Coming August 27th

A new annual concert comes to Southwest Michigan this fall. Join us at the Barry County Fairgrounds for a lineup not seen anywhere else, featuring…

• Joseph
• The Accidentals
• The Crane Wives
• Ruthie Foster
• Patty Pershayla
• Kyshona

Tickets: GA: $50 (Kids 4-14: $25; kids 0-3 free)

VIP: $125 includes: Festival shirt | Lanyard | 1 drink ticket | Free parking

Ultimate VIP: $250 includes all of the above, plus: Early access | Free VIP parking | VIP seating near stage | Performer meet-and-greet opportunities | Complimentary refreshments available | Swag Bag including VIP T-shirt | Lanyard w/commemorative ticket, and other exclusive merch

General Parking: $5

Location: Barry Expo Center - 1350 M-37 Hwy, Hastings, MI 49058

The 2023 lineup is:

2 p.m.: Doors open

3 p.m.: Kyshona will kick off the festival with her love of storytelling through her soulful, spiritual and guttural performance, blending roots, rock, R&B, and folk with lyrical prowess.

4 p.m.: Patty PerShayla and the Mayhaps will take the stage for their blues/rock performance that with a larger-than-life sound featuring soaring guitar solos and compelling vocal moments.

5 p.m.: Ruthie Foster is a three-time Grammy nominee American singer-songwriter who transforms sorrow into career-defining soul/blues/gospel/rock performances. She will be performing with a quartet at the Fair Ground Festival.

6 p.m.: The Crane Wives is a four-piece indie band founded in Grand Rapids in 2010. They refer to themselves as a "home grown indie-folk outfit that defies musical stereotypes."; They utilize three-part vocal harmonies and eclectic instrumentation.

7 p.m.: The Accidentals are a Michigan-based, female fronted, multi-instrumentalist power trio, that features an eclectic blend of indie folk, pop and rock. They have been long-time performers at Hastings Live in downtown Hastings.

8 p.m.: JOSEPH is an American folk band from Portland, Oregon made up of three sisters creating stunning harmonies and incredibly energetic music. JOSEPH has been on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, followed by appearances on Later... with Jools Holland, Ellen, CONAN, CBS This Morning, and NBC's TODAY. The band was named a Spotify Spotlight Artist and toured with James Bay.

The Fair Ground Festival started with the idea that music should create fair ground for all artists and performers. An idea that started as the brainchild of a couple people interested in seeing a large-scale festival in rural Barry County turned into a community effort to support women in the music industry and create connections to support artists’ careers; stimulate a local economy; and draw attention to beautiful Barry County.

Fair Ground Music Festival has three primary rules: 

1) Listen!

Listen to the music, and listen to the festival volunteers. Our volunteers are charged with making sure the festival rules smoothly. If one of them asks for your help or requests that you do something different than what you are doing, please listen to their directions! In the event of an emergency, please listen to and follow the directions of the Safety Chief Officer and any emergency professionals. Teamwork makes the dream work, ya’know.

2) Be safe! 

Festival goers are expected to exercise common sense. STAY HYDRATED! Utilize our water stations, seek out shade, bring a hat and sunscreen. If you find yourself feeling light-headed, sit down and ask a festival volunteer for assistance. 

3) Have fun!

Fair Ground Festival welcomes ALL people. Please treat everyone with respect, and if a situation arises with another attendee, please find a festival volunteer for assistance. Have as much fun as humanly possible, but do so without affecting the ability of other attendees to also have fun and enjoy the day. 

Secondary rules, guidelines, and advice for the safety and enjoyment of all guests AKA The Boring Stuff: 

4) Firearms, weapons, knives, swords, fireworks, and other explosive materials are strictly prohibited.

5) Alcohol and illicit substances may not be brought onto the premises. Our liquor license permits the sale of beer, wine and specialty drinks at concerts; it does not allow outside alcohol to be brought onto the property. All outside alcoholic beverages found on site will be confiscated.

6) Service animals are welcome. Pets are not permitted. Even if they are riding in your backpack, please leave your fluffy poodles, hairless cats, and pocket-sized hedgehogs at home. However, if you happen to own a trained octopus, you’re in luck! You may bring your eight-limbed friend to the event, but only if it can resist the temptation to squirt ink all over the place and can keep its tentacles in check. And please, BYOBOW (Bring Your Own Bucket Of Water) for your octopus, because we don’t want it to dry up and turn into calamari.

7) Chairs of all heights are welcome at Fair Ground Festival. Seating stage left is reserved for blankets and low chairs, while seating stage right is for chairs of all heights. Tents and umbrellas are also permitted, but will be limited to a designated area at the rear of the seating area. All chair/blanket/tent space is first come first serve.

8) Pick up after yourself. Use the trash and recycling receptacles. 

9) Smoking (anything) and vaping are allowed in designated areas only. You might like the smell of your cigarellos and homemade smokeables, but your neighbor might not. And make sure you take care of your butts/waste.

10) Feel free to bring a picnic basket with food from home to enjoy during the festival—anything from cheese and crackers to local takeout is allowed. NOTE: Glass containers and packaging are strictly prohibited inside the festival grounds. Picnic baskets, coolers, bags and purses are subject to security searches.

11) There is a $5 parking fee. You can pay online with your ticket purchase or pay cash at the gate. If you don’t like it, ride with a buddy.

12) No recordings of any kind are allowed. Take all the selfies you want, but the performances are only for the people who paid to be there. 

13) The festival is rain or shine, except in the instance of a severe weather WARNING (not a “watch”). This is Michigan, in August. Weather gets sketchy. Plan accordingly. 

We will have a variety of affordable and delicious food vendors, located inside the gate so there will be something to satisfy most any appetite during the festival!

Guests may bring beverages in factory-sealed, non-glass containers such as soda cans, plastic water bottles, juice boxes and other unopened beverage packaging.

Empty reusable water bottles may be filled at the water fill stations throughout the festival grounds. Beer, wine, specialty drinks and nonalcoholic beverages will be available for purchase. All guests planning to consume alcohol will have their ID checked at entry and will be required to wear a wristband for service and must purchase drink tickets. Beer and wine tickets will be sold at a designated location. Beer and wine servers will not accept payment, only tickets.