Williamsburg Live returns with 4 days of music, summer vibes, June 25-28

WILLIAMSBURG – Williamsburg Live is slated to return to the Lawn of the Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg for an extended four-day, outdoor music festival.

Concerts spanning the genres of rock, jazz, bluegrass and country are in store, Thursday, June 25, through Sunday, June 28. 

This year’s event marks the first time Williamsburg Live – coordinated by the Virginia Arts Festival – has included a fourth day in its lineup. 

Organizers say the expansion is an acknowledgement of the event’s extraordinary popularity and its unique partnership with Visit Williamsburg, Colonial Williamsburg and the City of Williamsburg.

“Williamsburg is pulling out all the stops in their celebration of our nation’s 250th birthday,” said Virginia Arts Festival’s Perry Artistic Director Robert W. Cross. “It’s the perfect place and time to celebrate great music that is defined by our country’s diversity and continues to make the United States an arts super power.”

Cross added that record numbers of fans are expected for the 2026 concerts. Last year, patrons traveled from 30 states and the District of Columbia to hear their favorite artists perform at the event.

Headlining the show on Thursday are multi-Grammy Award winners Melissa Etheridge & Wynonna Judd, who bring powerhouse voices and guitar-driven hits to the Virginia Arts Festival for the first time.

The Friday evening concert brings a taste of New Orleans with jazz and funk icons, Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue – Let’s Go Get ’Em Tour with special guest Dumpstaphunk. Born Troy Andrews, Grammy-winner Trombone Shorty got his start in music earlier than most, making his New Orleans Jazz Fest debut at just four years old alongside Bo Diddley and leading his own brass band by the age of six.

Saturday will feature an all-star lineup of bluegrass and roots music, headlined by Alison Krauss & Union Station, featuring Jerry Douglas. Krauss has sold over 12 million albums, earning 46 GRAMMY nominations and 27 wins. Jerry Douglas is a 16-time Grammy winner and virtuoso who is to the resonator guitar what Jimi Hendrix was to the electric guitar.

The festival draws to a close on Sunday with trailblazing artist Grace Potter, who has released critically acclaimed records and collaborated with the likes of Kenny Chesney, the Rolling Stones, Robert Plant, Bonnie Raitt and more.

All four nights of the event will feature a signature collection of locally sourced food trucks, along with regional wines and craft beers. Tickets are available at vafest.org.