SACRAMENTO AREA BLUEGRASS & DANCE EVENTS
6/21 - 10/26
Everything on this list is worth recommending. Starred items are editor picks.
If you've got an event or comment on this list email joel@letsjambg.com
📚 CLASSES & WORKSHOPS
Wernick Method Weekly Jam Class
Date: Sundays, 5/31 - 6/28/2026
Time: 1-4:30pm
Venue: Oakland, CA
Weekly bluegrass jam class taught by Erik Yates using the Wernick Method. About 1.5 hours from Sacramento.
Let's Jam Bluegrass - Summer Drop-In Jam Class
Date: Tuesdays, 6/2 - 7/28/2026
Time: 7-9:30pm
Venue: Watermelon Music, Davis
Drop-in jam sessions for players new to acoustic jamming. Moderate pace, supportive environment. Participants should have mastered basic chords and be able to play simple songs with ease. $200 full session / $30 drop-in.
Big Sur Fiddle Camp
Date: 6/21-28/2026
Venue: Big Sur, CA
Week-long fiddle camp for musicians with at least one year of experience. Features 17 instructors including Abigail Washburn and John Weed. Styles range from bluegrass to swing to old-time. About 4 hours from Sacramento.
California Coast Music Camp
Date: 7/11-17 & 7/18-24/2026
Venue: Monterey County, CA
Two separate week-long sessions for adult musicians and singers of all levels. Classes in guitar, bass, banjo, mandolin, fiddle, ukulele, vocals, and more. Genres include folk, bluegrass, old-time, country, swing, and jazz. About 3 hours from Sacramento.
Info: https://musiccamp.org/
West Marin Fiddle Camp
Date: 7/20-24/2026
Venue: Bolinas, CA
Fiddle camp featuring instructors Laurie Lewis, Ann Savoy, Riley Baugus, Jordan Tice, and others. About 2.5 hours from Sacramento.
Walker Creek Music Camp
Date: 10/23-26/2026
Venue: Walker Creek Ranch, between Marshall & Petaluma
Multi-instrument bluegrass and old-time music camp. About 2 hours from Sacramento.
🎵 SHOWS & CONCERTS
Left of Cool Band
Date: 6/26/2026
Time: 7-9pm
Venue: Mills Station Arts and Cultural Center (The MACC), Rancho Cordova
Spousal duo performing bluegrass, Americana, traditional, folk, and old country. Hugh Hoeger plays guitar, mandolin, and bass with a distinctive flat-picking style. $5 at the door.
Double D's
Date: 6/27/2026
Time: 7-9pm
Venue: The Side Door, Sacramento
Doug Sandall and Dale Poune perform original compositions woven with colorful stories and humor. The duo has been writing and performing together for three years. $25.
Dustbowl Revival
Date: 6/27/2026
Time: Doors 7pm, show 8pm
Venue: Harlow's, Sacramento
Genre-blending roots music collective led by founder Z. Lupetin, mixing folky-funk, New Orleans-style brass, and Laurel Canyon harmonies with emotionally resonant songwriting. With opener Forrest Day. All ages.
Charlie Torch Band
Date: 7/3/2026
Time: 7-9pm
Venue: The Side Door, Sacramento
Country, bluegrass, and old-time music featuring siblings Jasper and Jayna Manning out front, their father Chad Manning on fiddle, Tyler Stegall on banjo, and Paul Knight on bass. Expect angelic harmonies and gutbucket truth in a raw yet joyful set. $30.
Taylor Mountain Band
Date: 7/10/2026
Time: 5-7pm
Venue: Matanzas Creek Winery, Santa Rosa
Bluegrass concert at the winery's Golden Friday series with wine tasting and food trucks. About 2 hours from Sacramento.
Barkley Cove
Date: 7/10/2026
Time: 7-9pm
Venue: The Side Door, Sacramento
New folk ensemble blending folk, rock, country, and bluegrass with collaborative songwriting and rich vocal harmony rooted in the 60s folk revival. Features Jillian Dolan (guitar), Yusuf Miller (mandolin), Silas Gross (banjo), and Robert Myers (bass). $30.
WWE — Webster, Walton & Edwards
Date: 7/11/2026
Time: 7pm
Venue: The Side Door, Sacramento
Acoustic trio featuring vocalists Chris Webster and Tracy Walton of Mumbo Gumbo alongside guitarist Bill Edwards. Lush, toe-tapping acoustic blend of folk-tinged originals and reimagined covers. $30.
Broken Compass Bluegrass + Sweet Sally
Date: 7/12/2026
Time: 5pm
Venue: Hopmonk Tavern, Sebastopol
High-energy Bay Area bluegrass band Broken Compass, with Sweet Sally, in KC Turner's Cookout Concert Series. About 90 minutes from Sacramento.
