Pilgrimage Music & Cultural Festival to Return in April: ‘We Are So Back!’

The Pilgrimage Music & Cultural Festival in Franklin, Tenn., is set to return in 2027 after it took a hiatus this year.

After traditionally being held in September since 2015, in 2027 the fest will shift to April and is slated for April 10-11 at The Park at Harlinsdale Farm. “We are so back!” read a statement from the fest’s Instagram page. A lineup has yet to be announced.

In March, the fest announced it would be taking a hiatus for 2026, with an Instagram video announcement which noted, “11 years of memories, of magic, of music…now something new is blooming.” Meanwhile, the video was captioned with, “New sights, new sounds, new surprises! This move will allow us to bring you the best festival experience. We can’t wait to see you next year!”

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The 2025 fest was held Sept. 27-28, with a lineup spearheaded by artists including Kings of Leon, John Mayer, Turnpike Troubadours, American Aquarium, Better Than Ezra and Sam Barber.

The fest was launched in 2015 by Better Than Ezra frontman Kevin Griffin, who cofounded the fest with Brandt Wood and Michael Whelan. The inaugural fest’s lineup included Cage The Elephant, Willie Nelson, The Decemberists, Sheryl Crow and Wilco.

Pilgrimage Music & Cultural Festival has traditionally offered a blend of country, folk, rock, blues and Americana sounds. Artists who have performed at the fest over the years include Chris Stapleton, Zach Bryan, Foo Fighters, The Lumineers, Brandi Carlile and Jack White.

When launching Pilgrimage Music & Cultural Festival, Griffin told Billboard about the inspiration he took from the New Orleans Jazz Fest.

“Jazz Fest has huge tents on the main stages that look unlike any other festival. It has a very bucolic, rural look to it and we’re taking that idea,” Griffin said at the time. “All the partners in Pilgrimage grew up in New Orleans going to Jazz Fest and having gone to a lot of festivals around the country and world I realized that model of a multi-genre day festival with a big emphasis on food and drinks and art really wasn’t done the way Jazz Fest does it. It hadn’t been done many places outside New Orleans. So that was really the emphasis behind Pilgrimage.”