49 Winchester

NEW MARTINSVILLE — It’s once again time to come back home to West Virginia this weekend for the annual Back Home Festival in New Martinsville.

Voted last year as the Best Festival in West Virginia by WV Living Magazine, the Back Home Festival returns in full force this year with a full slate of musical acts today through Sunday, June 23-25.

The pandemic resulted in the cancelation of the festival in 2020 – much like all other live music events and public gatherings that summer. Otherwise, the popular event has continued to grow each year since it began in 2017. Some of the biggest up-and-coming artists and veteran musical acts have help propel the Back Home Festival into a true favorite among music lovers each year.

Rumpke Mountain Boys

This year is no exception with a solid lineup of returning groups and newcomers alike. There will be performances on the main stage area south of the West Virginia Northern Community College building and north of the creek. There will also be select performances in the Lincoln Theater, with no overlapping sets.

Three full days of music kick off at 6 p.m. today, Friday, June 23, with Sarah Hulse, followed by the Sam Grisman Project at 7:30 p.m. and 49 Winchester at 9 p.m. A late night show at the Lincoln Theater features the Rumpke Mountain Boys with special guest C.J. Oswald at 11 p.m..

On Saturday, Chloe & the Steel Strings kick things off at 1:30 p.m. in the main stage area, followed by “The Last Waltz” tribute at 3 p.m., Rumpke Mountain Boys at 4:30 p.m., Dogs in a Pile at 6 p.m., Pink Talking Fish (performing selections by Pink Floyd, the Talking Heads and Phish) at 7:30 p.m., and Melvin Seals & JGB at 9 p.m. A late night show at the Lincoln Theater beginning at 11 p.m. will feature KR-3 with special guests, Bucket of Puppies.

Melvin Seals & JGB

Last year, the festival’s concert lineup was trimmed from the traditional three days to just two because of budget restraints in the wake of the pandemic’s economic impacts. This year, the fest is back to three full days of fun. Music returns on Sunday with early performances at the Lincoln Theater at 10 a.m. with Ananga Martin and at noon with The Pussyfooters. In the main stage area, the Greenhouse Band gets things going at 3:30 p.m., with Time Sawyer at 5 p.m., Johnny Staats & The Delivery Boys at 6:30 p.m. and ekoostik hookah at 8 p.m., followed by fireworks at dusk to cap things off right.

ekoostik hookah

There will be workshops available throughout the weekend, an array of food and merchandise vendors and camping at both the New Martinsville Marina and the Wetzel County 4H Campgrounds. Shuttles and Fest-Taxi transportation for guests will be available throughout the weekend.

This year, there is a minimal fee for tickets to the festival. For information, visit www.backhomefestival.com or check out the official pages on social media.

The Back Home Music Festival is presented by the Wetzel County Convention & Visitors Bureau.

KR-3