The 4848 Festival will take place July 11-13 in Snowshoe Village, a resort town situated 4,848 feet above the clear lakes and lush valleys of the West Virginia Appalachia. Mountaintop headlining sets from Greensky Bluegrass (2 nights, 4 sets) and Umphrey’s McGee, late-nights with psychedelic bluegrass stars Billy Strings and funk group Turkuaz, plus Railroad Earth, Lettuce, Orgone (on Loveland’s Colemine Records), Infamous Stringdusters, Marcus King Band, Fruition and many more is enough to sell any music fan.
But 4848 is being billed as a destination “festivacation” where price of admission includes the pools and hot tubs of Split Rock Pools, ziplining and other water sports on Shavers Lake, mountain biking, hiking, and access to ski lifts to run between the lake and mountaintop village. Plus you can ditch the tent pitching and stay in village resort accommodations ranging from studios to mountain view condos, or camp lakeside at Shavers Lake.
If you’ve been to Snowshoe village, you know the vibe is lively and reminiscent of a Colorado or California skitown, but the mountaintop will truly come alive for 4848 with street performers, fire spinners, live artists, and more that will be on top of the mountain for the weekend. Pair that with two stages backed up against the beautiful village (Village Stage) and the other on the edge of slopes (Sky Stage) and it’s not hard to picture yourself looking out over Appalachia from nearly a mile up while Marcus King or Mimi Nanaj (Fruition) provides the soundtrack for sunset.
If you aren’t out enjoying mountain activities during the day, you’ll be treated to a diverse musical lineup. The music starts each day with early afternoon shows down the ski lifts from the mountain at the Boathouse on Shavers Lake-- an outdoor bar and restaurant with a large patio over the lake -- featuring acoustic performances from Joshua Davis and Nathan Moore. Up on the mountain you’ll find fast-rising artists like the bluesy Chris Jacobs Band, modern reggae from Raging Fyah’ and The Hip Abduction, funky/soul from The Nth Power, and much more.
Finally- collaboration is arguably the best part of any music festival, and 4848 has brought together artists that have a history of epic sit-ins. Most notably, three of the best guitarists in the scene (William Apostol from Billy Strings, Chris Jacobs, and Marcus King) have collaborated with each other for explosive performances in recent years. Dobro phenom Anders Beck (Greensky Bluegrass) wanders onto many a stage during festivals, while Lettuce is full of esteemed musicians who have intermingled with many other performers there for the weekend. All of these performers are on Saturday, so the opportunities for unique musical experiences are endless.
Join me on the mountaintop- tickets, lodging, camping and more available here.
