After celebrating its 10th anniversary last year (find our recap of past visits here), Wisconsin’s music festival Blue Ox is returning next month. The 11th annual edition will return to The Pines Music Park in Eau Claire (5024 Crescent Ave) from June 26th to 28th.
The festival is over 90% sold out, so get your tickets ASAP! You can choose between 3-day, 2-day (Fri + Sat), or 1-day Saturday tickets. Kids 13 and under are free with a paid adult. With only 5000 total tickets sold, the festival seeks to maintain its intimate atmosphere.
Over 30 performers will perform at the festival’s three stages—the Main Stage and Saloon Stage in the festival bowl and the Backwoods Stage in the campground area. A diverse range of musical styles will be featured, including bluegrass, country, Americana, Southern rock, and folk music. You’ll definitely find a few new favorite bands while attending.
Twin Cities-based Pert Near Sandstone will again serve as the event hosts and perform on two nights. Some other acts joining them are Greensky Bluegrass, Margo Price, Warren Haynes Band, Molly Tuttle, Sam Bush Band, Amigo the Devil, Rising Appalachia, Charlie Parr, Hurray for the Riff Raff, Peter Rowan with Sam Grisman Project, Mountain Grass Unit, Big Richard, Chaparral, Horseshoes & Hand Grenades, The Last Revel, Them Coulee Boys, Cole Chaney and Will Carlisle. You can find the full lineup here.
Below are a few other non-musical features at this year’s festival:
Family Stage
The Family Stage offers a family-friendly spot to spend time away from the main hustle and bustle with your kiddos. The stage, presented by Boats & Bluegrass and Beaver Creek Reserve, features family yoga, mud painting, rainbow lanterns, a talent show, an amphibian and frog chorus, and much more. It is located at the top of the hill in the family camp. Joyful Bubbles will also be on-site again in the festival bowl.
Music Workshops
Looking to get something more personal from the music at Blue Ox and learn how some of the performers play their instruments? Look no further than Blue Ox’s workshops, which take place at the Potluck Pickin’ Place in the campground.
This year will be feature a variety of workshop offerings: Songwriting with Ben Suchy (Wayne Suchy Band), Blue Ox Songbook Sing-along (Potluck String Band), Resophonic Guitar with Mule Guitars (Charlie Parr and Tony Polecastro), Guitar with Maddie Cody (The Cody Sisters), Mandolin with Megan Cody (The Cody Sisters), Fiddle with Shauncey Ali (MadFiddle), Banjo with Anthony Ihrig (The High 48s) and Collectiva: A Women’s/Non-binary Jam (Maura Dunst of Foxgloves). You can find more about each here, and the schedule below. Each provides beginner-level instruction. Patrons are encouraged to bring their own instrument and chair.
Art in the Pines
For those looking to add more to their stroll around the campground and festival grounds, Blue Ox offers distinct and engaging art created and installed by regional artists. You can find more information about the individual artists here.
Health Healing
Music certainly has the power to heal and empower. If you want more, we recommend checking out The Soul Sanctuary. It’s a wellness tent located within the Prairie where, according to Blue Ox’s site, “you can find balance, recharge, restore, and connect consciously with the festival community.” Offerings include yoga, sound healing, meditation, breathwork, dancing, community rituals, education workshops, and more. Make sure you bring your own yoga mats, blankets and other needed props for comfort. You can find the schedule below and read more about The Soul Sanctuary’s various offerings here.
Make sure to check back for more coverage of this year’s Blue Ox!
Joshua is co-founder of Scummy Water Tower. He’s freelanced for a variety of newspapers, magazines, and websites, including: Rolling Stone, The Boston Globe, Chicago Sun-Times, Guitar World, MTV News, Grammy.com, Chicago Magazine, Milwaukee Magazine, MKE Lifestyle, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, A.V. Club, SPIN, Alternative Press, Under the Radar, Paste, PopMatters, American Songwriter, and Relix. You can email him at josh@scummywatertower.com.
