Written by Tom Hellauer
Photos by John-Ryan Lockman and Tobin Voggesser (cover photo courtesy of WinterWonderGrass)
In between ski laps, festival goers and artists alike will be taking over Squaw Valley, California for a three day WinterWonderGrass stop featuring The Infamous Stringdusters, The Devil Makes Three and two performances from Billy Strings as headliners. From March 27th to 29th, the 2020 WWG tour comes to the cozy Squaw Valley ski resort, just Northwest of Lake Tahoe in the second stop of three mountain town bluegrass gatherings.
Now in
its sixth year of coming to Squaw Valley, WWG has curated an eclectic array of bluegrass
artists from the more punk-influenced Billy Strings to the jam oriented
WinterWonderWomen. The latter, helped formed by Bridget Law, previously the
fiddle player of Elephant Revival, invites various accomplished female artists
to jam in a collaborative setting, ensuring no two sets are the same.
Each day’s music starts around 2 p.m. and officially ends around 10 p.m, although the Grass After Dark series keeps live music going through the night at nearby local breweries and other venues. Even though they are not included in the price of GA tickets, the Grass After Dark series showcases artists in more intimate environments for relatively cheap prices. In addition to the almost thirty artists slated to perform over the weekend, the festival also prides itself on its atmosphere, beer selection and sustainability commitments, to name a few.
Many
attendees will want to hit the mountain in the mornings, with stages at the
base of some of Northern California’s best skiing and snowboarding in the Squaw
Valley resort. If the area’s warm weather continues, nearby climbing and hiking
spots will prove good morning activities as well.
Lodging
is available at the ski resort, in nearby towns, in assorted rental houses and
more. Unfortunately, many of the area’s gorgeous campgrounds don’t open until
April or May. Still, the winter scenery gives WWG its different vibe. “It’s very unique
just because there’s not much in the way of bluegrass festivals at that time of
year,” Infamous Stringdusters member Chris Pandolfi told Freeskier.
On tap
will be a variety of local and other craft beers. From 2 to 5 p.m. each day,
the festival partners with local brewers to give attendees free tastings. Each
attendee will also get a refillable, stainless steel WWG mug to cut down on
single use plastics and refill with beers.
Small
towns, Tahoe City and Truckee, are within a short driving distance and have a
bit more to offer in the restaurant, bar and store departments.
The combination of amazing artists, mountain scenery, winter sports, food and drink, and much more make WWG a must see festival for those in the area or those interested in those spaces. If you’re looking to keep the fun going before or after the festival, Lake Tahoe and Reno have a smorgasbord of music venues, hikes, breweries, casinos, ski resorts and others. The first WWG stop comes to Steamboat this weekend, before making their way out to Lake Tahoe and then Vermont in April.
The post WinterWonderGrass Brings the Bluegrass to Squaw Valley, California This March appeared first on Festival Squad.
