Annual Spring Planting & Music Festival

 

Mule team working.

Live Music, Demos, and More

April 25, 2026 | 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM (ET)
Bandy Creek Visitor Center Area

Step back in time at the 26th Annual Spring Planting and Music Festival as crafters demonstrate traditional skills you don’t see every day, like blacksmithing, basket-making, hand-spinning, weaving, woodcarving, and even herbal garden traditions and paling fence-building.

You’ll also find plenty to do throughout the day, including:

• Children’s activities
• Interpretive talks
• Bird watching
• Vendors demonstrating and selling handmade goods
• Food for purchase

Explore displays that bring the past to life, including women’s daily life, antique farm tools, farm animals, and old-time toys, fun for kids and nostalgic for adults.

Local musicians perform traditional mountain music throughout the area by various groups such as the Knoxville Area Dulcimer Club.

Don’t miss a visitor favorite: plowing and planting using mules and horses at the Lora Blevins Farmstead. Additional demonstrations will take place at the Oscar Blevins Farmstead.

 

2026 music lineup.

Music

The event will feature a diverse lineup rooted in regional tradition, including the uplifting gospel sounds of Crossroads, bluegrass and country from the Dry Creek Ramblers, and the Americana blend of Crazy Chester. Gerald Hanright brings a dynamic mix of blues, jazz, and classic rock, while the Knoxville Area Dulcimer Club showcases traditional string music. Appalachian music will also be represented by Jordan Hughett, adding to a rich and memorable experience.

Bandy Creek Main Tent	Time (Eastern Time)
Knoxville Area Dulcimer Club	10:00 am to 10:45 am
Crazy Chester	12:00 pm to 12:45 pm
Dry Creek Ramblers	1:00 pm to 1:45 pm
Gerald Hanright	2:00 pm to 2:45 pm
Crossroads	3:00 pm to 3:45 pm

 

Location

Main Event Site:

Bandy Creek Visitor Center: 151 Stable Road, Oneida, TN 37841

Additional Festival Sites:

• Lora Blevins Farmstead – 1 mile from Bandy Creek Visitor Center
• Oscar Blevins Farmstead – 1.8 miles from Bandy Creek Visitor Center

Getting Between Locations: Multiple shuttles will be circulating and available to ride to and from farmstead sites.

 

Event Schedule by Location

The main event will take place at Bandy Creek, with additional activities located at the Lora Blevins Farmstead and the Oscar Blevins Farmstead. These secondary locations will feature live demonstrations.

Bandy Creek Area

Lora Blevins Farmstead

Oscar Blevins Farmstead

 

Live demonstration of traditional crafts.

NPS Photo

Guests at the old-fashioned toy tent exhibit.

NPS Photo

Live music playing at the Spring Planting and Music Festival.

NPS Photo

 

Roots of Spring Planting

Spring, a time for new beginnings and growth. For many mountain families it was also a time to begin their planting of crops, vegetable gardens and livestock production. It was this production that sustained the family through the rest of the year.

The early families who settled the Big South Fork area depended on their ability to successfully raise animals, crops, and gardens to feed themselves. Most of the farming that occurred here was truly subsistence farming. The family often consumed the entire production of the garden. There was continued use of wild plant and animal foods, but the “kitchen garden” was vital to a sustainable food supply. This tradition continues with many families even today. It is not uncommon for local residents to have large gardens that provide a substantial amount of food.

Along with planning for their gardens and crops, families had a number of annual spring “chores” that were performed -- spring cleaning and airing out of the house and bed linens, repairing paling fences, livestock care and animal husbandry, and mending and making clothing for the spring and summer seasons. Various crafts and forgotten arts of today were skills of yesterday -- skills needed for survival in the area we now call the Big South Fork, Cumberland Mountains, or Appalachia.

 

Know Before You Go

Frequently asked questions.

What about parking and getting around?

How much does it cost to attend?

What can I bring to increase comfort?

Where can I get more information?

 

Vendor Rules and Permits

Want to sell or provide services to visitors here? Find out what’s allowed and how to apply.

Get Started As A Vendor

 

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Please note that the live demonstrations, vendor participation, and music lineup are subject to change due to unforeseen circumstances, including weather and vendor availability.