The 2016 edition of the annual West Virginia Winter Music Festival (formerly the Greenbrier Valley Winter Music Festival) is slated for Saturday, Jan. 30. This year’s event boasts seven venues with close to 40 acts from a five-county region in West Virginia and Virginia. Participating venues this year are Greenbrier Valley Theatre, the Irish Pub, The Sweet Shoppe, The Lewis Theatre, The Asylum, Hill and Holler and the All Ages Stage at the Greenbrier Valley Visitors Center.
Advance purchases can be made with credit cards by calling GVT’s box office during normal business hours beginning Jan. 25. The number of the box office is 304-645-3838. Wristbands purchased in advance through GVT will be available only at GVT after 3 p.m. on the day of the event. For those not purchasing in advance, wristbands will be available on the day of the festival at the door of any venue for $20, cash only.
No credit cards will be accepted at any venue other than GVT. The wristband allows access to any and all venues. An All Ages pass for the Visitors Center only will be $5 at their door only.
LBSpy will offer a limited number of discounted tickets on a first come, first served basis available through their website on Monday, Jan. 18.
The Festival’s success has been solely due to the volunteers and attendees that come out as a unified, live music-supporting community on the last Saturday of January and make it happen.
In the last year and a half, the Festival has given over $7,700 towards initiatives that have helped cover band camp fees for aspiring young musicians, assisted working musicians and their families, and other activities that promoted music in our area.
Festival Board member Tim Pyne said, “The first year the festival was held, it was to help me and my family after the fire that consumed our home. I’m a part of it now, not because of that help, but because it’s a good thing and I believe in it.”
The Festival partnered with LBSpy’s Share the Love Festival, designed to encourage people to “Eat, Shop and Listen Local,” and with the Lewisburg Downtown Business Association’s music events for First Fridays at Five. The Festival also held a series of Brown Bag Concerts at Lewisburg’s Greenspace this past September during the five Wednesdays’ lunch hours.
The Festival is a nonprofit 501(c)3 corporation. Its mission includes building an emergency fund that assists working musicians in unexpected times of financial stress, supporting educational projects and giving back to the community through various music performances.
A Festival Schedule will be available Monday, Jan. 18, at wvmusicfestival.org, on the Friends of West Virginia Winter Music Festival Facebook page and at LBSpy.com.
