2027 reserved seats go on sale September 12 at 10am — join the list so you don't miss your window.
MRH Productions
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Milton Harkey presents
★ The Flagship · 32nd Annual

Bluegrass First Class

The real thing. First class.
◆February 12–14, 2027 ◆Crowne Plaza Resort · Asheville, NC ◆Two stages · Indoors · All weekend
Bluegrass First Class begins in
--Days
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Get Tickets → Book Your Room

Reserved seats go first — most are claimed within days of the on-sale. Been before? Renew your same seats first.

Start Here

Two ways in.

Thirty-two years means half the room already knows exactly what they want, and the other half has never been to a bluegrass festival held indoors in February. Pick your lane.

★ Returning patron

Same seats. Same room. Same weekend.

If you had a reserved seat last February, it's held for you. Reserved seats aren't sold online — one call and Vicky has your row and seat in front of her.

  • 1Call 828-275-8650. Give your name; your seats are already on the chart.
  • 2Confirm the same row and seat numbers, or ask to move.
  • 3Call the Crowne Plaza at 828-285-2603 for your room and you're set for the year.
Call to Renew — 828-275-8650

Prefer to write? Email info@bluegrassfirstclass.com with your name and last year's seats. Seats not claimed by the public on-sale are released.

◆ First time

What you're actually walking into.

A hotel taken over completely for one weekend. National headliners on the Main Stage, up-and-comers on the Showcase Stage, and jams running in every hallway until the sun comes up.

  • 1Everything is indoors and under one roof — no field, no mud, no weather.
  • 2Your ticket is a badge. Wear it and walk into any show, either stage.
  • 3Staying in the hotel is the whole experience. That's where the picking happens.
See how the weekend works →

Not sure yet? Start with a single-day ticket — most first-timers come back for the full weekend the following year.

Tickets · 2027

Pick your weekend.

Only 900 seats, and the whole hotel is reserved for the festival. Children 12 and under are free; ages 13–17 are half price — call to add them to your order.

Renew first
2-Day Reserved Seat
Friday & Saturday · Assigned
$220 / person + tax & fees
  • Your own assigned seat, Main Stage, Friday and Saturday
  • Same seat year over year as long as you renew
  • Full access to the Showcase Stage and workshops
  • First option on next year's seat and room
  • By phone or email only — every seat is assigned by hand
Call 828-275-8650

On sale September 12 at 10am. Renewing? Call and ask for your same seats.

2-Day General Admission
Friday & Saturday · Open seating
$140 / person + tax & fees
  • Both days on the Main Stage, open seating
  • Full access to the Showcase Stage and workshops
  • Saturday is the bigger bill — this covers both
  • Jamming everywhere, around the clock
Buy a 2-Day Pass →

On sale September 12 at 10am.

Single Day
Friday or Saturday
$70 / person + tax & fees
  • Main Stage and Showcase Stage for the day you choose
  • Full access to the Showcase Stage and workshops
  • Friday or Saturday — Saturday is the bigger bill
  • Jamming everywhere, around the clock
Buy a Day Ticket →

On sale December 1 at 10am.

How reserved seating works. Every reserved seat is assigned by hand from one chart, and it carries over year to year — which is why they're handled by phone rather than sold online. Call 828-275-8650 or email info@bluegrassfirstclass.com and we'll place you. Because renewals fill most of the house, the number available to new patrons each fall is small. If they're gone, buy a day ticket and ask for the reserved-seat waiting list — seats released by non-renewals are offered in the order requests came in. Everything else on this page can be bought online, any time.

The Lineup

No filler bands. Only the biggest and the best.

That rule hasn't moved since 1996. Here’s the 2027 bill — three days, two stages, national headliners front to back.

Friday · 1:00–10:30pm
  • Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver
  • Lonesome River Band
  • David Parmley
  • Nick Chandler & Delivered
  • 501 Central
Saturday · 12:00–10:30pm
  • Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder
  • Authentic Unlimited
  • Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out
  • 501 Central
  • Nick Chandler & Delivered
  • The Emorys
Sunday · 9:00–10:00am
  • The Emorys — winners of the 2026 Bluegrass Showdown

Only 900 seats. The entire hotel is reserved for the festival.

