The 20th anniversary edition of the Kluane Mountain Bluegrass Festival takes place June 6-8 in Haines Junction
“It’s got a great vibe, it’s got a great location, it’s got the top musicians in bluegrass and roots playing at it, So, what’s not to like?”
It’s a special year for the Kluane Mountain Bluegrass Festival (KMBF). The Haines Junction-based bluegrass, folk and roots festival is celebrating its 20th edition, billed as its 20th anniversary.
“It’s actually been more than 20 years since the first one,” says John Faulkner, the festival’s artistic director. “But things like the pandemic came along and stole a couple years here and there.”
Whether it’s the true anniversary or not, a Yukon bluegrass festival lasting over two decades and 20 editions is no small feat. Faulkner, who has been part of things since the festival first began, says he and his team have always been consistent in their approach, and never changed their goals.
“We’ve been really lucky that we’ve been able to attract the top artists in bluegrass and roots music,” he says. “I like to say we punch way above our weight.”
There are a few reasons the KMBF is able to bring in big names, as Faulkner outlines.
“We shamelessly trade on the fact that the Yukon is an incredible place,” he says. “For bands from the outside, I think it’s an exotic, bucket-list place to perform.”
Faulkner says the KMBF’s reputation as a well-organized and smoothly-run festival was established in its very first year, when the festival was co-founded by Bob Hayes and Peter Milner. The two late founders were jointly inducted into the Canadian Bluegrass Hall of Fame in 2024.
“They set the bar pretty high, and we’ve tried ever since to stay well above that,” he says.
Though Hayes and Milner have both passed, their influence still carries the festival year after year, becoming part of their legacy and a lasting mark they have left on the Yukon and Canada’s bluegrass scene.
“It’s pretty neat,” says Faulkner. “It’s fantastic that it’s gone on so long and become such a beloved part of the Yukon summer.”
It’s a simple, tried-and-true formula that’s kept people attending the festival for over two decades, and Faulkner has no plans to try and reinvent the wheel.
“It’s got a great vibe, it’s got a great location, it’s got the top musicians in bluegrass and roots playing at it,” he says. “So, what’s not to like?”
Faulkner makes sure to point out that the festival doesn’t appeal only to hardcore bluegrass fanatics, and believes any music lover and anyone who wants to be part of an enjoyable community event will feel right at home amongst the festival goers.
“People sometimes forget that,” he says. “The level of musicianship is so high — it’s world-class. Any music lover is going to be dazzled, whether they’re a hardcore bluegrass fan or not. And we also present a wider variety of music than just straight up bluegrass. We always have folk and roots artists, this year being no exception.”
It’s more than just performances that take place across the festival weekend. Faulkner says the Saturday night barn dance continues to be hugely popular year after year, as does the Sunday gospel music show. But open stages, workshops and jam sessions are also among the events in which attendees can participate. That’s not even to mention the community and nature aspects the festival brings.
“It’s a pretty nice package,” Faulkner says.
This year’s lineup, like any year, features a mixed bag of local and travelling artists, and Faulkner says the lineup is curated in part by artists reaching out and asking to be part of the festival, and also by his own finger on the pulse of who is hot and rising in the bluegrass world.
“I attend some festivals myself, and listen to the serious bluegrass channels, those kinds of things,” he says. “I try to catch people on their way up. It’s hard to describe the process in 25 words or less.”
The lineup is stacked with national travelling artists Over The Moon from Calgary, The Tone Rangers from Toronto, Aline Deanna from British Columbia and The Spinney Brothers from Nova Scotia, as well as international travelling artists Sweet Sally from California, Monroe Crossing from Minnesota and the Rick Faris Band from Kentucky and local artists The Lucky Ones, Relative Harmony and the Danchic Duo.
The festival shows will take place at the Grand Hall in the St. Elias Convention Centre and St. Christopher’s Log Church.
“You get to see all these great folks in these two small, pretty intimate venues,” says Faulkner. “Both of them have just awesome acoustics and sound. You get the best of the best.”
Faulkner says the artists are always very happy with the northern hospitality they’re provided, as well as the welcoming nature of the audiences. He also revels in the opportunity to show off the Yukon to the travelling artists, even teaming up with Alkan Air and pilot Rick Nielsen to take the artists for sight-seeing flights over the St. Elias Mountain Range and Kluane icefields.
“People come back from that and they’re just gobsmacked,” Faulkner says. “It’s almost a religious experience to go and see that.”
It’s not just fun for the artists, though, as Faulkner says going out to see bluegrass music live is an entirely separate experience from listening to recordings of it.
“It’s almost a different sport,” he says. “You can listen to the records and the records are amazing, but to see them perform in the moment and how organic it can sometimes be, it makes the hairs stand up on the back of your head. It’s so incredible.”
The future of the KMBF is always on Faulkner’s mind, as he’s making preparations for the following year before the dust even settles on the current one. It’s been over 20 years, and if it’s up to Faulkner, it will be far longer than another 20.
The KMBF takes place June 6-8 in Haines Junction. To purchase tickets and see more info about the artists, schedule and more, visit yukonbluegrass.com.
“If country or folk or roots or any of those things are in your wheelhouse at all, you’ll be very happy you came,” says Faulkner.
