Mountain Music

Mark your calendars for some of Abingdon’s best arts events. 

Photo by Sam Dean

Heartwood’s BBQ & Open Jams presented by The Crooked Road: Every first, third and fourth Thursday of the month, 5-9 p.m. 

Listen to open jams with local musicians who are part of the Virginia Heritage Music Trail while you enjoy Southwest Virginia’s finest barbecue.

January Jams at the Barter Theatre: Every weekend in January.

Named one of the Southeast Tourism Society’s “Top 20 Events in the Southeast,” January Jams is a concert series hosted by the town of Abingdon featuring Grammy Award-winning artists like John Paul White and Booker T. Jones. 

Thursday Jams at the Abingdon Market Pavilion: May through July, 7 p.m.  

The Abingdon Music Experience organizes these free concerts featuring regional performers. Bring a lawn chair.

The Virginia Highlands Festival: Late July through early August. 

This has been the region’s premier arts and culture festival for 70 years. Join the more than 45,000 people who attend this annual 10-day event held at venues throughout the town that features local arts, crafts, dance, music and food showcasing the creative, historical and natural resources of the Abingdon area.


This article originally appeared in our October 2018 issue. For more on Abingdon, click here.

Valerie Hubbard
Richmond-based freelance writer and former newspaper reporter and editor, Valerie Hubbard has enjoyed writing for local and regional publications on everything from the fate of the Chesapeake Bay and Virginia’s economy to exquisite Virginia homes and travel destinations, but weddings top the list. Who doesn’t want to explore love stories with happy endings and epic parties?