Pilgrimage Music & Culture Festival Sells Out For Second Time In Event History

Pilgrimage Music & Cultural Festival packed The Park at Harlinsdale Farm in Franklin, Tennessee celebrating its ninth year with a sold-out event this past weekend (Sept. 23-24). Across three stages, two days and thousands of fans, the music and arts festival put on a knock-out show with performances from Zach Bryan, Ashley McBryde, The Black Crowes and so many more.

During the festival, fans filled the farm from stage to stage, selling out the event for the second time in Pilgrimage Festival history.

“We were absolutely blown away by the performances we witnessed this weekend and are grateful to all the artists for making this a really special year. We want to thank the fans for being here and for their enthusiasm and passion for this festival. They show up ready to have a great time and their energy is one of the reasons we can attract such top tier talent,” shared festival producers Michael Whelan, Better Than Ezra’s frontman Kevin Griffin and W. Brandt Wood.

Highlights from Saturday (Sept. 23) included comedian and podcaster Theo Von joining Better Than Ezra on stage to gift the iconic Pilgrimage Festival Gibson Guitar to a lucky fan in the crowd, which has become a festival tradition, as well as a hometown performance from rising Nashville artist Hailey Whitters and a memorable moment from headliner The Lumineers, who rocked-out from their very own satellite stage. The Black Crowes, Yola and The Head And The Heart closed out the first night.

Additionally, Franklin Fun Farm captivated guests with high-flying aerialist acts on the first day.

On Sunday ( Sept. 24), the Midnight Sun stage was filled with fans by 3 p.m. Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats kicked things off in the afternoon. The fun continued when Griffin joined Tigirlily Gold for a fun performance of their top-40 hit song “Shoot Tequila” that he co-wrote with the duo.

More major moments included Dierks Bentley’s pop-up at Charlie Worsham’s set for “Things I Can’t Control.” Nashville-based producer/songwriter of The Cadillac Three, Jaren Johnson and country artist Ian Munsick also made appearances in Worsham’s set.

Sunday night headliner Zach Bryan continued the party with stellar guests, starting off with an appearance from The War And Treaty, who also graced the Midnight Sun stage earlier in the day, to perform their collaboration “Hey Driver.” Noah Kahan hit the stage with Bryan to perform their song “Sarah’s Place” from Bryan’s surprise EP Boys Of Faith.

The Lumineers and Bryan both returned for an encore Sunday night for their never-performed recent duet “Spotless.” Bryan even stopped the show to bring a fan on stage to sing and play guitar during his popular hit “Heading South.”

Pilgrimage Music & Cultural Festival has established itself as a leader in the music and arts festival business. Beyond the music, the festival creates a space for community to join together and celebrate. Football fanatics were able to watch their teams live on LED screens at The Beer Hall, and Makers Village provided attendees with a place to peruse and shop.