Haystack Americana music festival returns to North Bend
Published 1:30 am Wednesday, July 1, 2026
North Bend’s Haystack Festival will return for its second year the evening of July 10.
Haystack brings six hours of Americana music to local businesses throughout downtown North Bend. This year, the festival will have more than 70 musicians across 18 venues.
“It’s a hootenanny philosophy: the music belongs to everyone,” said musician and festival organizer Dave Hill.
Haystack is an event of Jazz Clubs NW, a nonprofit in North Bend that operates Boxley’s jazz club. Jazz Clubs NW puts on performances and events regularly, as well as provides educational opportunities for musicians.
Last year’s inaugural Haystack festival saw 800 guests. This year, things are planned to be bigger and better, with more musicians and two more venues.
Haystack is a festival of blues, folk and other Americana sounds. Danny Kolke, artistic director of Jazz Clubs NW, said a lot of jazz musicians enjoy folk music, an art form that is similar to jazz in its improvisation aspects.
“Jazz is an American folk music,” Kolke said. “[Haystack] just seems like a natural additional event that we can do.”
Hill said the fundamentals learned in jazz can be applied to all of these neighboring genres.
“[Kolke] is mainly educating high schoolers, middle schoolers, some college kids, but he’s working with young people for the most part, and for them, all of these foundational elements — rhythm, harmony, melody, improvisation — they all map to whatever genre you want to work with,” he said.
At Haystack, all of these genres come together to provide a little something for everyone.
“If by chance you find a group that you don’t like, you just keep going,” Kolke said. “There’s lots of music to pick from.”
Check it out
Haystack is from 6 p.m. to midnight July 10.
Early bird tickets are $45 for adults or $35 for students. At the door, tickets are $60 for adults and $50 for students. Tickets can be purchased at haystackmusicfest.com/tickets.
Each ticket holder will get a wristband that will get them into all Haystack venues. Wristband pickup is at North Bend Theatre starting at 5 p.m.
