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12TH AND BROAD

5 things we loved about the Pilgrimage Festival

Pilgrimage, held this past weekend in Franklin, is shaping up to be one of the South’s premier festivals.

Tom Melchior
For 12th & Broad
Kevin Griffin with Better Than Ezra performs at the Pilgrimage Music & Cultural Festival in Franklin in 2016.

We had a great time at the second annual Pilgrimage Festival this year. This event is shaping up to be one of the South’s premier festivals, and we hope they continue to knock it out of the park! Here are a few things we saw that we truly enjoyed:

1. Location

Location is arguably the most important aspect of a festival, and Pilgrimage has nailed this detail with the Park at Harlinsdale. Only 25 minutes from downtown Nashville, it gives you the complete farm experience without making a long trek. Downtown Franklin is close by, as is Cool Springs. It is a simple and easy commute, which is important for a multi-day festival.

2. Diverse lineup

Pilgrimage may have included some festival staples such as Jason Isbell, Grace Potter, Beck and others, but it seemed to pull from Nashville’s singer-songwriter pool more than any other festival. This included Nashville’s elite songsmiths, such as Lori McKenna, Angel Snow, Tim Easton, Trent Dabbs and Cory Branan. Pilgrimage also dipped its toes in some crossover Music Row acts, such as Brothers Osborne and Kacey Musgraves.

3. The founder

I believe having Kevin Griffin, a member of successful touring band Better Than Ezra, gives this festival an authentic feel. Griffin wants the best experience for the bands and the fans and that truly showed in this year’s festival. He also embraces and gives back to Franklin, an extremely important thing to do.

4. Pilgrimage after dark

The festival had the great idea of incentivising festivalgoers to visit local businesses while in the Franklin area during the weekend. Discounts were given if you had your Pilgrimage wristband at spots like Frothy Monkey, Kimbro’s Pickin’ Parlor, Juice Bar and more.

5. Lil’ Pilgrims

Even with such a monster lineup of artists, Pilgrimage managed to make this year family friendly. Most festivals overlook this, but with a devoted kids stage, kid-centric artists and fun activities, Pilgrimage has been able to include an entire demographic of folks who won’t have to find a sitter!

Tom Melchior

Tom Melchior lives and works out of East Nashville. Catch him at a local show, drinking bourbon or at Martin’s BBQ eating his weight in chicken wings.