The Festival

Boats and Bluegrass is a family friendly festival held on the Mississippi River in Winona, Minnesota.  We pride ourselves in providing a fun, safe, and friendly festival environment.  If you are looking for a laid back festival with none of the large fest hassles, this is your place.  With camping just 50 yards from the festival grounds, it does not get any easier.

Our History

We started Boats and Bluegrass in 2005 as a way of promoting our business at the time Red Tail Outfitters.  We were a canoe and kayak sales and rental company and were looking for creative ways to market our company.  So we decided to try and start a festival that would promote our shop through a family friendly festival.  The festival was born and year one had plenty of highlights including the headliners Trampled by Turtles as well as the northern lights!  Every year after we have strived to do better than the year before.  We don’t want to be a huge festival.  We cap our ticket sales at 1500. We feel it is important for a festival to be sustainable.  Both environmentally and economically.   Is it all bluegrass music?  Nope.  We try and provide a good mix of music we think you will enjoy.