★Molly Tuttle Band
Date: 7/15/2026
Time: 6pm
Venue: Hopmonk Tavern, Novato
Two-time Grammy-winning bluegrass guitarist and flatpicking phenom Molly Tuttle with her band, joined by special guest Sean Watkins of Nickel Creek. Part of KC Turner's Cookout Concert Series. About 90 minutes from Sacramento.
Richard Gilewitz
Date: 7/16/2026
Time: 7-9pm
Venue: The Side Door, Sacramento
Acclaimed fingerstyle guitarist known for masterful acoustic technique drawing on everything from Bach to Led Zeppelin. His playing emphasizes emotional depth and the intentional use of silence, letting each piece breathe. $30.
Iona Fyfe
Date: 7/17/2026
Time: 7-9pm
Venue: The Side Door, Sacramento
Award-winning Scottish folk singer from Aberdeenshire, rooted in the traditional singing of Scotland's North East. A two-time Scots Singer of the Year, she blends traditional folk with contemporary touches, sung largely in the Scots language. $30.
★Sierra Hull
Date: 7/17/2026
Time: 6pm
Venue: Hopmonk Tavern, Novato
Grammy-nominated mandolin virtuoso and singer-songwriter, one of the finest mandolinists in bluegrass. Part of KC Turner's Cookout Concert Series, with special guest Scott Gates. About 90 minutes from Sacramento.
The 'Yotes (formerly Stewart and Vasquez)
Date: 7/18/2026
Time: 6-9pm
Venue: Blue Note Brewery, Woodland
Acoustic Americana duo (formerly Stewart and Vasquez) performing a live set at the brewery.
★Molly Tuttle
Date: 7/18/2026
Time: 7pm
Venue: Ace of Spades, Sacramento
Two-time Grammy-winning bluegrass guitarist, flatpicking phenom, and singer-songwriter raised in the Bay Area. A headline performance from one of the genre's brightest stars.
Dave Alvin & Jimmie Dale Gilmore: Almost Acoustic Duo
Date: 7/25/2026
Venue: Harlow's, Sacramento
Friends for over 30 years, their lively shows feature songs from the duo's albums and classic original compositions, swapping songs, telling stories, and sharing life experiences on stage. With special guest Lenny Kaye.
James McMurtry and the Martial Law Review
Date: 7/26/2026
Time: 8:00pm
Venue: Harlow's, Sacramento
Acclaimed Texas singer-songwriter known for sharp, literary Americana. With BettySoo. All ages.
Dailey & Vincent with Grand Ole Opry
Date: 8/4/2026
Venue: Center for the Arts, Grass Valley
Grammy-nominated bluegrass duo Jamie Dailey and Darrin Vincent, Grand Ole Opry members known for unmatched harmonies, virtuosic musicianship, and deep-rooted faith, blending traditional bluegrass, country, and gospel. About 60 minutes from Sacramento.
I See Hawks in LA featuring Richie Lawrence
Date: 8/13/2026
Time: 7pm
Venue: The Side Door, Sacramento
One of Southern California's leading alt-country bands, drawing on the lineage of the Byrds and Flying Burrito Brothers with desert-rooted songwriting. Touring their tenth album, On Our Way. $30.
Bob Woods Western Swing Trio
Date: 8/15/2026
Time: 7-9pm
Venue: The Side Door, Sacramento
Western swing featuring Hall of Famers Bob Woods (guitar) and Olen Dillingham (fiddle) with bassist Brett Cole, joined by special guest John Girton on jazz guitar. Polished renditions of classic swing standards — bring your dancing shoes. $30.
The Infamous Stringdusters
Date: 9/15/2026
Time: 7pm
Venue: Center for the Arts, Grass Valley
Grammy-winning modern bluegrass quintet (banjo, bass, fiddle, dobro, guitar) blending traditional roots with Americana, country, and indie-folk. Known for unmatched instrumental chemistry and high-energy picking. Touring their album 20/20. $57. About 60 minutes from Sacramento.
Fox & Bones
Date: 10/8/2026
Time: 7-9pm
Venue: The Side Door, Sacramento
Portland-based retro folk-rock duo, winners of the 2023 Tucson Folk Festival songwriting contest and PNW Music Awards Best Folk/Americana Album of 2024. With openers J.B. Barton and Dominick Restivo. $25.
🎪 FESTIVALS
Susanville Bluegrass Festival
Date: 6/26-28/2026
Venue: Lassen County Fairgrounds, Susanville
15th annual bluegrass festival with preceding music camp (6/23-25). About 3 hours from Sacramento.
Good Old Fashioned Bluegrass Festival
Date: 8/6-9/2026
Venue: San Benito County Historical Park, Tres Pinos
Northern California Bluegrass Society's annual festival — three days of California bands on the main stage plus hot campground picking, kids' programming, and shaded camping. About 2.5 hours from Sacramento.
