Among the summer’s not-to-be-missed musical events is the perennial Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival in the Catskill Mountains of New York, set for July 16-19 this year. A favorite of musicians and bluegrass fans alike, Grey Fox has a reputation as one of the best-organized events on the festival circuit. Though tickets can be procured for any of the four days of the festival, Grey Fox veterans know that the real experience happens at night when the campsite jams rival any of the bands that appear on stage.

This year, a slew of huge bluegrass names highlight the bill including Grammy Award winning multi-instrumentalist Sam Bush, 76-year-old Del McCoury (who hosts a festival of his own in Maryland but still turns out every year for Grey Fox), husband and wife banjo duo Bela Fleck & Abigail Washburn, the recently-reformed Hot Rize, and one of the very hottest young bands on the scene, the Infamous Stringdusters. And of course Grey Fox has a sterling reputation for debuting some of the bluegrass scene’s hottest new talent so festivalgoers will no doubt discover myriad terrific-if-lesser-known artists.

But beyond the promise of outstanding music, Grey Fox is ultimately special because of the loyal community of music lovers that turn out for it year after year. For anyone who has not yet experienced the magic, your first trip to Grey Fox will not be your last as any of the friendly new friends you meet when you arrive will tell you.

—Eric Russ