Twice a year, the quaint, quiet corner of North Carolina known as Chatham County becomes home to one of our state’s finest and most diverse festivals. Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival of Music & Dance is a biannual festival in Pittsboro, N.C. that intersperses some of the region’s finest talent with internationally acclaimed acts from all over the world.
Thousands of festivalgoers are expected to fill the 75-acre farm on Henderson Tanyard Road for the fall installment of Shakori Hills from Thursday to Sunday.
Shakori Hills is a festival unlike many others—it’s almost a dichotomous experience between day and night. This family friendly festival provides instrument workshops, yoga classes and kid-friendly activities during the day. While its nightlife represents an entirely different side of the event. But whether you’re there to party your fall break away or learn a thing or two about salsa dancing, there’s a bit of something for everyone.
“I’ve come all the way from the West Coast for this festival,” Johnno Potts, one of the festival’s promotions coordinators, claims. “People come from all over the country because of the community out here. I’ve never heard of somebody coming out and not coming back.”
A community is really the only way to describe Shakori.
Though Potts said about 10,000 people attend the festival, festivalgoers greet each other with cheerful smiles and a “happy Shakori,” regardless of whether they’re passing a stranger or a dear friend. The fact that the festival runs with the assistance of hundreds of volunteers helps contribute to family feels on the farmland.
“We couldn’t do this without our volunteers,” Potts said. “They’re out here a month before the festival putting up tents and helping with stages.”
Volunteers are actually the first faces you see at the festival as you pull into the gravel parking lot. The people that love this festival happen to be the cogs that keep it spinning.
But a friendly environment isn’t the biggest draw of this upcoming weekend, even though it’s one of the festival’s most beloved perks. Shakori Hills will be hosting a slew of highly acclaimed acts that come from a wide range of backgrounds. Robert Randolph and the Family Band bring their high-energy blend of funk-filled tunes to the main stage on Sunday, and Yonder Mountain String Band will showcase its dazzling bluegrass styling on Saturday night.
While these two may be the marquee headliners, Shakori’s depth is where it truly shines. Acts such as dub Addis and Sidi Touré will be bringing their African roots to the masses along with the infectious Latin-funk of Suénalo and the ethereal instrumental sounds of British Columbia’s Community Trees. Whether you’re looking for creole music, Afrobeat, swinging jazz or jangly folk you’re liable to find it at Shakori Hills.
With acts from as close as Pittsboro to as far as Ethiopia, Shakori Hills somehow maintains an emphasis on the community while opening up thousands of attendees’ musical horizons by drawing in critically acclaimed acts from across the globe. Whether you’ve got a wily crew to camp with or a few close friends, you’re likely to feel right at home the minute you step onto the Shakori farmlands.
Tickets for Shakori Hills are still available. A four-day pass costs $110, and single-day passes vary based on the day. Thursday passes cost $28. Friday passes cost $38. Saturday passes cost $48 and Sunday passes cost $28. Attendees have the option of tent camping, which costs $15 for the weekend or vehicle camping for $75.
