MerleFest Details Volunteer and Raffle Opportunities for April 25-28, 2024 Event

Tickets on Sale Now – Click Here

MerleFest, presented by Window World, will celebrate its 36th year in 2024. This spring, organizers intend to showcase MerleFest’s long history of fundraising for Wilkes Community College, in addition to 4 days of music, moments, and memories. As always, MerleFest will also celebrate the festival’s diverse, genre-crossing line-up of artists by presenting unique moments and collaborations where performing artists will take the opportunity to honor the festival’s founding legends, Doc and Merle Watson. For over three decades, MerleFest continues to draw fans from all over the world to the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains to this annual bucket list event.

Along with recognizing MerleFest’s 36-year commitment to honoring and preserving the musical legacies of Doc and Merle Watson, the festival will also celebrate its founding mission to raise funds for Wilkes Community College. MerleFest is Wilkes Community College’s primary fundraiser and to date has given back over 19 million dollars to the college and its students. Contributions from MerleFest directly support student scholarships, building improvements, emergency funds for students, and so much more. WCC’s student organizations, as well as other local civic organizations and clubs raise over $400,000 annually by selling food or volunteering their time at the festival. Since its inception in 1988, supporting these organizations has been an integral part of what makes MerleFest so vital to its community year after year. 

MerleFest is proud to once again welcome its 2024 Acoustic Kids Showcases with Andy May. Since 2001 the Acoustic Kids program has given young musicians of any skill level the opportunity to perform on festival stages in a supportive environment. Beginner through pro, all musicians 18 or younger are welcome to participate and share their music with the MerleFest audience. Each year, we host three 1.5-hour showcases and a half-hour Acoustic Kids Ambassadors set.

Pre-registration is required to participate in Acoustic Kids and is open from February 1 through March 20 (or until all showcases are full, whichever comes first). Register early to hold your spot! Online registration, showcase schedules, and FAQs are available at https://andymay.com/acoustic-kids-registration-merlefest/, and detailed registration instructions are at https://andymay.com/acoustic-kids/registration-instructions/.

School Day and Outreach – MerleFest School Day hosts students and their teachers from area middle and high schools on Friday to enjoy the festival free of charge. Over 2,300 school children from Wilkes and surrounding counties attend MerleFest annually through the MerleFest School Day program. In addition to welcoming students to MerleFest, the MerleFest Outreach program brings MerleFest to the students. The MerleFest Outreach program enhances regional education by showcasing performances from festival artists in 17 public elementary and middle schools, giving many students who may otherwise not be able to attend a face-to-face encounter with the artists and their craft. This program reaches 5,900 students annually.

MerleFest 2024 tickets are available now. For general admission passes, as well as patio seating, reserved seating, camping, parking, and more, please visit merlefest.org/purchase.

MerleFest volunteer applications are open. As a volunteer, participants will receive free entry to the festival for the entire day of their shift, free parking and shuttle, and 10% off camping at River’s Edge Campground. Most importantly, volunteers will be supporting a major fundraiser for Wilkes Community College. Please visit merlefest.org/volunteer to sign up before the April 13th deadline.

About MerleFest

MerleFest, presented by Window World, was founded in 1988 as a fundraiser for the Garden of the Senses at Wilkes Community College to memorialize world-renowned flatpicker Doc Watson’s late son, Eddy Merle Watson. MerleFest is a celebration of "traditional plus" music, a unique mix of traditional, roots-oriented sounds of the Appalachian region, including old-time, classic country, bluegrass, folk and gospel, and blues, and expanded to include Americana, classic rock, and many other styles. The festival hosts a diverse mix of artists on its 12 stages during the course of the multi-day event. MerleFest is the primary fundraiser for the WCC Foundation, funding scholarships, capital projects, and other educational needs.

About Window World® 

Window World®, headquartered in North Wilkesboro, N.C., is America’s largest replacement window and exterior remodeling company, with more than 220 locally owned franchises nationwide. Founded in 1995, the company sells and installs windows, siding, doors, and other exterior products, with over 22 million windows sold to date. Window World is an ENERGY STAR® partner and its windows, vinyl siding and Therma-Tru doors have all earned the Good Housekeeping Seal. Through its charitable foundation, Window World Cares®, Window World and its franchisees provide funding for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital®. Since its inception in 2008, the foundation has raised over $16 million for St. Jude. Window World also supports veterans through its Window World Military Initiative (WWMI). WWMI defines Window World’s commitment to honor and serve America’s veterans, active military, and military families across the entire franchise system by focusing on three pillars: Careers, Community Outreach and Partnerships. The Veterans Airlift Command has been a partner since 2008. During that time, Window World has contributed over $2.8 million in flights and donations to the organization. For more information, visit WindowWorld.com or call 1-800 NEXTWINDOW. For home improvement and energy efficiency tips, décor ideas, and more, follow Window World on Facebook and Twitter.  

Blessings,