CBA Golden Old-Time Campout
Date: 8/20-23/2026
Venue: Camp Russian River, Guerneville
California Bluegrass Association's old-time campout — three days and nights devoted to playing old-time music, jamming, and fun, near Armstrong Woods State Reserve. About 2 hours from Sacramento.
Bowers Bluegrass Festival
Date: 8/22-24/2026
Venue: Bowers Mansion Regional Park, Washoe Valley, NV
Long-running Northern Nevada bluegrass festival with a weekend of bands, jamming, food and craft vendors in a scenic rural valley about 20 miles south of Reno. About 2.5 hours from Sacramento.
Berkeley Old Time Music Convention
Date: 9/16-20/2026
Venue: The Freight and various venues, Berkeley
Five-day old-time music festival featuring concerts, workshops, square dances, a stringband contest, kids' activities, and plenty of jamming. About 90 minutes from Sacramento.
★Hardly Strictly Bluegrass
Date: 10/2-4/2026
Venue: Golden Gate Park, San Francisco
Massive free three-day festival in Golden Gate Park with more than 100 artists across bluegrass, Americana, country, folk, and roots on multiple stages. All ages, no tickets required. About 90 minutes from Sacramento.
CBA Fall Campout
Date: 10/5-11/2026
Venue: Lodi Grape Festival Grounds, Lodi
California Bluegrass Association's weeklong fall campout — camp for a week and pick with friends. About 45 minutes from Sacramento.
💃 DANCES
Sacramento English Country Dance
Date: 1st & 3rd Sundays 2-5pm
Venue: Masonic Lodge / YLI Hall, Roseville & Sacramento
English Country Dance with live music. 1st Sundays at Masonic Lodge (235 Vernon St Roseville) 3rd Sundays at YLI Hall (1400 27th St Sacramento). Free intro class at 1:30pm. $15 adults; $10 students; $5 under 18; $30 family max.
Sacramento Contra Dance
Date: 2nd & 4th Saturdays 7-10pm
Venue: Coloma Community Center, Sacramento
Regular contra dances with live music and calling. Newcomer orientation at 6:30pm. $15 adults; $10 students; $5 under 18; $30 family max.
🎸 JAM SESSIONS
Martinez Bluegrass Jam
Date: Sundays 11am
Venue: Market & Main (upstairs), Martinez
Regular bluegrass jam session.
Lucky Horseshoe Performance Jam
Date: Sundays 4pm
Venue: The Lucky Horseshoe, San Francisco
Intermediate-level performance bluegrass jam (on stage playing into a mic). Must be able to lead a vocal or instrumental song. Ages 21+.
East Bay Bluegrassers Jam
Date: Wednesdays
Venue: Rockin' Robbie's Music Store, El Cerrito
Free bluegrass jam. All ages and skill levels welcome. Guitar mandolin banjo bass violin and other bluegrass instruments.
Napa Bluegrass Jam
Date: Tuesdays 7-9pm
Venue: Meadows of Napa, Napa
Friendly bluegrass jam hosted by Vern Flock at the Meadows of Napa retirement home.
Two Rivers - Old Time Jam
Date: Every Sunday 6-8pm
Venue: Two Rivers Cider, Sacramento
Old time jam session. All ages welcome.
Uncle Sonny's - Bluegrass Jam
Date: Every Wednesday 6-8pm
Venue: Uncle Sonny's, Colfax
Bluegrass jam at Uncle Sonny's in Colfax. High activity as of 10/12/25. Ages 21+.
Third Friday Irish Session
Date: Third Friday 7-9pm
Venue: The Fox and Goose, Sacramento
Mostly Irish session at Fox and Goose.
North Bay Old Time Music Sessions
Date: 1st Sundays 3-5pm
Venue: Church of the Oaks, Cotati
Old time music jam session.
Sebastopol Bluegrass Jam
Date: 3rd Sundays 2:30pm
Venue: Sebastopol Center For the Arts, Sebastopol
Bluegrass jam for various skill levels.
Orangevale Grange Fiddle Jam
Date: 2nd Sundays at 1pm
Venue: Orangevale Grange, 5807 Walnut Ave, Orangevale
Fiddle jam session.
SPENCE Bluegrass Jam Series
Date: 4th Tuesdays, 1st/3rd Thursdays, 2nd/4th Thursdays, 1st Fridays 7-11pm
Venue: Various Bay Area venues
Rotating bluegrass jam series: 4th Tuesdays at Ashkenaz (Berkeley), 1st & 3rd Thursdays at Papermill Creek Saloon (Forest Knolls), 2nd & 4th Thursdays at Peri's (Fairfax), 1st Fridays at Smiley's Saloon (Bolinas). Format: 7-8pm open jam, 8-9pm house band, 9-11pm open jam.