Meadowlark Fest returns this September to Stone Ridge, NY, bringing the best of the Hudson Valley’s music scene and benefiting local farmers.
This year’s three-day Meadowlark Fest is set for September 12-14, featuring a diverse lineup of both national and local performers that bridges music and agriculture.
First founded in 2022 by Hudson Valley native Daniel Leslie, Meadowlark Fest humbly began as a special outdoor performance with only a small network of musicians.
“Like many things in life it [Meadowlark Fest] happened organically. This was not some grand design, it’s grown through a network of supporters, the community, a lot of really terrific helpers that we have and the support of everyone who’s been involved…” Leslie said. “It’s run by folks in the area who love music and want to support the community.”
This year’s fest will feature more than a dozen performers and includes partnerships with organizations such as Farm Aid, Rondout Valley Growers and the Hudson Valley Center for Food, Culture and Agriculture, to pursue the fest’s mission of promoting food security and advocating for local farms.
“”It’s through the connection of the venue really that the mission kind of grew. It was always an interest of ours, but it became an explicit component of the event really from the beginning through that relationship,” Leslie said
Since its humble beginnings back in 2022, Meadowlark has been held at the historic Stone Ridge Orchard in the heart of Rondout Valley. For over 200 years, Stone Ridge Orchard has operated as a working farm spread across 115 acres.
“It’s one of these locations that’s very authentic; it is in fact a working farm. A lot of these events that you have in the region are at these very curated places, but it is literally an operating, functioning farm. So, you will have an old tractor off to the side, a bunch of apple cider equipment in the storage room,” Leslie said.
Each year, Meadowlark Fest aims to capture the Hudson Valley music scene and presents a bold blend of genres in its lineup; from folk-blues to psychedelic rock.
“The thing about Hudson Valley is there’s a lot of diversity in music. We try to lean into that diversity to some degree, the best we can. We try to kind of color outside the lines a bit as far as the typical line up,” Leslie said.
Meadowlark Fest features two stages set in Stone Ridge Orchard. The festival’s main stage is the Tree Stage, set within a converted 1940s trailer coined The Ramblin’ Rose and located beneath a 400-year-old oak tree.
Kicking off the Tree Stage performances on the first day of Meadowlark Fest is indie singer-songwriter Cut Worms, chamber-pop, jazz and soul fusion artist Kendra McKinley, folk singer Garrett Owen and gutter-folk duo Driftwood Soldier.
Heading the second day of Meadowlark Fest is folk rock band River Whyless, three-piece rock group Sunflower Bean and goth-folk duo Charming Disaster. Also taking the Tree Stage is witchy-folk band Camp Saint Helene, self-identified singer-story-teller Emily Jeanne Brown and Hudson Valley-based folk-rock group Ongoing.
The third and final day of Meadowlark Fest performances features psychedelic rock group The Mystery Lights, singer-songwriter Haley Heynderickx and folk artist Willi Carlisle. Other featured performers include beloved rural blues musician and Grammy award winner Jimmy “Duck” Holmes, folk-blues singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Ryan Lee Crosby, with five-piece rock band Daughter of The Vine featuring members of Mr. Airplane Man and The Konks closing out the 2025 edition of Meadowlark Fest.
“It’s going to be a blend [of genres]. That blend is really meant to draw from these different genres in a way that’s interesting, but also creates the tapestry of some of these genres that we appreciate, we think folks in the region will also appreciate, we think some of these sounds might be new sounds for some attendees we think that they’ll enjoy,” Leslie said.
Meadowlark Fest’s second stage, the Cider Room, features a special event called The Writers Room. Presented by Keepsake House, The Writers Room features in-the-round, cafe-style performances from independent artists and songwriters to share their music on stage in an inclusive and welcoming space.
“One of the things we felt strongly about was that we wanted to make sure that the programming was not just touring artists that were coming through town. We wanted to draw from the enormous supply of talent that is already in the area… The Writer’s Room is actually entirely sourced from public submissions. So we put out a call for artists to apply and we received a large volume of responses and we selected 18 in total…” Leslie said. “That is a big part of, you know, building the roots that, you know, I think will be the foundation for this to grow in the future, but also it acknowledges and integrates that talent that’s just, you know, right there in the region.”
Now entering its third year, Meadowlark Fest has undergone substantial growth, allowing the festival to flourish and continue its mission of benefiting farmers, but operating as a close-knit community remains at the heart of Meadowlark Fest.
“We want to keep the sense of it as a small special intimate event. Growth is really going to be around building awareness and support and growing that network and community of folks who are involved…” Leslie said. “I think once you get above a certain size, you start to lose some of that character that makes it special. So, that’s part of what we’re hoping to maintain in the future.”
Meadowlark Fest will be hosting a pre-show event at the iconic recording studio and music venue Levon Helm Studios in Woodstock on August 22. This pre-show event will feature performances from three artists; headliner and Meadowlark Fest alum Laura Stevenson, this year’s fest performers Cut Worms and indie-folk band Jeffrey Lewis & The Voltage. Tickets for this exclusive pre-show event are available here.
Leading up to the fest, several exclusive artist announcements are being released each week. Underground rock band Lulu Lewis will play on September 12, dream punk group Looms on September 13 and indie pop artist Ciarra Fragale taking the Meadowlark stage on September 14 are the latest surprise announcements.
Reduced ticket sales for Meadowlark Fest will be available through the end of August, here.
For more information on everything Meadowlark Fest has to offer, from its farmers market to artisan fair, visit here.
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