Plucking the heartstrings of Virginia folk at Appaloosa Festival

Find a different kind of music festival in Front Royal this summer at Appaloosa. Bluegrass, Americana, and Celtic tunes pour out from the stages, the acoustic strumming and folksy strains filling the late summer air. Over Labor Day weekend, Aug. 31–Sept. 1, retreat to the nostalgic Skyline Ranch Resort, where authentic American homegrown music converges to create an unforgettable sonic experience tucked away in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Last year’s Appaloosa brought in crowd favorite up-and-comers like folk band Tophouse, who comes to the stage again this year after a string of more than 30 sold-out shows. Scythian, The Gothard Sisters, Smoke & The Poet, and Carbon Leaf join Tophouse as return performers. Festival founder and Scythian band member Dan Dedoryka says he “couldn’t be more proud of how Appaloosa has grown.” Songs are complemented by a full range of Virginia-sourced craft beverages and regional foods, tying together the festival’s atmosphere of community togetherness.

The Gothard Sisters will perform over Labor Day weekend at Appaloosa Festival. Photo courtesy of Appaloosa Festival

This article originally appeared in the August 2024 issue. 

Hope Cartwright
Hope Cartwright is associate editor of Virginia Living. A native of Traverse City, Michigan, she is a recent graduate of Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism.