Appalachian String Band Music Festival
- Dates
- Aug 4 to 8, 2027
- Status
- Confirmed
- Venue
- Camp Washington-Carver
- Price
- Not announced
- Camping
- Available
- Last checked
- Nov 2, 2026
Appalachian String Band Music Festival returns to Camp Washington-Carver, Clifftop, WV, Aug 4 to 8, 2027. Froligo tracks ticket prices, camping, attendee feedback and travel details.
The experience
What's special
Appalachian String Band Music Festival, known to regulars simply as "Clifftop", is a five-day, musician-led gathering at the state-run Camp Washington-Carver in the New River Gorge highlands. Unlike a stage-centered festival, its center of gravity is the campground itself: several thousand fiddlers, banjo and guitar players fill the mountainside with continuous old-time jam sessions between a fiddle contest, a neo-traditional and traditional band contest, workshops, and nightly square dances. Camping is bundled into festival admission and pre-festival camping days draw early arrivals before the official program starts.
How it works
The festival runs Wednesday, August 4, to Sunday, August 8, 2027, with checkout by 1 pm on Sunday. Pre-event camping opens Friday, July 30, but no events are scheduled before Wednesday. In 2026 each day centered on one contest category, from banjo on Wednesday to traditional bands and flatfoot dance on Saturday, with Sunday left for packing up; the 2027 schedule is still to come. A festival pass includes rough camping, and day visitors can buy daily admission without camping.
Who it suits
It suits old-time musicians and listeners who want a week of campsite jams, contests and square dances more than a ticketed stage lineup, and families, with youth categories in the contests and children's activities in Chestnut Lodge. It is rough camping with no electric hookups, no alcohol and no wheeled vehicles on the mountain, so it is a poor fit for anyone who wants comforts or a drink at camp.
Last time around (2025)
The 2025 edition ran July 30-August 3 at Camp Washington-Carver, following the festival's usual pattern of a fiddle contest, neo-traditional and traditional band contests, square dances, and round-the-clock campsite jamming for a crowd attendees put at the usual few-thousand-strong scale. Community accounts describe a full campground with camp-organized feasts as a highlight, alongside the site's long-running water-supply strain, which staff manage by rationing shower hours during the busiest days.
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Listen
No official playlist linked yet. Find Appalachian String Band Music Festival on Spotify.
Lineup
Getting there
How do I get to Appalachian String Band Music Festival?
Camp Washington-Carver sits on Route 41 just off US 60, the Midland Trail, beside Babcock State Park in Fayette County, and most visitors arrive by car loaded with camping gear. From Interstate 79, take the US 19 south exit and follow US 60 east to Route 41; from Interstate 64, take exit 96 onto US 60 east. The options below cover the airports and ground routes.
Nearest airport BKW.
By car
The nearest major airport is BKW, and from there it is a straightforward drive to the venue. Check current road and traffic conditions before you set off, and see parking below.
By train
No direct passenger rail to the venue was found. Drive, fly in, or use a shuttle instead.
By bus & public transit
No scheduled intercity bus or public transit route to the venue was found. Drive, fly in, or use a shuttle instead.
Taxi & rideshare
Taxis and rideshare such as Uber and Lyft can be limited near the venue, especially late at night or in rural areas. Agree a pickup point and time in advance and keep a backup plan.
🅿 Parking
On site parking available. Cost This is a drive-in-and-camp festival, not a separate day-parking-lot event: the official page's procedural guidance covers vehicle line-up during pre-camping (arrivals restricted before 9am on the Thursday before pre-camp opens, and vehicles queuing for lineup must park 'within 6 feet of the vehicle in front' to maximize queue capacity) rather than a distinct paid parking product. The camping fee is the effective vehicle-access cost.
🚙 Car hire
Compare car hire at BKW
On site parking is available; if you are hiring a car it is worth checking the cost and how early it fills.
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Where
Venue
The venue has its own page with capacity, accessibility and parking.
Camping & Accommodation
Where do most people stay?
Nearly everyone camps. Rough camping comes with the festival pass, first come, first served, in the woods around the camp with no electric hookups, and camps range from small tents to canopy compounds with their own kitchens, where jams run into the early hours. Early camping opens the Friday before the festival. Visitors who skip camping use motels, inns and bed and breakfasts in the towns along US 60 and around Summersville and Fayetteville. The options below show where to stay.
Is there camping at Appalachian String Band Music Festival?
Yes, on site camping is available.
Facilities
Camping site types 3
No reservation system: first-come, first-served, cars/tents/trailers/tarps fit in wherever space allows.
A third-party camping-directory listing for the property records pull-thru sites, sewer hookups, dump station, laundry, phone hookups, and a maximum RV length of 55ft across roughly 1,000 total camping sites.
Attendee accounts describe 'almost no level ground,' hot/soggy/muddy conditions in wet years, and squeezed-in first-come-first-served tent/tarp camping across the mountaintop grounds, no 4WD-only access requirement noted, ordinary vehicles reach the primitive camping areas, but the terrain itself is rougher than a mown-field festival.
Where can I stay near Appalachian String Band Music Festival?
Search all hotels near Camp Washington-Carver
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What to bring
Five days of rough camping on a wooded mountaintop in West Virginia, where most of the music happens at the campsites, so the kit is about the camp more than the stage.
Full rule
Generators may be used only in the lower parking lot, and RV generators may not run in the upper lot next to the stage. Campers who need power for essential equipment use portable solar panels at their site.
Full rule
Electric scooters are allowed only for people with limited mobility or a disability, one rider each, at no more than 5 mph and only during festival hours. Permission must be obtained from the camp management before arrival, with a disabled parking placard or a physician's letter.
Accessibility & comfort
The organizer does not publish accessibility details. Ask them directly before you travel about step-free access, accessible toilets, seating and anything else you need.
Pricing
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Quick answers
When is Appalachian String Band Music Festival 2027?
Aug 4 to 8, 2027
How much are Appalachian String Band Music Festival tickets?
2027 prices are not announced. Last time, in 2026: Day Pass $15/person (no camping); Festival Wed-Sun $50/person (incl. camping + admission).
Where is Appalachian String Band Music Festival held?
Camp Washington-Carver, Clifftop, WV.