ROMP Festival officials say they welcomed more than 18,500 attendees last week, with visitors hailing from 36 states and four countries, including people from Great Britain, Germany, and France.
The Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum’s 19th annual ROMP Festival took place June 22-25 at Yellow Creek Park. ROMP serves as the primary fundraising event for the Hall of Fame & Museum, a nonprofit organization.
“ROMP Festival is a signature event for the Hall of Fame and for Owensboro and Daviess County,” said Chris Joslin, Executive Director of the Hall of Fame and ROMP. “The energy around the festival this year is a great example of the Hall of Fame doing what we do best, which is produce world-class music events linked to the cultural roots of Kentucky. We call this music that matters, and it’s the reason so many traveled to our community to experience bluegrass music at the source, the Bluegrass Music Capital of the World.”
Headlining the festival were Punch Brothers, The Del McCoury Band, Marty Stuart and His Fabulous Superlatives, Leftover Salmon, Rhiannon Giddens, and Steep Canyon Rangers who closed out the main stage on Saturday night. Also appearing were Dan Tyminski, legendary guitarist Tommy Emmanuel, We Banjo 3, The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys, and Lindsay Lou among others.
ROMP attendees began arriving on Wednesday to set up RV and tent camping sites throughout the 150-acre park. Two stages were utilized for performances, including the Main Stage and the Jagoe Homes After Party Stage. Workshops took place daily on the Louisville Folk School Workshop Stage with artists and local educators.
ROMP is a community event, supported by over 200 volunteers, 60 sponsors, and countless partnerships. Typically held in late June, information about ROMP 2023 will be announced soon.
