Farm Aid announced today that its annual food and music festival will take place on Saturday, Sept. 17, at Jiffy Lube Live in Bristow, Va., with tickets on sale to the public on Monday, June 27.
“Folks are educating themselves about where and how food is grown — they’re hungry for the truth,” said Farm Aid President and Founder Willie Nelson. “Family farmers bring us good food, protect our soil and water, and strengthen our country. The Farm Aid concert is a day for us to honor that truth and keep working for family farmers.”
Farm Aid 2016, an all-day music and food festival, will feature performances by Farm Aid board members Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp, Neil Young and Dave Matthews — with Tim Reynolds — as well as Alabama Shakes, Sturgill Simpson, Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats, Jamey Johnson, Margo Price, Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real, Carlene Carter and Insects vs Robots.
Farm Aid 2016 festivalgoers will also be able to experience family farm agriculture firsthand and will enjoy family farm-identified, local and organic foods at Farm Aid’s HOMEGROWN Concessions. In Farm Aid’s HOMEGROWN Village, festivalgoers will experience the culture of agriculture with hands-on activities about soil, water, food and farming. Farm Aid 2016 will feature composting, including compostable serviceware, throughout the venue, with a goal of zero waste.
“Music and food have an incredible power to bring people together,” said Farm Aid executive director Carolyn Mugar. “Farm Aid is a day that illustrates the diversity and strength of the Good Food Movement. At Farm Aid 2016, we’ll join forces and raise our voices for a farm and food system that is good for people and communities, not just for the profits of a few.”
Farm Aid also today launched the #Road2FarmAid, a virtual campaign inviting people to share the actions that ordinary people are taking to make extraordinary system changes starting in their own communities. People can participate at road2.farmaid.org and enter to win Farm Aid 2016 tickets.
Tickets for Farm Aid 2016 will go on sale Monday, June 27, at 10 a.m. EDT. Ticket prices range from $49.50 to $189.50 and will be available for purchase at LiveNation.com, the venue box office and by phone at (800) 745-3000. A limited number of pre-sale tickets will be sold beginning at 12 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, June 22, at www.farmaid.org.
Starting Monday, June 27, Farm Aid will offer once-in-a-lifetime experiences, from meeting artists backstage for a “HOMEGROWN Eat & Greet” to joining Farm Aid board artists for a kickoff press event, at www.IfOnly.com.
For event updates, follow Farm Aid on Twitter (@farmaid) and on Facebook (www.facebook.com/farmaid), and visit farmaid.org/concert.
Sponsors of Farm Aid 2016 include Bonterra Organic Vineyards, Horizon Organic, Greener Fields Together, HimalaSalt, Lagunitas Brewing Co., and Organic Valley. Media partners include The Washington Post, which is hosting The FarmYard Stage, iHeartMedia, and On Tap Magazine. Farm Aid welcomes the participation of the DMV business community and offers corporate sponsorship and VIP hospitality opportunities. For more information, contact Glenda Yoder at glenda@farmaid.org.
Farm Aid’s mission is to build a vibrant, family farm-centered system of agriculture in America. Farm Aid artists and board members Willie Nelson, Neil Young, John Mellencamp and Dave Matthews host an annual concert to raise funds to support Farm Aid’s work with family farmers and to inspire people to choose family farm food. Since 1985, Farm Aid, with the support of the artists who contribute their performances each year, has raised more than $50 million to support programs that help farmers thrive, expand the reach of the Good Food Movement, take action to change the dominant system of industrial agriculture and promote food from family farms.
