Photo courtesy of Laurie Fanelli
We are excited to announce Farm Aid is returning to the midwest. Earlier this week, event organizers confirmed the festival’s 2019 rendition will take place on Saturday, Sept. 21 at the Alpine Valley Music Theatre in East Troy, WI.
As with prior years, the 2019 Farm Aid fest will feature a stacked lineup of musicians and bands topped by the organization’s board members Willie Nelson, Neil Young, John Mellencamp and Dave Matthews (performing with Tim Reynolds).
Bonnie Raitt will also be joining this year’s festivities, as will Margo Price and Nelson’s son Lukas, who will perform with his band Promise of the Real. Additionally, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, Jamey Johnson, Tanya Tucker, Brothers Osborne, Yola and Particle Kid are all slated to perform the single-day event, with more artists to be announced later this summer.
HOMEGROWN Concessions, a staple at Farm Aid, will be on-hand again at this year’s festival, providing attendees with family farm food along with a plethora of interactive activities located in the HOMEGROWN Village.
Farm Aid was designed to help family farmers across America stay on their land. The inaugural Farm Aid event took place back in 1985 and the nonprofit organization has subsequently raised more than $57 million for U.S. farmers since its inception. However, there are still many challenges facing American farmers, which makes this year’s decision to host Farm Aid in Wisconsin’s dairy country all the more fitting.
“With devastating weather, low prices and harmful farm and trade policies, America’s family farmers are facing immense challenges to hold onto their farms,” Nelson said in a statement. “It’s not right… family farmers are essential for all of us. By bringing our festival to the heart of the struggle, we will stand side-by-side with farmers. At Farm Aid 2019, we’ll highlight solutions and show our support for family farmers’ contributions to our health, economy and environment.”
Farm Aid 2019 marks the festival’s triumphant return to the midwest. The event last took place in the region back in 2015 at Chicago’s Northerly Island, while the past three years have focused on the East Coast. Recent Farm Aid performers include Jack Johnson, Mavis Staples, Sturgill Simpson, Sheryl Crow, Alabama Shakes, The Avett Brothers, Kacey Musgraves, Chris Stapleton, Valerie June and Old Crow Medicine Show.
A ticket pre-sale for Farm Aid 2019 is currently ongoing while the general public ticket sale begins tomorrow (Friday, July 12 at 10 a.m. CDT). For more information, visit www.farmaid.org.