Get Tickets →
★ 32nd Annual · February 12–14, 2027

Who’s playing.

Three days of national headliners at the Crowne Plaza Resort in Asheville — front to back, no filler.
Friday

Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver

For more than forty years, Doyle Lawson has set the standard for vocal bluegrass. A mandolinist who earned his education on the bandstand — hired by Jimmy Martin at eighteen, then years with J.D. Crowe and eight with The Country Gentlemen — Lawson formed Quicksilver in 1979 and built it into the most decorated vocal group the music has produced, with eight IBMA Vocal Group of the Year awards, multiple Grammy nominations, and nearly forty albums. He was inducted into the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame in 2012 and received a National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts, the country's highest honor in the traditional arts. Lawson stepped back from full-time touring after the 2022 season, which makes a Quicksilver set at First Class exactly the kind of night this festival exists for.

Saturday

Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder

Ricky Skaggs has spent a lifetime moving between bluegrass and country and proving they were never far apart. A prodigy who played mandolin onstage with Bill Monroe at six and joined Ralph Stanley's Clinch Mountain Boys as a teenager, he went on to a run of number-one country hits in the 1980s that brought traditional instrumentation back to Nashville radio, then returned to bluegrass on his own terms with Kentucky Thunder. The band has become a benchmark for instrumental precision, and the awards have followed — multiple Grammys, a wall of IBMA honors, and induction into both the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame. What has never changed is the conviction behind it. Skaggs plays this music because he believes in it.

Friday

David Parmley

Few voices in bluegrass are as immediately recognizable as David Parmley's. He began performing professionally at seventeen alongside his father, banjoist Don Parmley, in the Bluegrass Cardinals, and his warm, aching baritone became the backbone of that band's sound across eighteen albums that defined traditional bluegrass in the 1970s and '80s. He later co-founded Continental Divide, named IBMA Emerging Artist of the Year in 1995, and led it for seventeen years before returning to his roots with Cardinal Tradition. Parmley's gift has always been the ballad — the ability to take a sorrowful song and deliver it so plainly that it lands. His appearances are rare now, which is precisely why this one matters.

Saturday

Authentic Unlimited

Authentic Unlimited is a dynamic bluegrass band that blends rich harmonies with skillful instrumentation to create a sound that is both timeless and innovative. Comprised of seasoned musicians, including former members of the legendary Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, the band brings a deep-rooted passion for traditional bluegrass, infused with fresh energy. Having earned recognition with IBMA awards, IBMA nominations, and Dove Award nominations, the band's talent and dedication to their craft is widely celebrated in the bluegrass community. Their heartfelt lyrics and soulful melodies resonate with audiences, offering an authentic musical experience that speaks to both old and new generations of bluegrass fans.

Friday

Lonesome River Band

Since its formation decades ago, Lonesome River Band continues its reputation as one of the most respected names in bluegrass music. Five-time IBMA Banjo Player of the Year, and winner of the Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass, Sammy Shelor leads the group that is constantly breaking new ground in acoustic music. With two stellar lead vocalists, Jesse Smathers on guitar and Adam Miller on mandolin, and the impressive talents of Mike Hartgrove on fiddle and Kameron Keller on bass, the band seamlessly comes together, performing the trademark sound that fans continue to embrace.

Saturday

Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out

Russell Moore formed IIIrd Tyme Out in 1991, and bluegrass music hasn't been the same since. The band helped usher in a new era of youthful, energetic bluegrass while establishing a sound entirely its own. IIIrd Tyme Out has been named IBMA's Vocal Group of the Year seven times, with Moore the most-awarded male vocalist in the history of the International Bluegrass Music Awards. Since 1991 the band has been headlining festivals and topping charts with staples including "Moundsville Pen," "Erase The Miles," "John and Mary," and "Raining In L.A." Their album It's About Tyme drew rave reviews and produced a handful of chart-toppers.

Friday & Saturday

Nick Chandler & Delivered

Nick Chandler and Delivered play hard-driving traditional bluegrass out of Western North Carolina, with a sound that recalls the polish of the 1980s while staying entirely their own. Chandler is a master mandolinist and a gifted writer and arranger, and the band's tight harmonies and original material have made them a festival favorite well beyond the region. They were an IBMA Official Showcase Artist in 2019 and Chandler was included in the IBMA Songwriter Showcase the following year. Recent singles have climbed the bluegrass charts, including their first number one, and the band's live show has built a reputation for energy that carries a room. Their motto says it plainly: live it, love it, bluegrass.

Friday & Saturday

501 Central

501 Central is a bluegrass band from the state of Georgia with a genuine passion for the music that shows in every set. Blending hard-driving traditional bluegrass with a hint of country and a growing catalog of original songs, the band brings an unmistakable enthusiasm to the stage. They return to First Class after winning over the Asheville crowd, and their straight-ahead approach has made them a favorite among audiences who come for the real thing.

Saturday

The Emorys

The Emorys came to Bluegrass First Class in February 2026 as competitors and left as champions, taking first place in the inaugural Bluegrass Showdown. A family band from Barnardsville, North Carolina, they are siblings Elisabeth, Judah, Abigail, Hannah, and Mariah, joined onstage by their parents Philip and Melanie. Their sound draws on traditional bluegrass gospel, southern gospel, and Appalachian hymns, and their harmony singing — modeled on the Isaacs, a style few groups of any age will attempt — is what stopped the room in Asheville. The sisters and their mother write much of the material themselves. They return to the 32nd Annual as an invited act, which is exactly how the Showdown was meant to work.

The Weekend
Main Stage Schedule →

Music from late morning to past midnight.

Two stages running all weekend, plus a band workshop Milton runs himself. Set times are posted in the lobby and the Expo Center; this is the shape of a typical day.

Day One

Friday

February 12
12:00p
Expo Center doors open — badge pickup
1:00p
Main Stage afternoon show begins
5:00p
Afternoon show ends — dinner break
7:00p
Evening show — headliners, back to back
10:30p
Stage goes dark. Hallways don't.
Day Two

Saturday

February 13 · the big one
11:00a
Expo Center doors open
11:15a
Showcase Stage — regional bands
12:00p
The Emorys — 2026 Showdown winners
1:00p
Main Stage afternoon show
Afternoon
Band workshop with Milton Harkey
7:00p
Evening show — the full bill again
10:30p
Stage goes dark. Hallways don't.
Day Three

Sunday

February 14
9:00a
Gospel set to open the day
10:00a
Final Main Stage performance ends
Afternoon
Hold your room for next year at the front desk
Checkout
Last jams break up in the lobby
The JamsA program of Bluegrass First Class

The music doesn't stop when the stage does.

Lobbies, hallways, meeting rooms, stairwells — for one weekend the whole Crowne Plaza turns into one long jam session. Bring an instrument. Pull up a chair. That's the part folks have come back for three decades.

Second-floor hallway · 2:00 AM
Showcase Stage
Main lobby
Around the clockPicking runs 24 hours in the halls, the lounge, the meeting rooms and the foyers. No schedule, no sign-up.
Everybody's welcomePlayers of every level, and listeners too. Walk down from the stages and follow the sound.
One quiet wingA block of rooms set aside for sleeping. No jamming there after 9pm — ask for it when you book.
Get a Room in the Hotel →

The jams only happen for guests staying on property. Day tickets get you both stages — a room gets you the rest of it.

Where You Stay

The hotel is the festival.

The entire Crowne Plaza Resort is given over to bluegrass for the weekend. Every room is a festival room, and every meeting room, hallway and lobby is fair game for picking.

Crowne Plaza Resort · 1 Resort Drive, Asheville

Book the room block by phone.

This is the one step people get wrong every year. The room block is held by the hotel's in-house reservations desk — not the national call center. If you get routed to the national line, they will tell you the hotel is sold out. It isn't.

Call — ask for “in-house reservations”
828-285-2603

Do not book through the national IHG line or a travel site — those rooms are outside the block and outside the festival floors. The online link below goes straight to the festival room block.

Check-in can start as early as 9:00 AM Friday as rooms come ready. There's a quiet wing for anyone who'd rather sleep — no jamming there after 9pm.

Book Your Room Online → Call to Book → Room questions
Getting There

Every road ends at exit 3B.

Crowne Plaza Resort · 1 Resort Drive, Asheville, North Carolina 28806. Whichever way you come in, you are looking for the Westgate – Resort Drive exit off I‑240.

Open in Maps →

West on I‑40

from Statesville, Hickory

In Asheville take exit 53B off I‑40 onto I‑240 West for 6.0 miles. As you cross the Smoky Park Bridge over the French Broad River, get into the extreme right lane and take exit 3B off I‑240 — the Westgate–Resort Drive exit. At the end of the bridge continue straight for 3/10 mile, then turn right onto Resort Drive and into the Crowne Plaza Resort.

East on I‑40

from Knoxville, Canton

Stay on I‑40 East into Asheville and get onto I‑240 East at exit 46B. Stay on I‑240 East for 3.3 miles and take exit 3B — Westgate–Resort Drive. Stay in the right lane and follow the Crowne Plaza signs around and under the Smoky Park Bridge, through the Westgate Shopping Center parking lot, until you see Resort Drive and turn right. It will look like you are driving through a parking lot. That is correct.

South on 19‑23

from Bristol, Mars Hill

Continue past the UNCA exits and take the I‑240 West / W. Asheville exit. At the end of the ramp stay in the right lane and take exit 3B off I‑240, crossing the French Broad River on the Smoky Park Bridge and continuing straight in the right lane. At the end of the bridge continue straight for 3/10 mile, then turn right onto Resort Drive.

West on I‑26

from Spartanburg, Hendersonville

Stay on I‑26 until it intersects with I‑240 East. Stay on I‑240 East for 3.5 miles and take exit 3B — Westgate–Resort Drive. Stay in the right lane and follow the Crowne Plaza signs around and under the Smoky Park Bridge and through the Westgate Shopping Center parking lot until you see Resort Drive and the sign for the resort. Driving through the parking lot is the right route.

First Time at First Class

Six things nobody tells you.

Most winter bluegrass is a field in July. This isn't that. Here's what's different, and what to do about it.

It's all indoors.

One resort, one weekend, February in the Blue Ridge. No tents, no field, no weather to plan around. Park once and don't move the car until Sunday.

The jams are the point.

Doors open, instruments come out, and the picking runs around the clock in the halls, the lounge, the meeting rooms and the lobbies. Bring an instrument or just pull up a chair.

Your ticket is a badge.

Pick it up at the Expo Center — as early as Thursday at 7pm. Wear it all weekend; it's what gets you into both stages.

There's a quiet wing.

A block of rooms set aside for people who want to sleep. No jamming there after 9pm. Ask for it when you call to book if that's you.

Next year is booked on Saturday.

Anyone with a room can hold the same one for next year starting Saturday afternoon at the front desk. No payment needed. That's how the veterans never lose their spot.

Asheville is right there.

Biltmore Village, downtown, the outlets and the antique shops are all minutes away, and the resort has a nine-hole course if the weather cooperates.

Questions

Before you buy.

