Ocean State Bluegrass Festival slated for August 15-17, 2025

Bluegrass fans and pickers: mark your calendar for the Ocean State Bluegrass Festival to be held Friday, August 15th through Sunday, August 17th  at Frerichs Farm, 65 Kinnicutt Ave., Warren, RI. The event is sponsored by the Rhode Island Bluegrass Alliance (RIBA) with generous support from The Carter Fund at the Rhode Island Foundation.

The event includes jamming for bluegrass musicians throughout the weekend, an open mic on Friday night, workshops and a show featuring four bluegrass bands on Saturday, a Band Scramble on Sunday, and jamming, camping, and food throughout the weekend.

The following bands will perform on Saturday night: Eugene Tyler Band, J.M. Clifford Band, Four Bridges, and Rusty Rails.

On Sunday there will be a Band Scramble, a tradition at bluegrass festivals. In a Band Scramble, anyone who plays an instrument (at any level) is invited to participate. Participants put their names in a bucket for the instrument they wish to play. Names are drawn to make up bands that may include a bass, a banjo, a mandolin, a fiddle, a guitar, a dobro and singers. These impromptu bands will come up with a few songs that they will perform on stage.

TICKETS

Tickets may be purchased here on the RIBA website or at the gate.

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Festival + Camping ticket ($40) - includes one camping space for the duration of the event (Friday evening through Sunday afternoon) and all activities, workshops and show admission for one person, and parking for one vehicle (one RV or one car, if camper or tent camping) at the camp site. Additional people staying at the same camp site must purchase a Festival ticket and additional vehicles are $5 and must park in the parking field. Dry camping only (no water or electrical hookups available).

Festival ticket ($30) - includes all activities, workshops and show admission for one person. Does not include camping or parking. Admission is free for children 14 years old and younger.

Parking is $5 per vehicle, per day (collected on-site). Note: If you are camping, parking for one RV or one car is included in your Festival + Camping ticket.

Tickets can be purchased online by credit card or PayPal. Tickets may also be purchased at the gate by cash, check, credit card or PayPal.

SCHEDULE

Friday - Gates open at 4:00 pm. Activities include jamming, an open mic, and camping. Food will be available.

Saturday - Gates open at 10:00 am. Workshops start at 11:00 noon. Jamming all day. The bluegrass show, which starts at 6:00 pm, will feature four bands: Rusty Rails, Four Bridges, J.M. Clifford Band, and Eugene Tyler Band. Food will be available in the afternoon and evening.

Workshops:

11:00 am - Banjo - Rich Guilbault

11:45 am - Mandolin - Billy Thibodeau

12:30 pm - Vocal - Jeff Horton

1:15 pm - RI Bluegrass History - Debbie Hall

2:15 pm - Guitar - Billy Thibodeau

3:00 pm - Fiddle - Sarah Choiniere

Sunday - Activities start at 11:00 am and will include an instructional jam, Band Scramble, jamming, raffles. Food will be available in the afternoon.

SATURDAY'S BAND LINE-UP

6:00 pm - Rusty Rails - Rusty Rails Bluegrass Band is a group of five experienced musicians playing traditional and modern bluegrass music.

7:00 pm - Four Bridges - A New England-based bluegrass band, Four Bridges has performed together since 2013. From fast-paced, hard-hitting bluegrass to sultry and down-home country music, Four Bridges Bluegrass Band encompasses a wide range of traditional sounds that burn with their own vibe.

8:00 pm - J.M. Clifford Band - J.M. Clifford is a singer-songwriter and music educator from Brooklyn, NY.  His music draws on Bluegrass, Folk and Americana.  Clifford’s debut record, “On a Saturday Night,” was featured in The Bluegrass Situation and received rave reviews from Bluegrass Today and Holler Country.  

9:00 pm - Eugene Tyler Band -  Indie-bluegrass trio Eugene Tyler Band is a road band, cutting their teeth on the bluegrass festival circuit and clubs across the northeast. But their newest record, Low It Goes, captures the free-wheeling intensity of those live shows and showcases the cathartic, irreverent songwriting that has won them fans all over the country.

WHAT TO KNOW

• Bring a lawn chair for the show. If you will be jamming, bring a picking chair and your instrument(s). We also recommend bringing bug spray, sunscreen, rain gear, and a flashlight.

• If you are camping, it is dry camping only (no water or electric).

• Food and soft drinks will be available Friday evening, Saturday afternoon and evening, and Sunday afternoon. You are welcome to bring your own food.

• Dogs on a leash are welcome.

• Open fires are not permitted.

• The festival will be held rain or shine. There will be large tents for the show, workshops, and food area.

CONTACT US

If you have any questions, please email ribluegrass@gmail.com.

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Established in 2013, the Rhode Island Bluegrass Alliance's mission is to promote the appreciation of bluegrass music and serve as a resource to educate and coordinate fans, students, teachers, musicians and venues in Rhode Island and the surrounding area. The organization holds events including the annual Pick-nic and RIBA Hall of Fame, as well as educational programs such as a monthly slow jam and the Learner Loaner program, which lends instruments to people interested in learning guitar, banjo, mandolin, fiddle, dobro or bass.

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