The Mayville Bluegrass Festival returns this weekend.

MAYVILLE – Chautauqua Rails to Trails will present the 2025 Mayville Bluegrass Festival on Saturday, Aug. 16, on the grounds of the Big Inlet Brewing facility near Mayville.

There will be a special “Sunday Sessions – Bluegrass Edition” on Sunday, Aug. 17. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Chautauqua Rails to Trails organization.

The Mayville Bluegrass Festival began in 2003 as the brainchild of a group of Chautauqua County citizens wanting to bring a family-friendly event to the lakeside community. It ran for seven years in Lakeside Park and featured a host of regional and national performers. The 2025 event includes the return of Grammy winner Gene Johnson and the Night Sun Reunion, as well as Gregg Welty with his band, South 79. The show will be rounded out by other award-winning acts, including Doug Yeomans and Mountain Run, Creek Bend featuring the Panfil Brothers, Blue Mule Bluegrass, The Beard and the Bird, Michael Gerholdt’s Doc Watson Tribute, Bill Ward and Friends, Sally Schaefer and Tyler Bagwell, Old Dawg Bluegrass, and The Big Inlet Bluegrass All Stars.

Johnson, a Sugar Grove native, played in numerous bluegrass bands before becoming a founding member of country supergroup, Diamond Rio. A standard-bearer for the Western New York bluegrass scene in the 1970s, Johnson then went on to perform with national Bluegrass acts, JD Crowe and the New South, the Country Gentlemen, and Eddie Adcock. His band at the Mayville festival will be a reunion with some of the folks he played with in Chautauqua County, including Butch Amiot, a long-time David Bromberg Bassist.

“I’m always excited to get together with these folks at this particular festival,” Johnson says, “It’s also really nice to get a chance to play for fans and old friends in Chautauqua County. They say nothing makes you a better banjo player than a North Carolina birth certificate.”

After moving to Western New York at a young age, Welty said he grew up listening to the sounds of his father’s banjo playing, Eric Welty, the 1993 National Bluegrass Banjo Champion. Gregg Welty eventually began competing in national bluegrass banjo contests, and now holds more distinct state banjo championship titles than any other banjo player.

Presale tickets are $30 for adults and free for children under 12 available at zeffy.com (search Mayville Bluegrass Festival) or at Big Inlet Brewing, 6169 Elm Flats Road, Mayville.

Doors open at 10 a.m. Saturday. While there is some seating available at the venue it is recommended that attendees bring lawn chairs. No coolers or pets. There will be food vendors on site. For information visit cr2t.org or the Mayville Bluegrass Festival Facebook page. Free camping is available; call 716-753-2800 for more information.

“I think we’ll realize a full sellout of the limited ticket sales, so folks should take advantage of the presale deal,” said Bill Ward, festival organizer. “We are grateful to Rails to Trails for keeping this train going. The musicians are pumped, and we expect a very energetic show.”

Ward hosts a 2 p.m. Sunday Sessions event featuring a variety of special guests throughout the summer season. The Aug. 17 edition will feature a host of special guests including Cattaraugus County’s Blue Mule Bluegrass.

Chautauqua Rails to Trails is a non profit corporation whose reason for existence is to acquire, develop and maintain multi purpose recreational trails for public use on or near abandoned railroad rights of way. Chautauqua Rails to Trails provides safe, attractive trails for non motorized trail users.