When do 2027 tickets go on sale?
Reserved-seat renewals open first for returning patrons. The public on-sale follows in the fall — the countdown at the top of this page is live. Join the list below and you'll get the exact date and time before it's announced anywhere else.
How do reserved seats work, and can I still get one?
Reserved seats are assigned by hand and they renew year over year, so most of the house is already spoken for before the public on-sale. They're booked by phone, not online — call 828-275-8650. If none are available, buy a day ticket and ask to join the reserved-seat waiting list; seats released by non-renewals are offered in the order requests came in.
I had reserved seats last year. What do I do?
Call 828-275-8650 and give your name. Your row and seat numbers are already on the chart from last February — you don't need to remember them. Then call the Crowne Plaza directly at 828-285-2603 to hold your room. Seats not claimed by the time the public on-sale opens are released to the waiting list.
Is the Crowne Plaza sold out?
Almost certainly not — but the national reservations line will tell you it is. All festival rooms are booked through the hotel's in-house desk. Call 828-285-2603 and ask specifically for in-house reservations.
Where do I pick up my ticket?
Thursday arrivals: tickets are given out from 3:00–6:00pm in the front lobby. Friday and Saturday arrivals: tickets are given out at the hospitality desk in the Expo Center, starting at 12 noon each day. Your ticket is a name badge and it's required for both the Main Stage and the Showcase Stage, so wear it all weekend.
How early can I check into my room?
As early as 9:00 AM Friday, as rooms become available. There's no guarantee, but early arrivals are usually accommodated.
What about bringing kids?
Children 12 and under are free. Ages 13–17 are half price. Children's tickets are added by phone or email — call 828-275-8650 or write info@bluegrassfirstclass.com.
Can I jam anywhere I want?
Just about. Halls, rooms, the lounge, the lobbies and the meeting rooms are all open, 24 hours. The one exception is the quiet wing, where we ask for no jamming after 9pm.
How do I hold my room and seats for next year?
Starting Saturday afternoon at the main lobby front desk. No payment is required to hold a room, and your reserved seat carries into the renewal window that opens the following fall.
Can I buy over the phone or by mail?
Yes. Plenty of our patrons have never bought a ticket online and don't intend to start. Call Vicky directly at 828-275-8650.
MRH PresentsThe touring series · MRH Productions

February is a long way off.

Milton books these dates himself, and we know the on-sales before the venues post them. Tell us who you want to see and we'll email you when tickets drop — and when a date lands near you.

2026–27 Season Tap the shows you want to hear about
Oct
03
2026

Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder

J.E. Broyhill Civic Center · Lenoir, NC · 7:30pm
On sale now
Tickets ↗
Nov
07
2026

Evening in the Round with Linda Davis, featuring Olivia Jo

J.E. Broyhill Civic Center · Lenoir, NC · 7:30pm
On sale now
Tickets ↗
Jan
08
2027

An Evening With Dailey & Vincent

Paramount Center for the Arts · Bristol, TN · 7:00pm
On sale now
Tickets ↗
Jan
09
2027

An Evening With Dailey & Vincent

J.E. Broyhill Civic Center · Lenoir, NC · 7:30pm
On sale now
Tickets ↗
Jan
23
2027

An Evening With Marty Stuart & His Fabulous Superlatives

J.E. Broyhill Civic Center · Lenoir, NC · 7:30pm
On sale now
Tickets ↗
Mar
13
2027

An Evening with The Isaacs

J.E. Broyhill Civic Center · Lenoir, NC · 7:00pm
On sale now
Tickets ↗
Feb
12
2027

Bluegrass First Class — 32nd Annual

Crowne Plaza Resort · Asheville, NC · three days
Reserved seats renew first
Tickets
Pick the shows you don't want to miss.

We'll email you the on-sale date for each one before it's posted publicly — plus a heads-up if Milton adds a date closer to you. Nothing else.

Don't miss the on-sale

Be first in line for 2027 seats.

Reserved seats are limited and they move fast. Join the list and you'll get the on-sale date, the room-block details and the lineup announcements before they go public.

A handful of emails a year. Unsubscribe any time.

Be Part Of It

Work the weekend.

First Class runs on people who love this music enough to give up a weekend for it. If that’s you, we’d like to hear from you.

Volunteers

Lend a hand.

Volunteers help at the doors, the hospitality desk, the merchandise tables and throughout the weekend. It is the best seat in the house for anyone who wants to see how a festival actually comes together.

Volunteer Application →
Vendors

Bring your booth.

Instrument dealers, luthiers, record and craft vendors and food service all have a place at First Class. Space is limited and the room fills every year, so apply early.

Vendor Application →

Questions about either? Get in touch and we’ll point you the right way.

Get In Touch

Drop us a line.

Questions about tickets, rooms or the weekend — or an entertainment request for next year. Reach out, and let’s make magic happen.

Or call.

Bluegrass First Class
828-275-8650
Crowne Plaza — ask for “in-house reservations”
828-285-2603

For rooms only. Do not use the national IHG line.

Interested in volunteering or vending? Choose it from the dropdown and we’ll send you the application.

Bluegrass First Class 2027Feb 12–14 · Asheville, NC
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