Walnut Valley Festival
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Valley Festival (generally referred to as Winfield by non-residents or simply Bluegrass to Winfield locals) is a well-known acoustic music festival, held annually in Winfield, Kansas. The main genre of music is bluegrass, but other acoustic styles are represented. The festival is held on the Wednesday through Sunday that includes the third Saturday of September. The first festival was held in September 1972.
Four simultaneous stages and many impromptu venues, notably Stage 5, allow for a wide range of musical interests.
Besides the world-class paid performers, Winfield is known for its instrumental contests. The headline contest is the National Flat-pick Guitar Championship. Other contests include the National Bluegrass Banjo Championship, the National Hammer Dulcimer Championship, the National Mountain Dulcimer championship, the International Autoharp Championship, the International Fingerstyle Guitar Championship, and contests for fiddle and mandolin.
In 1999 the International Bluegrass Music Association named the Walnut Valley Festival as its very first "Bluegrass Event of the Year" award winner.
Camping on the grounds of the Cowley County Fairgrounds opens one week before the Thursday when the stage acts begin. Even before that, many regular campers are in line for choice campsites. This event is known as the Land Rush after the Oklahoma Land Rush that happened nearby. Approximately half of Winfield campers bring a musical instrument, so the campgrounds are particularly conducive to all-night jamming. When camping, there are many people from different countries. In the 2006 Walnut Valley Festival, there were performers from Ireland and visitor from as far away as Japan. There were some from Germany, France, Sweden, and also Paraguay.
