Eastern KY music festival cancels 2026 plans due to ‘current economic environment’
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- Healing Appalachia canceled its 2026 festival, citing the current economic environment.
- Organizers said rising production costs forced the nonprofit to prioritize resources.
- The festival plans to return Sept. 10-11, 2027 at Boyd County Fairgrounds in Ashland.
A popular music festival in Eastern Kentucky that was headlined by Chris Stapleton and Tyler Childers last year will not take place in 2026 due to the “current economic environment,” event organizers announced Thursday.
The Healing Appalachia music festival was hosted at the Boyd County Fairgrounds in Ashland for the first time last year after previously taking place in West Virginia. Event organizers said rising production costs have forced the nonprofit organization that puts on the festival to prioritize resources toward its mission instead of putting on the festival.
“This is not the outcome we wanted,” the festival said in a Facebook post. “Hope in the Hills will continue its year-round mission — leveraging music to support recovery, funding addiction prevention and spreading hope and community through our many growing partnerships across Appalachia and beyond.”
Hope in the Hills’ mission is to raise funds for reducing opioid addiction in Appalachian communities. The funds are given to a wide array of projects and programs from youth prevention, healthy lifestyles and wellness to recovery houses and recovery to work, according to the festival’s website.
Tyler Childers, a Lawrence County native and co-owner of the event, has headlined the festival every year since the inaugural show in 2018, according to Variety. Attendance for the festival has grown from fewer than 2,500 patrons in 2018 to 21,000 in 2024.
Festival promises to return in 2027
While announcing the 2026 cancellation, festival organizers committed to returning in 2027. Next year’s festival is scheduled to take place Sept. 10-11, 2027, at the Boyd County Fairgrounds in Ashland.
Until then, the nonprofit organization hopes to surpass $2 million in investments for its programs this year.
“Although the festival is paused for this year, the need for recovery is not,” the festival said in a Facebook post. “Thank you to the artists, fans, partners, donors and communities who continue to stand behind this mission.”
