Nelsonville Music Festival celebrated its 20th anniversary this past June 18th–20th. The festival is an annual event hosted by Stuart’s Opera House.  Stuart’s Opera House is a historic venue in Nelsonville, Ohio, committed to bringing the arts and music to their small community. Stuart’s hosts many events over the course of the year, and NMF is their large summer event that ties the mission together.

The money from the festival goes back to Stuart’s so they can continue their mission and bring arts and education to the nearby counties.

This year the festival ran Thursday through Saturday instead of the usual Friday-through-Sunday. I was skeptical at first, but it made sense: a full day of music on the last day, instead of people trickling out early like they used to on a Sunday.

I’ve been honored to cover it for the past ten years. My first NMF was on the campus of Hocking College, a great location that had its own kind of magic: a free stage and half-pipe where skateboarders shredded at the same time bands did the same on the three stages nearby.

The festival has since moved to the grounds of the Snow Fork Event Center, and the expanded, wooded area makes for a perfect backdrop. The indie charm of the Hocking College setting has been replaced by a beautiful wooded setting.

The openness and wooded areas are part of the magic. Up and around the corner to the Porch Stage, passing all of the food vendors and even a mysterious fortune teller, the Porch Stage is the livelier stage and often closes out each night with an amazing set. A stroll down the winding trail lined with merchants selling Appalachian and music-minded goods, folk art, and little shadow boxes holding pieces of the festival’s history will land you at the Creekside Stage — the hill filled with festival goers seated on blankets and the perimeter lined with colorful hammocks. It’s a setting that screams the freedom of summer and the love of life, the perfect backdrop for acts like Folk Bitch Trio and S.G. Goodman.

The festival has hosted many iconic artists over the years, the likes of Randy Newman, the late Todd Snider, and many years of Michael Hurley, who acted as festival ambassador during his lifetime. The 2025 festival held a very special tribute to Hurley, led by Bonnie “Prince” Billy. Many Nelsonville alumni are now on much larger stages, like Sierra Ferrell and Tyler Childers, who I had just seen at Buckeye Country Superfest the week prior, filling the massive horseshoe of Ohio Stadium.

The planners got it right. Thursday sold out, anchored by Karly Hartzman and Wednesday’s blistering country rock and Geese’s New York guitar rock on Howard’s Stage. Neither disappointed. And even though it was sold out, the festival never felt crowded.

Friday did not disappoint either, with a wonderful daytime set by Mon Rovia and a great late evening set by Gillian Welch and David Rawlings. The Porch Stage closed out the night with probably my favorite of the weekend: BERTHA — Grateful Drag. A killer Grateful Dead cover band in drag, they were amazing players, and their set was a perfect ending to a celebration of both Juneteenth and Pride Month. I was literally dancing with my camera in hand.

I had to get moving and head back from my spartan hotel room to the festival grounds, and the day was another great one. Heather Redman and the Reputation kicked my day off, followed by great sets from Fruit Bats, Mikaela Davis, and the scorching blues rock of the Marcus King Band. The night closed out with a killer set by the Mystery Lights on the Porch Stage.

I’ve posted some of the photos from the festival in the gallery for your viewing pleasure.