By Cameron Lee
July 21, 2025
Each year since 2002, FloydFest has brought a mystical, themed music festival to the mountains just off the Blue Ridge Parkway in southern Virginia. This year’s theme, Aurora, draws from Roman mythology, which translates to dawn — a symbol of new beginnings. An aurora is also, of course, a rare natural phenomenon that might capture the atmosphere of FloydFest. Past attendees can attest to the spellbinding feeling of hearing live music high atop the mountains of Floyd County, nearly 3,000 feet above sea level.
Sam Calhoun, a Roanoke native who spent years in Boone organizing shows and working as a journalist, joined Across-the-Way Productions — the company behind FloydFest — in 2008. He now serves as its chief organizer and Chief Operating Officer, working alongside CFO Jessica Taylor and CEO John McBroom. Since 2022, Calhoun and his team have been busy relocating the festival about 16 miles from its original site. The new 200-acre property — now complete with ample parking, camping, and a creek — has given them the freedom to design the grounds their way and better cater to attendees.
“FloydFest is bigger than all of us — it’s really created a family and a community,” Calhoun said. “But one big thing was, that wasn’t truly our home at the old site — we leased it. We didn’t own it, so we couldn’t do everything we wanted to do. Now we have a blank slate to build things the way we want to.”
Since moving, the team has tackled more than 40 site upgrades to enhance the festival experience: new walkways, an improved tram system (the FloydFest Express), and smarter layouts based on patron surveys and traffic flow studies. The new location, which is less secluded and only 30 minutes from Roanoke (about an hour from the North Carolina border and just two and a half hours from Charlotte), is part of Calhoun and his team’s plan to make FestivalPark a year-round destination for large concerts, weddings, disc golf championships, and retreats.
“Floyd has tons of green space, but very few parks, because everyone owns the land,” Calhoun said. “We want this to be a community resource.”
One standout feature that sets the new site apart is its massive viewing deck: a towering structure where attendees can cool off in the shade, grab a drink, and enjoy the main stage with a dedicated speaker system that makes it feel like you’re front and center. A new shuttle road now takes guests to and from the deck, just one of many additions aimed at comfort and accessibility.
Music, Magic, Mountains
FloydFest has built its legacy on Americana, world music, and traditional Appalachian sounds, but its lineup has never shied away from outliers like Lauryn Hill, Buddy Guy, Bruce Hornsby, Ziggy Marley, Thievery Corporation, and Durand Jones — just a few of the nationally known acts who’ve graced its stages.
It also served as a springboard for emerging artists and bands like the Carolina Chocolate Drops, who performed there in 2007; the Avett Brothers in 2008; Gary Clark Jr. in 2012; and Tyler Childers in 2018 — all before their Grammy nominations and breakout tours.
This year’s lineup includes Southern rock legends The Black Crowes; Philly indie-folk darlings Mt. Joy; Afrobeat royalty Femi Kuti; Gov’t Mule (fronted by Asheville native and former Allman Brothers guitarist Warren Haynes); Brooklyn indie rockers Geese; retro-soul collective The California Honeydrops; blues/soul band JJ Grey & Mofro; The Original Wailers; and Afro-Cuban funk star Cimafunk.
“Yeah, the mantra we keep is that our job is to make our patrons leave with a new favorite band they’d never heard of before,” said Calhoun. “So the middle of our lineup really represents that.”
The festival’s seven stages — including the Oasis Stage, Higher Ground, Canopy Grove Stage, and Children’s Universe — each offer their own unique vibe, making FloydFest feel like a carnival of musical discovery.
The On-the-Rise stage champions emerging regional talent from Virginia and North Carolina, with past alumni like 49 Winchester, Big Daddy Love, Rebekah Todd, and Abby Bryant. The Local Love and Floyd Country Store stages are also prime spots to catch rising local stars and established regional icons like Dom Flemons of the Carolina Chocolate Drops.
Another musical feature at the festival is the FloydFest Bus Stop YouTube series, which showcases intimate, stripped-down performances filmed in a converted school bus during the event. Standout sets have included Boone indie rockers The Nude Party, Grammy-nominated folk artist Amythyst Kiah, Jefferson Airplane offshoot Hot Tuna, and genre-bending guitar virtuoso Keller Williams.
The FloydFest Experience
What truly sets FloydFest apart is its independent spirit — not controlled by corporate promoters, but nurtured by a tight-knit community that feels like family.
“Everyone followed us to the new site. It was a difficult thing for a lot of people to hear we were leaving our old home — and I get it,” said Calhoun. “I got married on that site. I married people there. But the cool thing is, they’re bringing their kids, and now these kids are growing up here, too.”
Beyond the music, FloydFest offers plenty of outdoor fun: disc golf, hiking, craft workshops, bike rides — and new this year, a pickleball court. The food options have grown, too, with three food courts and five total spots serving regional festival favorites like Sugar Shack, Dogtown Roadhouse, Goatacado, and Spicy Pie.
Guests have their pick of lodging, from glamping and RV parking to tent and creekside camping, plus plenty of hotels within a 30-minute drive, another benefit of being closer to Roanoke.
The Green Code
Environmental protection is deeply woven into the festival. Now on land they own, FloydFest has invested in major sustainability upgrades: new roads and bridges designed to protect local waterways, a stormwater plan approved by the Virginia DEQ, a “zero-impact” footprint that preserves streams and wildlife, and more than five miles of fencing to safeguard wetlands. But perhaps most remarkable is the respect attendees show for the grounds.
“It almost made us emotional — we walked out into the main field after a headliner once and there wasn’t a speck of trash,” Calhoun said. “That’s how our patrons are. They don’t just throw their beer cups on the ground. It’s them and us, together. Our Green Teams work very hard, but it’s our patrons.”
A New Dawn
FestivalPark now offers more than twice the space, but a reduced daily capacity of 10,000 compared to 15,000 at the old site — a tradeoff that means more comfort, on-site parking, and a better curated experience.
It’s still a mystical yearly mountainside family reunion — one that Calhoun and his team hope will feel even more special as they open this new chapter.
“The people who came last year, they should be astonished when they get here, with all the work we’ve done. It’s not far-fetched to say this place looks like a state park now, and I hope people are proud of it.”
FloydFest takes place July 23-27 at FestivalPark in Check, Virginia. You can purchase tickets and find more information on the festival’s official website.
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