Every Summer, the folks over at Planet Bluegrass put on three music festivals, starting with Telluride Bluegrass Festival on June 18-21. Planet Bluegrass Vice President, Zach Tucker, spends a month in Telluride every summer preparing for the festival, and he still hasn’t gotten over the feeling of cresting into the valley and driving down Main Street for the first time, being awestruck by the views of the San Juan Mountains.
“It’s the Telluride festival for a reason,” says Tucker. “We bring world-class music to the stage, and those artists are looking at the most picturesque landscape in every direction.”
Beyond the natural beauty of Telluride, Tucker is also amazed by the community of “Festivarians.” This is the festival’s 53rd year, and there are camps that have been setting up in Town Park every single year. At camp and at the festival, you’ll meet people who grew up in Telluride and all across the world. Tucker recently spoke to a woman who travels in from Australia every summer, and she recounted being welcomed in that first time as though she’d been coming her whole life.
This year, the festival is rolling out the Lawson Hill Glamping program for the first time to help bridge the gap between expensive lodging and people who don’t have their own camping gear. They’ll provide furnished, lockable tents that come fully set up and even include 24/7 shower access. Tucker hopes this encourages people to come experience Telluride for the first time.
“It’s never too late to go,” says Tucker. “If it hasn’t happened yet, there’s still time to get down there and have a life-changing experience. We’ve set it up to make it easier and more affordable to go to Telluride than without the festival.”
Tucker is also very proud of the lineup, saying that they don’t skimp on early music in the day. He knows fans are often drawn in by the headliners, like Tedeschi Trucks Band, Greensky Bluegrass, Larkin Poe, and Gregory Alan Isakov—but he also wants them to be blown away at 10 AM when they’re setting up their chairs. They’re also not afraid to step out of the bluegrass genre, and this year soprano Renée Fleming will be performing alongside banjo virtuoso Béla Fleck and My Bluegrass Heart.
After Telluride finishes up at the end of June, Tucker will turn his full attention to RockyGrass and Rocky Mountain Folks Festival, which take place at the Planet Bluegrass Ranch in Lyons, Colorado, July 24-26 and August 7-9, respectively.
These events have been part of Tucker’s life forever. He grew up in the RockyGrass family tent and worked on the crew before now running the events. He loves how family-friendly both of the events are, and he regularly talks to people who grew up going to them and now bring their families to enjoy the music, tube in the river, and picnic on the grass.
Both festivals are incredibly laid back by design. Unlike arena events, where getting to the door is stressful, and you can’t relax until you’re in your seat, the Planet Bluegrass Ranch is, in a word, whimsical. You get to wave to alpacas and horses after parking at the farm, and the walking path that crosses the rivers and brings you to the festival grounds is straight out of a fairytale. There, the security team keeps it fun and friendly while checking you in, truly welcoming you to the day or the weekend.
RockyGrass tends to sell out quickly, as people are committed to coming year after year. Tucker calls it the premier traditional bluegrass festival in the west, if not the country. This year, fans can look forward to I’m With Her, Sam Bush Bluegrass Band, and Punch Brothers headlining the main stage.
By contrast, Rocky Mountain Folks Festival is slightly calmer and quieter than the other two. I’ve gone the past few years and absolutely agree with Tucker—it’s an experience that’s hard to get anywhere else. I’ll be setting up early for Valerie June and Ani DiFranco, and fans can also look forward to seeing Jesse Welles and Gillian Welch & David Rawlings.
Sustainability is a core tenet of all three festivals and something that sets Planet Bluegrass apart as a fiercely and decidedly independent festival group. They see all three weekends as an opportunity to educate fans about Leave No Trace, especially if it’s their first time camping.
All three festivals have a campsite challenge where they’re ranked based on sustainable metrics like sorting waste, using solar power, picking up trash, etc. The winner gets free tickets for the next year, and people get way into it.
In Lyons, they don’t have trash cans, because they’re not supplying any trash. Everything they sell is compostable, recyclable, or reusable, such as the real plates they use and clean throughout the weekends.
Another benefit of their independence is that they can focus on the value of humans gathering for the shared experience of world-class music over anything else.
“In the world now, where everyone is on their phones, and we’re not sharing experiences enough, it’s too easy to not leave the house,” says Tucker. “Hope to see you as many times as possible this summer!”
To explore the full lineups and get tickets, head to Bluegrass.com.