Festival Driving Cultural, Economic Growth

After almost a decade, Bristol’s Rhythm & Roots Reunion has become a can’t-miss, musical powerhouse event, this year drawing more than 150 bands and individual performers and fans from at least 30 states and five foreign countries.

This traction is generating dollars and attention for the Twin City, which celebrates its legacy as the birthplace of country music when the ninth annual Rhythm & Roots Reunion kicks off on Friday. More than 30,000 fans are expected to fill a four-block area of State Street, watching shows on multiple stages, before the festival wraps on Sunday.

But the celebration is more than just a formidable musical event; it is an economic engine and a chance to bring thousands of visitors to enjoy the beauty and hospitality of the region. The Virginia Convention and Visitors Bureau named the Rhythm & Roots Reunion the Best Destination Event of the Year. This ranking elevated the status of the festival and is expected to break attendance records, despite the lagging economy.

Rhythm & Roots Reunion, which capitalizes on the musical history of the region, is not traditional bricks-and-mortar type economic development. But the festival delivers for the region – with dollars, goodwill, return visitors and an increasingly strengthened reputation as a strong musical venue.

Reasonably priced tickets ($40 for all three days) and heavy-hitter performers, like fan favorite Patty Loveless, who takes the main stage at 9 p.m. on Saturday, also give extra heft to the festival. Loveless is one of a dizzying list of acts for the festival that opens Friday at 5 p.m. [For details, go to http://www.tricities.com, keyword music festival.] Organizers credit various factors for the increased interest – including the festival’s blossoming reputation and its offering of a mix of musical genres, including Americana, blues, country, folk and gospel and more.

Earlier this week, Bristol, Va., Mayor Jim Rector told the Bristol Herald Courier that the festival is a good investment. We certainly agree. The city budgets $25,000 to support the festival, but easily recoups that investment thanks to thousands of visitors, their travel dollars and the goodwill Rhythm & Roots generates.

Organizers deserve praise for keeping prices low, attracting multiple, diverse acts, and keeping enthusiasm high through solid marketing.

This work guarantees thousands of excited travelers will roll into town by Friday.

We urge music fans to remember the spirit of the festival’s founding – to have fun, to celebrate our talents and to welcome friends, old and new, into downtown Bristol.

Organizers are bringing the party to our door. Let’s welcome our guests and celebrate the important place music rightfully occupies in Bristol.