PEI Bluegrass Festival

The most accomplished and awarded bluegrass musician ever to come out of the Maritimes, fiddle and mandolin player Ray Legere will be bringing his band, Acoustic Horizon, to the 39th Annual PEI Bluegrass & Old Time Music Festival being held at the Dundas Fairgrounds, Dundas, PEI, on July 3, 4 and 5. Ray has performed with Tony Rice, Alison Krauss, David Grisman, Rhonda Vincent, Alison Brown and Doc Watson. Acoustic Horizon features the “cream of the crop” of Maritime bluegrass musicians: Frank Doody on banjo, Alan Jeffries on guitar, and newest member Kaden Mattinson on bass.

Also on the Festival program are The Grass Messengers from New York, the Spinney Brothers from Nova Scotia, and High River from New Brunswick. PEI bands are the Janet McGarry Band, The Stiff Family, Bluestreak, Whitecap Drive, The Bad Hoss, SK Bluegrass, Heartfelt Bluegrass and Bluegrass Revival.

The Grass Messengers were the overwhelming audience favourite according to the 2025 Festival audience survey, so were invited back this year. The Grass Messengers are based in New York State and feature lead singer and guitarist Chris Luquette. A major highlight of the 2024 Festival was the lively late-night jams led by The Grass Messengers. Expect more of the same this year.

From the Annapolis Valley of Nova Scotia, brothers Allan and Rick Spinney formed their first band in 1992 to play the traditional bluegrass music they love and showcase their tight, brother-duet vocal style.

Making their PEI Bluegrass Festival debut are High River from Eastern New Brunswick. The band members are Jason Guimond on banjo and vocals, Thomas Leblanc on guitar and vocals, Marcel Allain on bass and vocals, Marc Landry on dobro and vocals, and Lawrence Martin on mandolin and vocals.

Janet McGarry will take the stage with her husband, the multi-instrumentalist Serge Bernard, along with bandmates Trevor Boutilier and Karen DaCoste, award-winning musicians from the Nova Scotia group Bluegrass Tradition.

The three-day festival includes stage shows on Friday afternoon, Friday evening, Saturday afternoon, Saturday evening, and Sunday along with Open Mic stages on Wednesday and Thursday for early arrivers. The Festival also offers camping facilities, workshops, a children’s program, food services, and late-night jamming sessions.

Registration is available at peibluegrass.ca. Tickets and festival details are available at peibluegrass.ca/tickets or by calling 902-218-8916.