High Sierra Music Festival will return this summer to deliver its traditional fare of exceptional music from a wide range of genres in the scenic heart of the Northern California woodlands. But, according to a release issued by the festival yesterday, this may be the final year of the event as we know it, which like all other productions has been force to contend with the harsh economic landscape of the post-Covid world. In a post to its social channels, High Sierra called on its devoted audience, cultivated over more than thirty years of innovative stagings, to show support for this year’s presentation, with the unassured hopes that the festival can return in some comparable form next year.

Addressing the “High Sierra family,” the festival divulged,  “As we navigate the post-Covid world, we find ourselves facing a new economic reality that threatens the future of High Sierra Music Festival. While we are committed to presenting this year’s festival in its familiar form, There will likely be significant changes in 2025. To continue our celebration of music, community, and family, we need your support more than ever.”

The release continues, “If you cherish High Sierra, please consider joining us this year to ensure its survival and evolution. We can’t predict the exact changes that are coming, but the High Sierra you know today must change if it’s going to endure.” The festival concludes its notice on a high note, calling the audience to action to “make this year unforgettable” and suggesting that “Together, we can face the obstacles and secure a bright future for our favorite gathering.”

High Sierra Music Festival is slated to return this year for Independence Day weekend. The lineup for what may well be its final broad-format event is led by Primus, Ziggy Marley, Greensky Bluegrass with Holly Bowling, Jerry Harrison & Adrian Belew Remain in Light and The Allman Betts Band, atop a bill of 46 figureheads from folk, bluegrass, alternative, funk, fusion and more. The festival’s bombshell arrives against the backdrop of a number of similar cancellations, with The Peach Music Festival and Skull & Roses both shuttering their former formats in the past year, among many others.

Yesterday, High Sierra founder Roy Carter passed away at age 68, leaving behind a legacy of tremendous import to the live music and entertainment industry, largely through High Sierra’s pathbreaking artist cohort and commitment to preserving its natural surroundings. Read Carter’s obituary here.

View High Sierra’s message to its fans below.