What began more than 20 years ago as a family-and-friends gathering with a flatbed trailer and a few musicians has grown into a full-fledged Americana and bluegrass festival drawing visitors to Clarendon County.
BirdFest returns this weekend, May 1-2, at the South Carolina Waterfowl Association’s Wildlife Education Center, with two days of live music, children’s activities, food trucks and a lineup curated by Steep Canyon Rangers.
Barrett Smith, upright bass player and vocalist for Steep Canyon Rangers, said BirdFest’s earliest days were much simpler. Around 2001, Smith had friends who played music, sound equipment of his own and enough interest to pull a flatbed trailer up to the house and invite people over.
“When we called it a music festival, it was almost kind of tongue in cheek at that point,” Smith recalled. “Nobody was buying tickets or anything.”
The event grew by word of mouth, eventually adding tickets and becoming a more formal festival. After the pandemic, Smith said the event paused before David Wielicki and the South Carolina Waterfowl Association reached out about bringing BirdFest back at the Wildlife Education Center.
“This is our fourth year, I think, doing it now with the Waterfowl Association,” Smith said.
This year’s schedule includes music Friday from Trey Hensley Band, Steep Canyon Rangers, Cosmic Possum and Admiral Radio. Saturday’s lineup includes Jim Lauderdale, Dom Flemons and The Traveling Wildfires, Shannon Whitworth and Woody Platt, Dan Tyminski Band, Steep Canyon Rangers, Pickers Anonymous, The Wiley Cash Show, Thunder & Rain and The Cody Sisters. The BirdFest band competition, Rock the Bird, is also scheduled Saturday.
At its core, BirdFest is still about the music.
“That’s the cornerstone of this whole thing,” Smith said. “We have a really great lineup, and it’s curated by Steep Canyon Rangers.”
That connection helps shape the festival’s backstage and onstage atmosphere, creating what Smith described as a uniquely collaborative feel.
“Every band that’s coming has some connection to Steep Canyon Rangers,” Smith said. “They’re somebody that we meet out on the road somewhere, somebody we admire a lot.”
The festival also includes children’s activities from 1-5 p.m. Friday and 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, including face painting, a petting zoo, climbing tower, bounce houses, zip line, waterfowl aviary and sky park.
The family-friendly atmosphere has always been part of BirdFest.
“People were bringing their families, and that was the kind of event that it was,” Smith said. “We talk about the kids’ activities a lot and think about how to make it fun for all ages at BirdFest.”
BirdFest arrives during a busy season for Steep Canyon Rangers, who are preparing to release their 15th studio album, “Next Act,” on May 22. The band has already released singles including “Rumble Strips” and “Heart’s the Only Compass,” featuring Steve Martin.
Even in the middle of a packed touring schedule, BirdFest still holds a special place for the band.
“This is not just any Steep Canyon Rangers show,” Smith said. “This is BirdFest. This is different.”
Although the album will not be officially released until later in May, Smith said copies will be available at BirdFest.
“The rest of the world, you can’t really get it anywhere else,” Smith said. “You can only get it where the Steep Canyon Rangers are.”
Smith said seeing BirdFest grow into a destination event in Clarendon County has been especially rewarding.
“And now it is a full-fledged, known Americana bluegrass music festival on the festival scene, and it’s cool because it happens in Clarendon County in South Carolina,” Smith said. “It’s really special.”
For Smith, that local setting is part of what keeps BirdFest distinct.
“It’s a truly unique experience that you don’t really understand until you put yourself there,” Smith said. “Just trust me, you want to put yourself there and see for yourself.”
Food trucks will be on-site, and coolers with food and drinks are allowed as long as there is no glass. For tickets, visit birdfestmusic.com. For frequently asked questions, visit https://birdfestmusic.com/program/faqs/.
