Sixty odd miles from the birthplace of the “Father of Bluegrass” music, Bill Monroe, situated under the many two-hundred year old shade trees of Audubon Mill Park (site of the original sawmill of naturalist John James Audubon), right on the banks of the mighty Ohio River – in the town that is able to boast “On the Ohio but Never in It” (referring to the historic 1937 Flood in which Henderson, Kentucky was the only City on the Ohio not under water) – you will find perhaps the oldest on-going FREE Bluegrass festival in the United States – Bluegrass in the Park Folklife Festival.

Bluegrass in the Park Folklife Festival was at first strictly a music festival. The music aspect of the festival (which is still central to the theme) has grown from very humble beginnings to now being recognized as one of Kentucky’s major Summertime events. The festival attracts people from all over the United States – at one time or another each one of the nation’s fifty states has been represented. It has even attracted people from other parts of the world – Australia, France, England, Italy, Russia, Brazil, our neighbors to the north and south, Canada and Mexico, and many more – some of those visitors came just to hear a favorite Bluegrass artist (that should give you an idea of the caliber of talent at the festival).

Bluegrass music now truly belongs to the world, but at Bluegrass in the Park, we strive to remind and educate people that this music had its beginnings, which were just as humble as ours, right here in Western Kentucky, USA. We have been told on many occasions that we are the largest, on-going, free festival in the country. We'll do our very best, with your help, to keep it that way.

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