Celebrating original folk & roots music in the heart of Northern Virginia’s historic wine country since 1994
“WHAT is Mountville?” A by-invite house concert/music festival on 4 acres of gorgeous mountainside land amidst the hills of history, complete with late night song circles and camping on the shady burbling headwaters of historic Bull Run near Aldie, Virginia. Our beautiful timber pavilion comes to life with a wonderful main stage lineup of diverse folk & roots music beginning Friday night at 6pm, and resuming Saturday from 2-10pm.
The Mountville Folk Festival was founded in 1994 as an excuse for a collection of regional singer/songwriter friends to have a weekend of camaraderie with enthusiastic listeners. In the three-plus decades since, Mountville has grown into a multi-generational musical celebration; the Mountville babies of the early 2000s are now adults running big elements of the festival. To the hundreds of people who make us a highlight of their early summer each year, this experience is cherished for its blend of music, ambience and community. We've intentionally remained an intimate festival, allowing artists and audiences to connect in ways that larger events rarely offer.
The core volunteer crew is ready to welcome you! For the 2023 festival we “threw it back” to our early days
with hand tie-dyed and screen printed Mountville shirts with the logo design (by Donna Wilson) from the
inaugural festival in 1994 (photo by Carol Harkrader-Pine).
While we are always proud of the excellence and stylistic diversity of the music we present each June, over the years we've been fortunate to host some talented artists who have enjoyed success as independent artists - singer/songwriters Erin McKeown and Crys Matthews, Larry Burnett of 70s legends Firefall and virtuoso guitarist and comedian Mike Rayburn to name a few. Mountville is a unique intersection of intimate musical performances and warm community in a lovely relaxed setting.
A central mission of ours is music discovery, which is hugely important to artists who have been challenged by loss of music sales (streaming), the decline of exposure via radio and print media, and the post-pandemic impact of shuttered venues and smaller audiences. So each year's lineup is a mix of Mountville favorites and new to us artists, in the hope that you will hear artists that you'll want to hear again the next time they are in your area .
Mountville is in the gateway to DC's “Wine Country” in western Loudoun County, Virginia. In addition to our rich history close at hand, we are near historic attractions like Manassas National Battlefield and Harpers Ferry, outdoor recreation such as the Appalachian Trail and Shenandoah National Park, the Smithsonian at Dulles (space shuttle!), and an easy Metro ride from nearby Ashburn brings you to the cultural treasures of our Nation's Capital. There are AirBnB options nearby as well as hotels, country inns and conventional bed and breakfasts - y'all come see us!
What Makes Mountville Special?
Aside from all those other factors, one thing that really sets us apart is that Mountville is small and intimate, though certainly not exclusive. There is plenty of room for people to sit with each other, or to have a little comfortable space around them with plenty of room for the campers to spread out. And of course, none of the legendary mud that plagues larger commercial festivals when rain does fall!
