Wheatland’s 2026 lineup: Top-notch national stars, excited Michigan bands

Michigan’s last major music festival of the summer has revealed its robust lineup, ensuring an eclectic celebration to close out a summer boasting 60 festivals across the state in 2026.

Wheatland Music Festival will roll out the 53rd edition of its three-day showcase of “traditional arts” — folks and roots music from across the globe — on its Remus festival site, Sept. 11-13, with high-profile artists leading the charge such as Louisiana folk icon Mary Gauthier, Virginia bluegrass and Americana act The Steel Wheels, Cajun’s Lost Bayou Ramblers and two notable California acts: Chicano folk outfit Las Cafeteras and singer-songwriter Laurie Lewis & The Right Hands.

Michigan artists also play a huge role in this much-admired festival that likely boasts the highest return rate among Wheatland-goers (those who make it an annual tradition), including The Mark Lavengood Band, Silver Creek Revival, Molly, Sweet Dee & The Wild Honeys, Red Thyme, i.am.james, Kait Rose, Stanley & Quiggle, Elizabeth Landry, Aspen Jacobson, Michelle Held, Josh Rose, Kyle Joe, Billy King, The Blue Water Ramblers and more. 

Weekend tickets, $140 for adults, haven’t yet gone on sale. Get details online wheatlandmusic.org.

“We are beyond excited to be playing at this year's Wheatland. Growing up in northern Michigan, Wheatland has always stood out as the gold standard for what Northern Michigan festivals are all about,” said Kevin Paul, lead guitarist for northern Michigan indie-folk outfit Silver Creek Revival.

“With this opportunity, I feel like I'm checking a box in my musician's bucket list.”

Saxophonist Hannah Woodruff noted that when the band played Wheatland for the first time two years ago, she was “blown away by the overall vibe. It’s very family-friendly, which I love.”

Boasting a full schedule of spring and summer shows and “lots of new original music” to perform with a revamped lineup, Silver Creek Revival views Wheatland as the band’s “Super Bowl,” said singer and banjoist Ashley Christopher. “The stage, staff, crowd, shows and accouterments were all top-notch. It feels like the big time for us.”

Dee Sutton, of Grand Rapids’ Sweet Dee & The Wild Honeys, said, “Being asked to play Wheatland is like being asked out by your lifelong crush, followed by the excitement and anticipation of wanting to put together one hell of a show. We are over the moon to be invited to play Wheatland.”

Sutton, who’s performed at Wheatland as a singer with other bands, called it “an honor to be recognized as a songwriter and to be able to perform these tunes with some of my favorite artists.”

View the complete lineup on the Wheatland Music Organization Facebook page. 

— Find more Michigan music news and concert listings at LocalSpins.com. Email John Sinkevics at john@localspins.com.