This weekend, a music festival will be held in Nashville’s own backyard, a rarity since the pandemic. The Park at Harlinsdale in Franklin will host the Pilgrimage Music and Cultural Festival for its first time since 2019.
The festival was dreamt up by Better Than Ezra singer, Kevin Griffin, a resident of Franklin. As Griffin has told the press in the past, the idea came from his appreciation of the park’s beauty.
According to the festival’s website, “[Griffin] wanted the community to further appreciate…the beauty and rustic quality of Middle Tennessee in the fall, and with the blessing of the City, began to dream up a music festival to do [The Park at Harlinsdale] justice.”
Once Griffin had the idea, he teamed up with old friends to create the festival, and it has been going on since. Pilgrimage is known for its family-friendly atmosphere and amenities in addition to music.
Going along with Pilgrimage being a Music and Cultural festival, there are many food trucks and merchants featured. Although there is a long list of vendors, some standouts are Edley’s BBQ and The Grilled Cheeserie. As far as merchants, The Nashville Blanket Project, Unclaimed Baggage, Black Sheep Goods and many others will be selling their goods.
Pilgrimage was never meant to be another Bonnaroo. This festival has its own stage for children and takes place mostly in the daylight. As opposed to the late-night crowds at Bonnaroo, Pilgrimage has their final acts going scheduled to be done by 9 p.m. on Sunday.
Overall, the atmosphere of Pilgrimage could be described as relaxed. Many even bring blankets or camp chairs and grab some food while they enjoy the music among their friends and family.
Since Pilgrimage’s first appearance in 2015, it has boasted big-name headlines such as Wilco, Jack White, Justin Timberlake, and The Foo Fighters. 2021’s lineup includes Dave Matthews Band, Cage the Elephant, and The Black Keys.
Pilgrimage Music and Cultural Festival takes place on Sept. 25 and 26. There are still some tickets left on their website.
Lumination will be covering the festival throughout the weekend, so stay tuned on our website and social media accounts for reviews and more.
Click here for a Spotify playlist of the festival lineup: Pilgrimage Playlist
Image: @pilgrimagefestival on Instagram