Bluegrass festival takes root in Edmonton this weekend

The RiverCity Bluegrass Festival begins this weekend. (Jan. 16, 2026) (Sean McClune/CTV News Edmonton)

From old time to new acoustic, eight bands will be performing at the second year of the RiverCity Bluegrass Festival this weekend.

“Bluegrass is a wide berth of music,” Karen Trace with the Northern Bluegrass Circle Music Society (NBCMS) told CTV News Edmonton on Friday.

• Download our app to get Edmonton alerts on your device

NBCMS is a non-profit organization in Edmonton that promotes Bluegrass music in the community, with the festival offering jamming sessions and workshops for those who attend the event at the Edmonton Inn & Conference Centre from Friday to Sunday.

“We aim to match the bar we set for ourselves last year, which was amazing,” Trace said. “We were a bit shocked at how well it went.”

According to organizers, tickets for Saturday were almost sold out at the time of the interview on Friday.

Four dedicated hamming bands will host the jam sessions in various spots around the hotel, giving acoustic fans a chance to mingle.

“They meet people that they’ve met before in other festivals and then they hang out at the hospitality suites and jam with these professional bands,” Trace explained.

The Bluegrass festival also has a workshop for kids ages four to 18 called the Kid Fiddle Academy on Saturday. Those who register in advance for the session will learn Bluegrass and have a chance to perform at the festival at 1 p.m. the same day.

“It’s a lot of fun to see them and to get them in touch with Bluegrass music. That’s what we want to do – create the next generation,” she added.

NBCMS said they have 250 members in the club, and they hold weekly meetings every Wednesday at the Pleasantview Community Hall.

Tickets for the RiverCity Bluegrass Festival can be purchased online.

With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Sean McClune