Franklin, Tennessee’s Pilgrimage Music & Cultural Festival is the latest music festival to announce that they are “taking a pause.”
The Nashville-area music festival that got started in 2015 (and typically took place in late September) was known to be more family-friendly than most other festivals. They also prided themselves in being a healthy blend of rock, Americana and country-focused throughout the years. Their past headliners have included names like Zach Bryan, Chris Stapleton, Jack White, Foo Fighters, Kacey Musgraves, and the Lumineers.
Just last year, Kings of Leon and John Mayer acted as the headliners for Saturday and Sunday.
But after 11 years of “memories, magic and music,” Pilgrimage Music & Cultural Festival made an announcement earlier today that they’d be pausing in 2026 to focus on bringing the best festival experience to fans in 2027. When the festival that would regularly bring in 20,000 fans per day shared the bad news, they kind of disguised it as good news:
“BIG NEWS! The next Pilgrimage Festival will be happening in 2027 – 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!”
No reason for their pause/cancellation was given, other than prioritizing a 2027 return. And not to sound skeptical, but that’s basically what every struggling festival says nowadays. Faster Horses announced they’d be taking a pause in 2025 to focus on 2026… and then they released a statement that they were canceling their 2026 plans as well.
These festival pauses and cancellations have become commonplace in the past couple of years. Festivals like the Iron Hills, Country Roads, and Watershed (the Pacific Northwest’s largest country festival) have all made the tough decision to waive the white flag in the past year or so, with most citing “softer than expected demand” as the main reason for shuttering.
The pause may come as a surprise to some, but we’re entering into a time where more and more festivals are struggling, postponing to future dates, and even closing up shop altogether. It’s truly become a crowded landscape, and despite many bigger festivals faltering, it seems like a new festival pops up every single year.
There’s also the issue of cost. Festivals need to charge fans a certain amount to justify putting on the whole kit and caboodle, and that price can sometimes be too steep for even the most passionate music lovers. Tack on the fact that festivals often require fans to travel, book lodging, and pay for food and drinks… and you’ve got yourself an economic activity that not everyone can pull off during these times.
I actually attended the Pilgrimage Festival last year and really enjoyed how well-run and family oriented it seemed to be. And it being just 30 minutes from Nashville (located in the historic Franklin area) made it very accessible for locals, while also drawing in tourists from outside of the Music City area.
All that being said, it’s sad to see another festival “take a pause,” and I’m gonna be honest… I’m not going to hold my breath waiting for Pilgrimage Festival to return in 2027.
