Farm Aid announced Tuesday that its annual benefit festival will take place on Sept. 13 at Walnut Creek Amphitheatre in Raleigh, N.C., with tickets on sale to the public on Aug. 1.
"In North Carolina and across the Southeast, family farmers have struggled to stay on the land, but they have also pioneered new roads to economic sustainability. This region knows the value of its farmers and offers increasing opportunities for new farmers to build a strong regional food system," said Farm Aid President Willie Nelson. "On the Farm Aid stage Sept. 13, we'll celebrate family farmers and the healthy communities they're growing for all of us."
Farm Aid 2014 will feature Farm Aid board members Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp, Neil Young and Dave Matthews -- with Tim Reynolds -- as well as Jack White, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Jamey Johnson, North Carolina's own Delta Rae, Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real, Carlene Carter, Pegi Young & The Survivors, and Insects vs Robots.
Farm Aid 2014, an all-day music and food festival, will feature a unique lineup of artists and genres and will offer concert-goers family farm-identified, local and organic foods with its own HOMEGROWN Concessions.
In Farm Aid's HOMEGROWN Village, attendees will have the chance to meet farmers, engage in hands-on food and farm activities, and learn about the ways family farmers are enriching our soil, protecting our water and growing our economy, in addition to bringing us good food for good health.
"There is a fair-like feeling when you go to Farm Aid. All day long, people are performing onstage and food from family farmers is being served," said Farm Aid board member John Mellencamp. "It's a great occasion for families to come listen to great music and teach their children about where their food comes from. We're proud to bring Farm Aid 2014 to North Carolina for the first time to feature the family farmers whose hard work and innovations are essential for all of us."
Farm Aid has long collaborated with and supported organizations and organizers in the Southeast who are keeping family farmers on the land and growing the Good Food Movement. Many of the region's farmers have been served by Farm Aid's Resource Network and hotline. Over the past 29 years, Farm Aid has made grants of more than $3.6 million in the Southeast region -- more than half a million in North Carolina alone -- supporting programs that help farmers thrive, grow new markets for farmers and create much-needed change in the food system so that everyone benefits.
Tickets for Farm Aid 2014 will go on sale Aug. 1, at 10 a.m. EDT. Tickets will be available at www.livenation.com, the Walnut Creek Amphitheatre box office, all Ticketmaster outlets or by phone at 800-745-3000. A limited number of pre-sale tickets will be sold beginning at 12 p.m. EDT on July 25 at www.farmaid.org.
Farm Aid is teaming up with If Only to offer special VIP packages with premium center stage tickets with exclusive backstage access, in addition to signed Gibson guitars. Proceeds from auction items benefit Farm Aid and bidding opens July 25 at www.ifonly.com.
Farm Aid is partnering with eBay and Auction Cause to offer concertgoers a chance to bid on premier concert experiences and autographed memorabilia beginning Aug. 14. For more information, go to http://is.gd/farmaid.
Farm Aid welcomes the participation of the local business community and offers corporate sponsorship opportunities. For more information, contact Glenda Yoder at glenda@farmaid.org. Sponsors include Amy's Kitchen, Rudi's Bakery, Horizon Organic, Greener Fields Together, Organic Valley, Chipotle Mexican Grill, PLOTSAVER and EcoScraps.
Concertgoers can enhance their Farm Aid experience with the official Farm Aid 2014 mobile app, which will be available in mid-August for iPhone and Android.
For concert updates visit www.farmaid.org/concert.