The Departed
FESTIVAL SCHEDULE
Thursday
6pm – Parade
6:45pm – Opening Ceremonies
7:20pm – The Blue Crawdads
9:15pm – The Phoenix Brothers Band (ft. Kristofer Lee Bentley)
Friday
10am – KSR
12pm – The Johnny Holland Band
2pm – Bourbon Branch
4pm – Nicholas Jamerson
6pm – Mountain Heart
8pm – Julie Roberts
10pm – The Bottle Rockets
Saturday
11am – Hillbilly J.E.D.
1pm – 10th Street Blues
3pm – Jimmy Rose
5pm – Ray Wylie Hubbard
7pm – Chris Knight
9pm – Whiskey Myers
Sponsored by:
Manchester Tourism Commission
Morgan’s Pharmacy
Clay County Fiscal Court
Tim Short Chevrolet
City of Manchester
Manchester Memorial Hospital
London-Laurel County Tourism Commission
Pat’s Snack Bar
Hughes Performance
D&J Pawn Shop
Manchester IGA
World Finance
Little Caesar’s Pizza
Chadwell’s Body Shop
VFW Post 7606
First National Bank
State Representative Elect: Derek Lewis
Windstream
Manchester Save-A-Lot
Rawlings and Goins
Windstream
Smith Wholesale Auto
Peoples Rural Telephone Co-Op
Allen’s Used Cars
Duble-J Tires and Service
41 Liquor
CMR Quick Stop
Hot Rod’s Service Center
Shephard’s Auto Parts
William Hudson Carpet Sales
Want to become a sponsor?
Get your brand featured as one of the business that helped bring this awesome event to our community.
OUR LINEUP
LISTEN
Listen to many the great artists that will be performing at the 2018 Manchester Music Fest.
DELICIOUS FOOD
We can all agree that great music demands great food and you’ll not be disappointed in the variety at this year’s music festival.
We’ll have BBQ so good you’ll wanna slap your mamma. World famous burgers that you won’t be able to stand still and eat. Artisan wood fired pizza that you’ll think you’ve died and went to Italy. Fresh cantina Mexican cuisine that tastes like you’re chilling on the gulf of Mexico. Frozen treats like hand dipped ice cream, shaved ice, frappuccinos, and so much more!
Mouth watering yet? It should be.
Interested in participating in the parade?
Download and submit your application soon! Deadline for entries is August 8th.
GREAT BEER
All weekend long you’ll be able to wash that delicious food down with ice-cold beer that’ll be on tap from our friends at West 6th Brewing. They’ll be bringing their most popular brews and perhaps some seasonal favorites!
West 6th is one of the best breweries in Kentucky and we couldn’t be more excited to have them at the music festival.
(Please drink responsibly, must be 21 years of older to purchase.)
SHOPPING
We’ve got many different retail vendors that will be setup at the music festival like Kentucky Gentlemen Cigar Company, Rustic Revival, LuLaRoe, Limelight, Mystic Metals Artistries, 76 Ink, The Makery, and so much more!
While you’re downtown, take a stroll around and visit our local downtown businesses like The Makery, Pat’s Snack Bar, Rebecca Leigh Accents, Country Cookin’ Rogers of Manchester, Razzle Dazzle and One Stop Home and Gifts.
KIDS FUN ZONE
The Manchester Music Fest is something that everyone in the family can enjoy. Bring your kids and let them play on all the awesome inflatables that Big Adventure Inflatables is bringing. They’ll have loads of fun on the obstacle courses, rock climbing wall, slides, and more! While they’re there, make sure they visit the face painting booth and try their luck at the carnival games.
Don’t worry parents, we’ve thought about you too. While you’re watching your kid get worn slick out, you’ll still be close enough to hear all the great music on stage and enjoy a “cold one.”
CAR SHOW
Nice cars and great music go hand-in-hand. Located just up the street from the music festival in the Clay County Middle School parking lot, there will be a car show hosted by Smith Wholesale Auto Parts and Allen’s Used Cars. See everything from showroom cars, imports, muscle cars, pickups, hotrods, dragsters, rat-rods, and more!
The car show will be on Saturday from 9am – 5pm. Registration begins ends at 1pm and the entry fee is $20.
- Trophies will be awarded for TOP 25
- Best of Show: $500 + Trophy
- Best Chevy: $200 + Trophy
- Best Ford: $200 + Trophy
- Best Mopar: $200 + Trophy
- Best Truck: $100 + Trophy
- Best Patina: $100 + Trophy
- Best Pre-1940s: $100 + Trophy
- Best Classic: $100 + Trophy
- Best Rat-Rod: $100 + Trophy
- Rider’s Choice: Trophy
- People’s Choice: Trophy
LODGING
Hotel lodging can be found at the Heritage Inn Suites located just off the exit of the Hal Rogers Parkway. However, if you enjoy traveling in your camper or RV, look no further than Governor’s Campground and RV Park conveniently located just outside the city limits.
Arrowhead Campground will be opening summer of 2018 welcoming campers who want to bring a tent and experience our breathtaking mountains.
If none of those locations work out for you, accommodations can be found in our neighboring town of London, KY located a quick 15 minute drive from Manchester, KY.
DIRECTIONS
You can find the music festival located in the heart of downtown Manchester, KY.
If you’ve never been to our wonderful town, and you’re traveling via the Hal Rogers Parkway, take exit 20 and just follow the signs to take you downtown.
You can’t miss it!
FAQs
How much are tickets? This festival is free to attend. If anyone would like to meet the artists, they can purchase a VIP Access Package on our website.
Can I bring chairs? Chairs are permitted, although at 5pm each evening all chairs are to be moved to a restricted area to make room for folks that want to stand/dance close to the stage.
Can I bring a cooler? Outside coolers are not permitting inside the boundary of the music festival.
What’s included in the VIP Access Package? Access to every artist, exclusive music fest t-shirt, lanyard with pass, and guitar pick.
Is there handicap access? Yes, we’re handicap accessible.
Is it okay to bring my pet? No pets are permitted inside the boundary of the music festival with the exception of ADA service animals.
What else will you have in addition to music, anything for kids? Yes, we’ll have food, retail vendors, and an awesome kid zone with inflatables.
Is there any reserved seating? No, the shows are general admission. We recommend you get there early if you want to get a good view of the stage.
Where will the stage be located? It will be located in the parking lot of the Clay County administration building and will be well elevated so everyone can get a good view of the stage.
Where do I park? Parking can be found on both sides of the 4-lane highway leading up to downtown. Some larger parking lots are located at the Kentucky Department of Transportation, Salt Works Village, Clay County Middle School, Eastern Kentucky University, Manchester Shopping Center. Shuttle buses provided by Manchester Baptist will help transport attendees to and from their vehicles during the festival.