The 2026 Festival will be August 7th, 8th & 9th, 2026
Welcome
First Full Weekend August Every Year WEEKEND PASSES NOW ON SALE
130 Mountain Shadow Drive
Hiddenite
Since 2015 By Invitation Only
Private not-for-profit event
Updated 8 April 2026
2026 Mountain Shadow Music Festival HEADLINER
A Little History
How it all got started
In 1990 Bob and Lisa Barber moved into a home in Alexander County, NC that had been built in 1984 by Greg Sprole who had moved here from California. Greg used a unique concrete construction design known as an "energy efficient precast wall system" to build the home. Bob and Lisa added decks and redesigned much of the interior to make it their dream home.
Through the 1990’s and into the 2000’s Bob & Lisa held a yearly party for their friends and family. It started as a piña colada party where friends would bring instruments and there was usually a jam session.
Bob and Lisa started The Second Fret Coffee House and Music Hall in 2008 but a slow economy and other factors doomed its existence. The good news is that, during the year and a half of “The Fret”, they met and befriended dozens of musicians.
In 2015 they decided to hold a music festival. Bob’s sound system was set up under the canopy on the side porch and folks spread out in the yard to listen to the music of a half dozen performers. That was the official beginning of The Mountain Shadow Music Festival. Since then the Barbers have built a stage and amphitheater and the festival has expanded to a three day event. To learn more, visit the Mountain Shadow Amphitheater page and the past festivals page.
Bob and Lisa Barber