The Story of Mountain Music Festival
Mountain Music Festival began in 2014 with a simple but ambitious idea: bring great live music to the mountaintop at ACE Adventure Resort and pair it with the outdoor spirit of the New River Gorge. That first year, around 500 people made the journey up the mountain for a weekend of camping, music, and community. What started as a small, grassroots gathering quickly proved that something special was happening in southern West Virginia.
In the years since, Mountain Music Festival has steadily grown—both in size and in vision. Today, 2,000–3,000 people come together each year for the first weekend of June, transforming the mountaintop into a vibrant village of music lovers, campers, artists, and adventurers. The festival has grown alongside the region itself, especially as the New River Gorge earned its designation as a National Park, drawing more visitors and shining a national spotlight on this incredible landscape.
From the beginning, Mountain Music Festival was about more than just concerts. It was designed to reflect the culture of the Gorge—where outdoor adventure and creative expression go hand in hand. Festivalgoers don’t just come for the music; they come to raft the New River, zip-line through the trees, hike the trails, and soak in the scenery by day before dancing under the stars at night. That blend of adventure and live music has become the heart of the festival experience.
As attendance grew, so did the level of entertainment and production. Mountain Music Festival set out to bring a higher caliber of artists and stage production to southern West Virginia, while still keeping the intimate, welcoming feel that defined its early years. Over time, the festival has hosted an impressive list of headliners and fan favorites, including Les Claypool, Umphrey’s McGee, The Revivalists, Tyler Childers, and many more—artists who helped put the festival on the map and elevated its reputation across the region and beyond.
Just as important as the music has been the community that formed around it. Mountain Music Festival has cultivated a thriving ecosystem of visual artists, live painters, flow artists, and fire performers, turning the grounds into an immersive, creative playground. What began as a music festival evolved into a celebration of art, movement, and self-expression, powered by a loyal community of outdoor camping and music lovers who return year after year.
Now, 2026 marks the 12th year on the mountaintop, a milestone that reflects how far the festival has come while staying true to its roots. Mountain Music Festival continues to celebrate the spirit of the Gorge—its people, its creativity, and its wild sense of fun.
The next chapter unfolds June 4th–6th, 2026, with a stacked lineup featuring Andy Frasco & The U.N., Melvin Seals & JGB, Here Come The Mummies, Tropidelic, Big Something, and more. Whether you’ve been coming since the early days or you’re ready to experience it for the first time, Mountain Music Festival invites you to join the party and be part of a mountaintop tradition that keeps growing stronger every year.
