Dance Into the Magic: The Great Blue Heron Music Festival 2024
By: Aryonna Richard
Dancing Into Their Fourth Decade
The 2024 Great Blue Heron Music Festival Will Take
Place in Sherman, NY, on July 5, 6, and 7
Sherman, NY – The 2024 Great Blue Heron Music Festival dances into its fourth decade of
music and community at The Heron Farm & Event Center over Independence Day weekend:
Friday, July 5, through Sunday, July 7. Over 30 bands including Donna the Buffalo, Sam
Bush, Rubblebucket, Couch, The Town Pants, Jimkata and Driftwood, will perform on three
stages.
Weekend activities include instrument and dance workshops, food and craft vendors,
swimming on a lifeguarded beach, biking, hiking, and daily activities for kids, teens, and
seniors.
Tickets are on sale now, with walk-in woods camping included in the price of admission.
Three and four-day camping passes for RVs and tent sites next to your vehicle are available
for an additional fee. One-day tickets are available for Saturday and Sunday. Details at
greatblueheron.com
Following the festival’s 30th anniversary last summer, the Great Blue Heron Festival is
looking toward a bright future. One of the ways forward is the launching of a new, larger stage
deep in the woods. “We’ve had other events on the property that have set up a stage in this
area and it's been awesome,” says Julie Rockcastle, one of the founders of the festival. “This
new space allows more room for bigger bands and a larger audience.”
The new stage is just one of several big improvements designed to enhance the experience
for the thousands of music fans who return to the Great Blue Heron Music Festival each year.
Production and lighting upgrades at the main stage and the big top dance tent are also
underway.
While live music is the centerpiece, the festival offers plenty of activities for the whole family.
Discover how to make music at an instrument workshop, or learn new steps with an
instructor-led dance lesson. There is also a full slate of creative activities for young children
and teens, a new space for the spirited drum circle, and a lifeguard-protected sandy beach on
the spring-fed pond for a cool swim on a warm summer’s day. And there’s no need to cook,
because there will be plenty of great options for food and drink, including a coffee bar, plus
local beer and wine.
Festival favorites Donna the Buffalo have been a key part of the Blue Heron repertoire since
year one, and they are back again with their highly danceable blend of groovy, continental
roots rock. They’ll be sharing the stage with International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame
inductee Sam Bush, who was nominated for a Grammy this year for his latest album, Radio
John: The Songs of John Hartford. This will be Sam’s first appearance at the festival,
alongside the debut of Brooklyn’s always artful Rubblebucket, the improvisational rock of
NYC’s Stolen Gin, the magically soulful sounds of Joclyn and the Sweet Compression,
Montreal’s Cajun-zydeco band Le Winston, and Cool Cool Cool: a fiery nine-piece funk band
featuring former members of Turkuaz. Back by popular demand is the irrepressible maritime
madness of Vancouver’s The Town Pants, the comfy “pop with a twist” sounds of Boston’s
Couch, the thrilling electro-rock of Jimkata, and Binghamton’s song-driven folk-rockers
Driftwood. Other familiar names include reggae ambassadors Giant Panda Guerilla Dub
Squad, Jim Donovan’s Sun King Warriors, North Carolina’s raucous Tan & Sober Gentlemen,
and West Virginia’s Rasta Rafiki.
For tickets and information about the Great Blue Heron Music Festival:
www.greatblueheron.com
CONNECT:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theheron/
Instagram: https://instagram.com/blueheronfest
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/blueheronfestival
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More info on the farm store, lodging, and gatherings at the Heron Farm & Event Center:
Questions? Contact: Julie Rockcastle, Phone: 716-753-0371, Email: info@theheron.org
Interested in attending Great Blue Heron 2024 as working media?
Please contact info@theheron.org with “Media Request” in the subject line.
