Pilgrimage Music and Cultural Festival has announced there will be no event in 2026. Organizers of the fest, which has taken place in Franklin at The Park at Harlinsdale Farm since the inaugural event in 2015, shared few details behind the decision, but emphasized that the plan is to return stronger in 2027.
“BIG NEWS!” reads a post on Instagram, whose text is also included in a press release. “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!”
The festival, spearheaded by Better Than Ezra frontman Kevin Griffin, has been something of a family-friendly alternative to summertime fests geared toward a college-age audience. Pilgrimage has historically been scheduled for late September — though the weather has been hit-or-miss, with some years hot and dry and other years cold and wet, including a rain-out midway through the 2018 event — inside a public park, with set times that end ahead of a reasonable bedtime and booking that tends to reflect the tastes of (many) young parents.
However, local festivals have increasingly faced challenges from competitive booking to pricing fatigue to weather woes (see Bonnaroo’s 2025 rain-out). The changes Pilgrimage organizers enact stand to make or break its chances of continuing.
