The festival started as a fiddle contest dedicated to a local fiddler. In the mid-80's it took on the character of a typical bluegrass festival. Until the mid-90’s, the event was held at Watson Lake Park, and then moved to its current downtown location on the Yavapai County Courthouse Plaza in 1996. At that time the event changed character again to one with FREE admission. It remains the only FREE bluegrass festival of its caliber in the western United States. Financial support comes from local businesses, Lamb Chevrolet, the City of Prescott, Arizona Commission on the Arts and many additional Friends of Bluegrass, as well as raffle sales, festival tee shirts and the festival program.

The Prescott Chamber of Commerce coordinates this FREE festival and strives to bring audiences a variety of bluegrass shows: traditional and contemporary; national, regional, and local groups; family and non-family bands – while maintaining the highest standards for the music.