Bear Shadow to Spotlight Regional Artists with Addition of Second Stage
Excitement is building for the return of Bear Shadow Music Festival to Ferngrove in Highlands, NC May 29-31 and its headlining artists drawn from the diverse corners of soul, funk, R&B, Country, Bluegrass and Americana. The big names gracing the festival’s main stage include Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, Mavis Staples, Charley Crockett, Margo Price, J & The Causeways, Kashus Culpepper, The Infamous Stringdusters, Marc Broussard, Pony Bradshaw, and Colton Bolwin.
Friday gets underway with evening appearances by Bluegrass troubadours The Infamous Stringdusters and up-and-coming country star Colton Bolwin. The special performances will take place under a large tent housing the newly established Stage4Hope Stage named for Bear Shadow’s charity partners. The 501(c)3 non profit raises funds and work on behalf of cancer patients to fill the gaps seeking care lacking in present day health care including connecting with cutting-edge treatments, travel expenses and mental and emotional health support. The concerts are open to VIP weekender guests with a small number of single day tickets available. All proceeds from Friday night will go to Stage4Hope’s efforts to offset travel expenses to and from treatment facilities for cancer patients and their families.
For the first time since Bear Shadow’s inception in 2021, music will run continuously throughout the weekend between the second stage and the festival’s much larger Main Stage. The Stage4Hope Stage will serve as a gathering place between Main Stage sets as well as a spot for discovering a noteworthy undercard. While not household names yet, these artists include Vilai Harrington & the Hamptones, Darby Wilcox, Clouds of Delusion and DJ Tennis Legend.
Kicking Saturday’s festivities off will be DJ Tennis Legend who will appear twice that day and again on Sunday. Popular in and around his home turf in Greenville, SC, DJ Tennis Legend will be spinning his signature high-energy, electronic dance music for attendees looking for something just a little different to groove to.
Saturday will also feature Asheville-based Clouds of Delusion who will perform two evening sets aimed at fans of the Grateful Dead and beyond. The quintet has been making a name for themselves in the region with their energetic tributes to The Dead as well as improvised jams. Made up of guitarists Garrett Andrews and Luke Shriver, bassist Jackson Chisholm, keyboardist Ian Taylor and drummer Ryan Ptasnik, the band will be bringing their jamband bonafides to the Highlands-Cashiers Plateau.
Sunday will get underway once again with DJ Tennis Legend who will be appearing bright and early at 11:30 a.m. and again for an afternoon set. Also playing in the afternoon will be singer/songwriter Darby Wilcox. Hailing from Greenville, SC, Wilcox has been dominating the region for nearly a decade with her soulful vocals, heartfelt lyrical skill and riveting stage presence. Her debut album 11:11 released in 2025 tells the story of the last 10 years of her life. Wilcox will also be the featured artist for Bear Shadow’s popular “Summit & Sound” series to take place on Saturday prior to the festival’s main performances at The Mountain Retreat & Learning Center across from Ferngrove’s main entrance. In both cases, Wilcox will be taking attendees on a personal journey of musical discovery during her much anticipated appearance at Bear Shadow.
Helping to complete Sunday’s country soundtrack is Vilai Harrington & The Hamptons who will play prior to country star Charlie Crockett’s closing set. Growing up in the central reqion of South Carolina, Harrington is inspired to create soulful country music steeped in his southern upbringing. Harrington’s bandmates The Hamptones, consisting of Josh Riley on bass, Adam Bachman on dobro, Joe Tamburro on percussion, and Jake Garrett on pedal steel and guitar, captures their Appalachian musical roots with a modern Americana twist. Vilai Harrington & The Hamptons promises to be the perfect complement to Sunday’s star-studded lineup.
In addition to world-class performances, attendees can enjoy the bucolic surroundings of Ferngrove, an 85-acre mountain property set to be the future home of the Stage4Hope Wellness and Retreat Center. Festival goers can also indulge in delicious culinary and beverage delights offered by vendors from across the region. Attendees are also encouraged to explore The Highlands-Cashier Plateau, including abundant hiking and mountain biking trails, lakes and streams and the quaint historic village of Highlands.
Produced by Eleven Events and Highlands Festivals, Inc., a 501(c)3 nonprofit dedicated to promoting Highlands, Bear Shadow has limited weekend passes and single day tickets, including VIP options, still available for purchase via Bear Shadow’s website. For more information, including a complete music schedule, click on the links below.
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