Muncie Three Trails Music Series Announces Its 2026 Lineup
The Muncie Three Trails Music Series is pleased to officially announce its 2026 lineup. This will be the 13th season in which the series presents critically acclaimed national recording artists in completely free concerts (no tickets needed). And in 2026, for only the second time, there will be seven such concerts, four at Canan Commons in downtown Muncie and three at the Brown Family Amphitheater at Ball State University. All shows begin at 7 PM and are All Ages. Complete information on the series and all artists, including videos, can be found at www.munciethreetrails.com. We are proud to announce that our entire 13th season is presented by Ball State University.
GRAMMY-winning bluegrass greats Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper will open our series on Saturday, July 11th Canan Commons. This show is sponsored by the Community Foundation of Muncie and Delaware County. The John Beatrice Band will open the show. Widely considered the finest bluegrass fiddler of his generation, Cleveland has been recognized 12 times as the International Bluegrass Music Association’s (IBMA) “Fiddler of the Year,” and in 2018 he was inducted into the National Fiddler’s Hall of Fame. His recording Fiddler’s Dream was nominated in 2018 for a GRAMMY for “Best Bluegrass Album,” and in 2019, his album Tall Fiddler won that award. Most recently, Michael’s latest recording ,with Jason Carter, Carter & Cleveland, won IBMA’s 2025 “Album of the Year” award and was nominated for a 2026 GRAMMY for “Best Bluegrass Album.”
Our second show, sponsored by Defur Voran, will feature critically acclaimed Americana musician Pokey LaFarge and his band. This concert will take place at 7:00 PM on Saturday, July 25th at Canan Commons. Locals Jerry Barker & the Onion Cutters will open the show. Pokey’s previous appearances at Muncie Three Trails Music Series attracted some of the biggest crowds in our history, so we are happy to have him back.
Our third concert will feature blues/Americana wunderkind Cristina Vane on Saturday, August 8th at Canan Commons. Locals Lovesick Moan will be the openers. Vane refuses to bend herself into a box, writing excellent bluegrass songs that exist cohesively alongside her blues, rock, and hill country blues inspired tunes. Speaking of her latest album, Hear My Call, she says, “ I wanted it to be a reflection of who I am,…, essentially a rock kid who is obsessed with old music.”
Modern Cajun afficionados and two-time GRAMMY winners Lost Bayou Ramblers will headline our 4th show of 2026, and the first at the Brown Family Amphitheater, on Saturday, August 22nd at 7 PM. The group will also open the show with a traditional acoustic set. Lost Bayou Ramblers’ evolution as a perversely progressive band rooted in Cajun traditions continues to excite, challenge, and redefine both genre expectations as well as cultural preconceptions. With eight albums, GRAMMY wins in the “Best Regional Roots Music” category for their most recent studio album, Kalenda, as well as for their recent live album, Live: Orpheum Theater with the Louisiana Philharmonic, and contributions to the score of the Oscar-nominated Beasts Of The Southern Wild, Lost Bayou Ramblers continue to swing wide from their Louisiana home base.
Latin GRAMMY winners Flor De Toloache, an all-female Mariachi ensemble, will make a return trip to the Muncie Three Trails Music Series on Saturday, August 29th at 7 PM for our fifth concert of 2026 and the 2nd at the Brown Family Amphitheater. Estrada Do Sol will open. The group weaves a variety of influences (e.g., salsa, bactata, cumbia, gypsy, Latin jazz, pop, hip-hop, soul) into their unique sound, giving them an edgy, versatile and fresh take on traditional Mexican music. They perform original songs, new arrangements of classic Mariachi tunes, as well as an eclectic selection of covers that can include songs by artists such as Adele, AC/DC, and Erykah Badu.
Our sixth concert of 2026 will feature award-winning Canadian blues/swing duo Blue Moon Marquee, who will grace Muncie’s Canan Commons stage on Saturday, September 5th. The Prairie Creek Sirens will open. The vast repertoire of Blue Moon Marquee is a trademark blend that pulls the different parts of their musical worlds together, incorporating the tones of early blues, the expressions of jazz, the heart of country, the spirit of folk, the swagger of soul, and the rhythms of rock ‘n’ roll.
Our 13th season will conclude on Saturday, September 19th at 7 PM with GRAMMY award winning musician Mike Farris, along with his band The Fortunate Few, This concert will take place at the Brown Family Amphitheater on the campus of Ball State University. Locals Mike Martin & the Beautiful Mess will open the show. Mike Farris is a GRAMMY, Americana Association, and Dove Music award winner, with six solo albums since 2001. He is also a founding member of 90’s mainstream rock group, The Screamin’ Cheetah Wheelies. His latest album, The Sound of Muscle Shoals, weaves together the spiritual and the earthly, gospel and rock ‘n’ roll, with Farris bringing what Rolling Stone describes as his “…supersized voice filled with the electricity of Saturday night and the godly grace of Sunday mornings…” to the album’s 11 tracks.
The Muncie Three Trails Music Series is a non-profit partnership between Muncie Downtown Development Partnership and Rick Zeigler, series founder and organizer. The mission of the series is to bring critically acclaimed, national recording artists to perform at Canan Commons, Muncie’s premier outdoor performance venue, located in the heart of Downtown Muncie, and at the Brown Family Amphitheater at Ball State University. A second mission is to promote the many recreational, artistic, and cultural attractions located along, or in close proximity to downtown Muncie, Ball State, and Muncie’s popular “Three Trails” -- The White River Greenway, Cardinal Greenway, and Muncie Arts and Culture Trail. We hope attendees will heed our slogan, “Explore the Trails, Enjoy the Music”.