Presenting an array of world-class live music acts, Pilgrimage Music & Cultural Festival is upping the ante with 35+ artisanal vendors and over 50 food and beverage partners on tap September 25 & 26 at The Park at Harlinsdale Farm in Franklin, TN.
With a wide selection of delicious options, guests are in for a treat – literally – as Pilgrimage whips up local restaurants and cafes serving their crowd-favorites. Munching on smoky barbecue with Edley’s Bar-B-Cue and Music City Brisket, or juicy burgers from M.L. Rose and The Pharmacy Burger Parlor & Beer Garden, no one is leaving hungry from this music festival. Iconic local flavors like Big Shake’s Hot Chicken can be found, alongside Tennessee Tatercakes and The Tennessee Cobbler Co. Plus the Farm to Turntable Food Truck Park pumps up 16 more area food trucks. Whether you’re craving a chilled Blue Monkey Shaved Ice, or ooey-gooey goodness from The Grilled Cheeserie, there’s something for every taste bud. In addition, Franklin, TN-based Hardee’s is making its first pilgrimage to the 200-acre property, with a special menu of fresh Made From Scratch biscuits. Festival-goers can stop by the Hardee’s food truck to try one of these famous biscuits, created exclusively for Pilgrimage by VP of Global Culinary Innovation, Owen Klein.
FOOD PARTNERS: BANH MI & ROLL FACTORY, BEN & JERRY'S, BIG SHAKE'S HOT CHICKEN, BLUE MONKEY SHAVED ICE, CALIFARMIA, CHIVANADA, DADDY'S DOGS, EDLEY'S BAR-B-QUE, FRANKLIN CAFÉ, FRUIT TEA CHICKS, GERARD'S PAELLA, GIFFORD'S BACON, HARDEE’S, HATTIE JANE'S CREAMERY, ISLAND NOODLES, MUSIC CITY BRISKET, MUSIC CITY KETTLE KORN, M.L. ROSE, OLIVER’S ICEBOX, PADRINOS POPS, PELE'S WOOD FIRE PIZZA, THE PHARMACY BURGER PARLOR & BEER GARDEN, PINCHY'S LOBSTER CO., QUANG NOODLE, RAFTERS ON WHEELS, RETRO SNO, ROLLED 4 EVER ICE CREAM, ROMEGA TAQUERIA, SJ WEATHERBY CONCEPTS, SPREAD'EM KITCHEN, THE TASTY WHEEL, TENNESSEE TATERCAKES, THE GRILLED CHEESERIE, THE HULI HUT, THE MAC SHACK, THE TENNESSEE COBBLER CO., TICA'S BURGER JOINT, TWO GUYS, WEST COAST EVENTS
With a bubbling reputation for presenting a refined adult beverage experience, the popular Craft Beer Hall is back in 2021 with a brand-new name, now titled the Wicked Weed Brew Hall, featuring eight of the Asheville, NC-based Wicked Weed Brewing’s most popular and seasonal beers, plus several local and regional brews on draft. Guests can get their sip on while catching NCAA and NFL programming on the LED screens all weekend long. For the wine enthusiasts, Washington wines will be flowing by the glass or bottle, produced by House of Smith, with ViNO CasaSmith, K Vintners, and Substance Collections. For music lovers looking for that perfect cocktail, the Pilgrimage mixology experience continues with help from the finest spirit partners, including Deep Eddy Vodka, Hendrick’s Gin, Milagro Tequila, George Dickel, and the recently-released Dickel Bourbon. For those that prefer a crisp, cold beer or a refreshing hard seltzer, the event welcomes Bud Light Seltzer and Michelob ULTRA.
PREMIER WINE, BEER, & SPIRITS PARTNERS: BUD LIGHT SELTZER, DEEP EDDY VODKA, GEORGE DICKEL, DICKEL BOURBON, HENDRICK’S GIN, MICHELOB ULTRA, MILAGRO TEQUILA, VINO CASASMITH, WICKED WEED BREWING
Offering environmentally-friendly brands like CEMENT6 – accessories made from recycled cement and farming bags – and Unclaimed Baggage – repurposed items from unclaimed luggage, to guitar string jewelry crafted by N Harmony Jewelry and Strings for Hope, and spicy hard candy from Nashville Hot Sweets, this year’s Makers Village has items for the whole family. Nashville, TN-based ORCA displays their rugged and tough drinkware and coolers, J. Matthew Welker: Pop Art Done Good and KCdesignZ are set to showcase one-of-a-kind art, while IMAJENation Hoop Revival creates homemade toys for the Lil’ Pilgrims. With a list of clothing designers like Black Sheep Goods, Franklin Road Apparel Company, and Wander & Co. in the mix, even mobile braiding service braidbabes will be on-site turning up the style. Topping off the fashion finds, Tecovas curated a unique showroom made just for Pilgrimage, featuring selections of their handmade cowboy boots, leather goods, apparel, and accessories.
MAKERS VILLAGE VENDORS: ARAVAY, BANDBOX, BARAKÀ JEWELRY, BEBO FOLK ART, BLACK SHEEP GOODS, BRAIDBABES, BUBO HANDMADE, CEMENT6, CUTCO, ELLAJUDE, FRANKLIN ROAD APPAREL COMPANY, GRACE AND CHARM, HEMP HATS! BY SUNNY LIFE, HIPPIE LOOT, IMAJENATION HOOP REVIVAL, J. MATTHEW WELKER: POP ART DONE GOOD, KCDESIGNZ, MAMIE RUTH, MIGDALIA, N HARMONY JEWELRY, THE NASHVILLE BLANKET PROJECT, NASHVILLE HOT SWEETS, NASHVILLE PICKS, ORCA, REDNECKS, HIPPIES & MISFITS CLOTHING, ROADWORN, ROY LAWS ART, SECRET WILD ART, SICK DYE, SOCO SWINGS, SOULDIER, STRINGS FOR HOPE, TECOVAS, TEXTILE REVIVAL: CREATIVE OUTLAWS, THE I-Y, TYE DYE MARY, UNCLAIMED BAGGAGE, WANDER & CO.
“As with our music programming, our lineup of kitchens, distilleries, breweries, wineries, and makers include the best boutique brands in the region and beyond,” shares event co-producer W. Brandt Wood. “Pilgrimage patrons have learned that there are a multitude of experiences to discover throughout the entire weekend in addition to the music at the festival.”
Produced by Better Than Ezra frontman and Franklin resident Kevin Griffin, alongside Wood and Michael Whelan, Pilgrimage Music & Cultural Festival will host 50+ acts across five stages with Dave Matthews Band, The Black Keys, Maren Morris, and Cage The Elephant amping up the two-day event as headliners. Tier 2-priced tickets are almost sold out, as fans can still snag two-day GA tickets for $209, and two-day VIP passes for $999 at PilgrimageFestival.com. Pilgrimage donates a portion of every ticket sale to help members of the music community in need through its direct partnership with the Recording Academy’s nonprofit MusiCares, in addition to Friends of Franklin Parks for capital projects at The Park at Harlinsdale Farm.
