The Joe Val Bluegrass Festival Returns
February 12-15, 2026!
The Boston Bluegrass Union is thrilled to announce the return of the Joe Val Bluegrass Festival! Buy your tickets today for President’s Day weekend, February 12-15, 2026, at the Sheraton/Renaissance in Framingham, MA. 1657 Worcester Road (aka Rt 9)
Celebrate the return of this beloved tradition as we commemorate:
- The 40th anniversary of the inaugural Joe Val memorial
- The 50th anniversary of the founding of the BBU
- and the 100th anniversary of Joe Val’s birth!
We’re very excited to announce that the 2026 festival will be expanding to start on Thursday night with an All-Star concert, 24 hours of jamming, and workshops all day Friday. It’ll be like adding a full day of JamVal before Joe Val even begins!
Then on Friday night, we’ll return to the full festival with top-tier bands on the Main Stage, plus the Showcase Stage, Kids’ Academy, workshops, and round-the-clock jamming continuing throughout the weekend.
A special Celebration of Life for Gabe Hirshfeld will be held Friday, February 13 at 1 pm. Open to the public, all are welcome.
The Del McCoury Band To Headline At The Joe Val Festival On Sunday, Feb. 15th!
The Boston Bluegrass Union is thrilled to announce that 10-time IBMA Entertainer of the Year, The Del McCoury Band, will be our headliner on Sunday at 4 pm! Del and the Boys are not only the most decorated band in bluegrass history, but they also have a long-standing connection with the BBU that dates back many decades. Del’s first show for the BBU took place in our very first season of concerts, nearly 50 years ago. We are so excited to welcome Del back to headline our festival, which is celebrating so many anniversaries!
Find out more about Joe Val, the person.
Thank you to our wonderful sponsors and vendors for 2026!
Premiere Sponsors
Sponsors
Vendors
Enjoy these photos and videos of past Joe Val Festivals. Photos courtesy of Dave Hollender.
There are a lot of videos on YouTube. Here is a sampling to get your toes tapping.