Hosted on its 145-acre homestead in Dale, Texas – near Lockhart – the surprise comeback pares down from the festival’s typical 30-plus acts to 14 total. The lineup includes Uncle Lucius; Kelly Willis, Brennen Leigh, and Melissa Carper ; the South Austin Jug Band; Luke Bulla; Kalu & the Electric Joint; Hot Club of Cowtown; Tomar & the FCs; Texas String Assembly; HalleyAnna Finlay and Dustin Welch; the Hillsiders; Everett Wren; Good Looks; Elijah Delgado; and Audry Bryant.
Most of the music takes place on the festival’s campground stage on Friday and Saturday, but gates open at 12pm on Thursday, May 9, for the fest’s traditional open mic. The event wraps at 3pm Sunday, on the morning of which organizers promise special Mother’s Day programming.Thursday, Old Settler’s Executive Director Diana Harrell said the 2024 edition will be an “intimate,” back-to-basics party.
“Old Settler’s is known for picking circles. So after the music ends, all the campers get together and do a picking circle until about 2 o'clock in the morning,” Harrell says. “We're getting back to our roots with this festival.”Old Settler’s Music Festival websiteIn November, the 1987-launched Americana festival announced plans to sell its Dale property, located at 1616 FM 3158.
, in 2021 – the land is still for sale. Harrell says she’s confident that Old Settler’s will return in the future, even if it moves to a new location. “We've been around for 37 years and we're planning to be around for 37 more, if not longer,” Harrell says. “If the land sells and it's not something that works for us to stay with the new owners, we will return.Bold and uncensored,has been Austin’s independent news source for over 40 years, expressing the community’s political and environmental concerns and supporting its active cultural scene.