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Yonder Mountain String Band Circles Around the Sun The Motet ekoostik hookah Tim Boyd of KR-3 Buffalo Rose NEW MARTINSVILLE — Word has been spreading each year about one of the Midwest’s most beloved annual music festivals … one which happens to be nestled in the Ohio Valley in the riverside town of New Martinsville.

And perhaps best of all — it’s free.

The Back Home Festival will take place this weekend, kicking off today, Friday, June 24, and continuing with a full slate of live music through Saturday, June 25. A fireworks display will put an exclamation point on the big weekend after dusk on Sunday, June 26.

The grassroots event has garnered a grassroots following of returning visitors, and each year, fans of the festival with the hometown atmosphere seems to continue to grow.

“I think people have embraced the festival for a lot of reasons,” said Robby Parsons, executive director of the Wetzel County Convention and Visitor’s Bureau. “It obviously doesn’t hurt that the Back Home Festival is an admission-free festival. You don’t see much of that with the caliber of entertainment that we bring in year after year.

“Also, I think people embracing the festival is a big-time testament to the town of New Martinsville. The entire town really rolls out the red carpet for our guests and it shows with the amount of positive feedback we get from our festival-goers.”

Traditionally a weekend extravaganza with a full slate of live performances on Sunday, this year’s Back Home Festival has temporarily tightened the performance window — scheduling the featured live musical acts on Friday and Saturday only for 2022.

“Sunday performances were cut out for this year and this year only because of budgetary cuts due to the pandemic,” Parsons said. “The Wetzel County CVB is the organization that puts on Back Home every year, and we are funded through hotel-motel tax. With less traffic in hotels due to COVID over the last couple of years, we made the decision to cut the festival to two days in 2022 as a precautionary method in order to not over extend our finances.”

But the lineup is as strong as ever, delivering an eclectic mix of national, regional and Ohio Valley acts delivering jam band, rock’n’roll, bluegrass, funk, folk and more with live acts that music lovers of all ages will enjoy. Event organizers are even looking to offer some more space between the stage and folks relaxing in lawn chairs this weekend to give those wishing to dance a chance to have a little more elbow room.

This year’s music lineup is stacked with veteran Back Home bands and blockbuster first-timers as well, including nationally renowned bluegrass favorites Yonder Mountain String Band, psychedelic jam all-stars Circles Around the Sun, funk masters The Motet and Ohio-based jam band legends ekoostik hookah, as well as The Commonheart, Buffalo Rose, KR-3, Josh Daniel’s Grateful Band, Sicard Hollow, Fletcher’s Grove, the Dirty Grass Players, The Pussyfooters and Ananga Martin.

“It is our goal every year to bring in the best entertainment we can,” Parsons said. “When the festival started in 2017 we had a heavy focus on bluegrass music. As the festival has grown, so has our focus on different genres of music. This year’s festival is probably the least focused we have been on bluegrass. It is more jam-band oriented. There is a huge variety of great music for the weekend and, quite frankly, I am excited about every band on the lineup.

“If I had to pick one band that I am super excited to see it is actually a local band out of Wheeling, KR-3. They are recreating cuts from The Grateful Dead’s Europe ’72 tour, and I have been privy to hear some of their rehearsals. That show is going to be amazing!”

In addition to an array of free live music on two outdoor stages located just north of Fishing Creek and south of the West Virginia Northern Community College building.

There will be an array of vendors offering food, beverages, hand-crafted merchandise and more in the main concert area, including the Magic Monks fire tribe, workshops and other fun surprises. There will also be special performances inside the Lincoln Theater for a nominal admission fee for each show.

There will be free camping at the marina and at the 4-H campground, with shuttle service and FestiCab service available to help visitors get around faster.

A big section of Main Street is shut off to vehicle traffic, and pedestrians can visit the town, check out the many vendors and the many unique local businesses in New Martinsville. The entire town is the festival grounds, and the CVB welcomes everyone to come check out why they are brimming with pride in Wetzel County.

“What I say to people who have never checked out the Back Home Festival is, ‘Why not?’ It’s a free festival. You have nothing to lose,” Parsons said. “If it’s not your cup of tea, that’s ok. You’re not out anything by checking it out. And you never know … You may just love it as much as we do.”

Since the inception of the Back Home Festival in 2017, Wetzel County leads the State of West Virginia in direct tourism spending growth. Parsons noted.

“We have more than doubled our direct spending revenue since 2016 at 101% growth,” he said. “The second best growth since 2016 is Mon County at 48%.

“I think that speaks volumes for what the Back Home Festival means for our little community.”

For the official schedule or for more information about the 2022 Back Home Music Festival, visit backhomefestival.com, and for the latest updates, follow the official social media pages.

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