Chattanooga has its share of big music festivals (Moon River + Riverbend, for example), but the best things really do come in small packages.

The 12th annual 3 Sisters Bluegrass Festival returns to Ross’s Landing Friday + Saturday featuring both contemporary and traditional bluegrass from virtuosic, renowned artists. 🎻

It’s a no-frills, no-fuss festival. Locals can bring chairs + blankets, purchase food + beer from local vendors and enjoy some fine pickin’ under a canopy of stars on the banks of the Tennessee River. Yes, please.

Highlights include Steve Martin Award winner Noam Pikelny, the blistering fretwork of The Infamous Stringdusters + the sweet harmonies of Della Mae. The Crowe Brothers, Circus No. 9 and, of course, The New Dismembered Tennesseans will perform.

...and the best thing about it: It’s completely free.

The Infamous Stringdusters (Photo: Contributed)

The two-day festival is presented as a gift to the city from Fletcher Bright Co.

This year’s event will also serve as a remembrance of Fletcher Bright who died on Christmas Day last year at 86. Bright was a businessman, a philanthropist and an accomplished bluegrass fiddler with his band of 72 years, The Dismembered Tennesseans.

Bright’s son, George Bright, founded the 3 Sisters Festival in 2007. He named the event after his three sisters, Elizabeth, Ann, and Lucy. Attendance is regularly over 5,000 for the weekend each year.

Are you going to the festival? Any fun stories or memories from the past 12 years? Let us know.

Festival schedule

Friday, Oct. 5

The New Dismembered Tennesseans, 6 p.m.
Michael Cleveland and Flamekeeper, 6:50 p.m.
Della Mae, 8:10 p.m.
The Infamous Stringdusters, 9:30 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 6

Mountain Cove Band, 12 p.m.
Circus No. 9, 1 p.m.
Berklee College of Music Fiddlers, 2:10 p.m.
Bill Evan and Dan Crary, 3:15 p.m.
The Crowe Brothers, 4:20 p.m.
Mipso, 5:30 p.m.
3 Sisters Picking Party, 7 p.m.
Noam Pikelny, Stuart Duncan and Friends, 8:30 p.m.

Headliner previews

Infamous Stringdusters
The Infamous Stringdusters will headline the Friday performances. No strangers to Chattanooga, the Stringdusters have “consistently covered new ground, inspired fans, and redefined what a bluegrass band can be” in a world full of traditionalism. “Within thirteen years since their 2005 formation, the band has consistently forged ahead, relentlessly exploring the musical possibilities of a “bluegrass ensemble” and breaking down boundaries in the process.” Watch “Gravity” below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=crbSxj60kTI

Mipso
Chapel Hill natives Mipso have just released their new album “Edges Run.” Fans can expect to hear performances of new songs and old favorites during their set. The quartet is “influenced by the contradiction of its progressive home and the surrounding rural southern landscapes.” Their music has been called “hewing surprisingly close to gospel and folk while still sounding modern and secular.” Watch the video for “Moonlight” below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gdEgp_V9zw

Noam Pikelny & Stuart Duncan
Stuart Duncan, one of the most sought-after fiddle players alive, is a Grammy Award-winning fiddler and member of the legendary Nashville Bluegrass Band. He has performed with George Strait, Dolly Parton, Reba McEntire and Barbra Streisand, just to name a few. What Duncan is to the fiddle, Noam Pikelny is to the banjo. A founding member of The Punch Brothers (with Chris Thile), he is also a recipient of Steve Martin’s Prize for Excellence in Bluegrass Music Award. The duo has performed together at the Barking Legs Theater. Watch a virtuosic performance of “Wheel Hoss” below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zydvVUiqIHM