This week the column visits two music festivals that take somewhat different approaches to roots music. One, in only its second year, Raleigh Wide Open Music Festival, October 1-3, 2026, in Raleigh, North Carolina and the other, the King Biscuit Blues Festival, which celebrated its 40th year, October 8-10, 2026, in Helena, Arkansas.
Raleigh Wide Open came to life in 2013 when the city of Raleigh began hosting the International Bluegrass Music Association's (IBMA) annual World of Bluegrass. When IBMA moved the festival to Chattanooga in 2024, the Raleigh nonprofit PineCone, which had produced the festival portion of the IBMA event, decided to establish the Raleigh Wide Open Music Festival in 2025 as its own stand alone event.
Raleigh Wide Open began its three days of free music on Thursday October 1, but related activities began earlier that week. On Monday, September 28, it held the PineCone Open Bluegrass Jam at a local brewery. Tuesday evening saw the Icelandic band Brek play the Beer & Banjos night at a pizzeria. Wednesday offered up North Carolina bluegrass band Redbud at the Raleigh Denim Party, held at the Raleigh denim manufacturer of the same name that also served as the storefront for the fest’s official merch.
What followed was more music, 42 performers in total all around town. They included such stalwarts as Jim Lauderdale, and Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer, to legends Alice Gerrard, The Fairfield Four, and Tony Trischka, and exciting newcomers such as Big Richard, Tray Wellington, and The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys.
Willa Stein was there, her photos are in the gallery below.
A bit further west, on the west bank of the Mississippi River between Clarksdale, Mississippi, and Memphis, Tennessee, sits Helena, Arkansas, home to the King Biscuit Blues Festival which celebrated its 40th year, October 8-10, 2026.
Helena is also home to the radio station KFFA, which in 1941 began airing the live blues show King Biscuit Time. Named after a local flour brand the show aired daily during the midday meal break of the area’s field hands, two of whom went on to become legends, McKinley Morganfield (Muddy Waters) and B.B. King. At the time it was the only radio station in the area that offered an African-American music program. It has been aired continuously for 85 years.
Larry John Fowler was there, he shares his thoughts and photos below.
