Sutter Creek Events

18th Annual International Jug Band Festival
Saturday August 22nd 2020 (postponed)

Saturday, August 22nd, on the grounds of the historic Sutter Creek Inn, the International Jug Band Festival will be celebrating its 18th year. This year’s FREE festival will feature old favorites and new bands showcasing the variety and exuberance that is Jug Band Music. It is a “Kick in the Pants” fun time, with music that will get your feet tapping and set your soul free. Dance the day away or just sit under the shade tents on the lawn and enjoy the most unusual and wonderful music, performed by bands from near and far. Music will start at 11 am and end at 9 pm.

This music Festival will be featuring 9 Jug Bands from California, other states & countries. For the last 18 years, this festival has been held in Sutter Creek and for the last 11 years, it has set in a beautiful outdoor venue on the lawn of the historic Sutter Creek Inn, (the first Bed & Breakfast Inn in California) right on Main Street, Sutter Creek….the heart of the Gold Country.

Admission to this great event is free, but donations are requested as this is a fundraiser for the California Jug Band Association and musicians travel from far and near to participate out of the love of their music.

What is Jug Band Music? It is the grass roots of blues, played with any item that will produce music….spoons, saws, fiddles, banjos, wash boards, acoustic guitars, upright bass, homemade bass, and obviously… Jugs.

This little Gold Rush Town is the setting for many events, but the International Jug Band Festival is one of the most unusual. It is a day you will enjoy and remember for a very long time.

HISTORY:
This annual gathering of Jug Bands began in 2002 when Andy Fahrenwald and Wayne Hagen brought a variety of Jug Bands from Northern and Southern California together in Minnie Provis Park, in Sutter Creek. It was the first time jug bands in California were able to gather, hear, and meet other jug bands. Over the years the Festival grew and the California Jug Band Association (CJBA) was born.

From this humble beginning, sprang a new revolution. Now Jug Band Festivals happen in San Francisco, Santa Cruz, and a network of jug band musicians grew. CJBA depends on Contributions to The International Jug Band Festival in Sutter Creek to keep this a free event.

CJBA would like to thank the people of Sutter Creek for their support over the years. Andy passed away, but his dream of a free festival celebrating and spreading the joy of jug band music lives on and Wayne still pours his heart into bringing this event to life.

Don’t miss this amazing opportunity to enjoy a day of unusual and fun music!

For more information call 530- 400-8882 or the Sutter Creek Visitor Center at 209-217-4857