harris says he and Rocky Mountain Highway Music Collaborative chose to allocate more of the talent budget to the Saturday and Sunday performances. That’s reflected in the nightly headliners.
“Saturday night we are thrilled to welcome California’s ALO as the evening’s headliner for their debut performance at MeadowGrass,” Harris says. Originally known as the Animal Liberation Orchestra, ALO has released eight full-length studio albums on Jack Johnson’s Brushfire Records label over the past 25 years. “They have developed a cult following in the rock and jam band scenes,” Harris says.
Sunday night goes deep into that Colorado theme. “On the last night of the festival, things are going to be seriously cheesy,” Harris says. “Members of the last two bands on the main stage comprise half of Colorado Music Hall of Fame honoree The String Cheese Incident, with the Nershi Hann Trio performing right before the Kyle Hollingsworth Band.”
Fans will recognize The String Cheese Incident as one of the biggest jamgrass bands around. Since forming in Telluride and Crested Butte in 1993, the group has blended a wide range of musical elements, from bluegrass and reggae to electronica, jazz, funk and more. Cheese is currently on a seven-month hiatus from touring but will be gearing up for a massive summer tour that kicks off the week after MeadowGrass, Harris says.
“So this should be an extra-special evening of music,” he adds. “Expect plenty of fireworks as keyboardist Hollingsworth brings a funk party to the meadow to close out the festival on Sunday.”
More Colorado Bands
Other Colorado highlights in this year’s lineup include Daniel Rodriguez, who was formerly a member of Elephant Revival. The Boulder singer-songwriter returns for his second solo performance at MeadowGrass.
Banshee Tree and Sturtz are both up and coming Colorado collectives.
Banshee Tree will headline Friday night. The band hails from Boulder and covers a wide sonic range, with an indie psychedelic pop-rock base, layered with jazz-inspired guitar, saxophone textures and dance floor grooves.
The four-piece Sturtz adds a melodic serenity to the Sunday schedule. NPR’s All Songs Considered described the band as “a reassuring breath of fresh air that pulls me back to simpler times.”
The Denver-based Steely Dead is a local favorite that tours nationally with electrifying performances and a unique, soulful blend of Grateful Dead and Steely Dan.
And Harris calls Bruce Hayes a “Celtgrass wizard from Howard, Colorado.” That’s downstream the Arkansas River from Salida, and Hayes’ mandolin dances and flows like the river’s moods. He’s a MeadowGrass alum.
“We are also excited to reconnect with some of our amazing local bands,” Harris says. “Tejon Street Corner Thieves and Grant Sabin will open the festival Friday ahead of Banshee Tree’s headlining set, and A Carpenter’s Daughter will make their main stage debut on Saturday morning.”
He also notes that the MeadowBrass horn section will sit in with various artists on the main stage throughout Sunday. “And for the campers, everything will conclude with an explosive late night show on Sunday as our own Dylan Teifer leads an all-star jam to close out the festival,” Harris says.
Of course, the best way to check out the artists is to listen.
Here are the daily MeadowGrass music schedules.
Friday
Beer Festival
Tejon Street Corner Thieves
Grant Sabin
Banshee Tree
Late Night: Tejon Street Corner Thieves
Saturday
Bruce Hayes
A Carpenter’s Daughter
Goodnight Moonshine
Broken Compass
Daniel Rodriguez
Shook Twins
ALO
Sunday
School of Rock
Emily Hicks
Kathleen Parks
Steely Dead
Sturtz
Nershi Hann Trio
Kyle Hollingsworth Band
Late Night: All Star Jam hosted by Dylan Teifer
All Things MeadowGrass
Tickets are on sale, and there are currently camping passes available — but those won’t last long. Find more about the schedule and all the festival details at MeadowGrass.org.
