Farm Aid has announced that its annual food and music festival will take place on Saturday, Sept. 16, at KeyBank Pavilion in Burgettstown, Pa., with tickets on sale to the public on Friday, June 23.
“Family farm agriculture is the heart of Pennsylvania,” Farm Aid President and Founder Willie Nelson said. “What’s happening in western Pennsylvania and the region shows us that we can count on family farmers to strengthen our communities and connect people. Whether we live in rural or urban places, food — and music — brings us all together.”
Agriculture is Pennsylvania’s leading economic enterprise, and production agriculture and agribusiness contributes nearly $75 billion total to Pennsylvania’s economy each year. Home to 58,200 farms, Pennsylvania is ranked 22nd nationally in farm sales. The state is also the birthplace of organic agriculture in the United States and a trailblazer in developing sustainable agriculture practices.
Farm Aid 2017 will mark the third time the festival has taken place in Pennsylvania, with shows in Burgettstown in 2002 and Hershey in 2012.
Farm Aid 2017, 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 Jack Johnson, The Avett Brothers, Sheryl Crow, Jamey Johnson, Blackberry Smoke, Valerie June, Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real and Insects vs Robots. Additional artists will be announced later this summer.
Festivalgoers will experience family farm agriculture firsthand, along with family farm-identified, local and organic foods at Farm Aid’s HOMEGROWN Concessions. Farm Aid’s HOMEGROWN Village will feature hands-on activities about soil, water, energy, food and farming. Festivalgoers can also hear farmers and artists discuss pressing issues on the FarmYard Stage, attend demonstrations to learn agrarian skills and celebrate the culture of agriculture in the HOMEGROWN Skills tent and connect with organizations doing critical food and farm work all over the country. Farm Aid 2017’s concert greening efforts will include recycling and composting, including compostable serviceware and packaging throughout the venue, with a goal of zero waste.
Tickets for Farm Aid 2017 will go on sale Friday, June 23, at 10 a.m. EDT. Ticket prices range from $49.50 to $199.50 and will be available for purchase at LiveNation.com, all Ticketmaster locations 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 14, at farmaid.org/concert.
Farm Aid is teaming up with IfOnly to offer a collection of experiences that give fans once-in-a-lifetime memories at Farm Aid 2017, from behind-the-scenes tours to signed memorabilia from this year’s headliners. People can purchase and bid on these special offerings starting June 14 at www.ifonly.com/FarmAid.
For event updates, follow Farm Aid on Twitter (@FarmAid), Facebook (facebook.com/farmaid) and Instagram (instagram.com/farmaid), and visit farmaid.org/concert. Festivalgoers are encouraged to use the hashtags #FarmAid2017 and #Road2FarmAid to join the conversation on social media around this year’s show.
Bonterra Organic Vineyards is a current sponsor of Farm Aid 2017. Farm Aid welcomes the participation of the 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 festival to raise funds to support Farm Aid’s work with family farmers and to inspire people to choose family farm food. For more than 30 years, 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.
