CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD PRESS RELEASE PDF

National Jug Band Jubilee announces Oct. 3 lineup, with Piedmont Bluz Acoustic Duo as headliner
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Sept. 14, 2026) — The National Jug Band Jubilee will return to Waterfront Park on
Saturday, Oct. 3, from noon to 9 p.m., with Piedmont Blūz Acoustic Duo headlining a full day of jug
band music and roots traditions at the Brown-Forman Amphitheater.

This year’s lineup also features the George Street Jug Stompers, Chattanooga Sheiks, Cincinnati
Dancing Pigs, Jake Leg Stompers, Possum Holler Reclamators, The Significant Otters Jug Band, and the
Juggernaut Jug Band.

The Jubilee will also include vendors, food trucks, kid-friendly activities, and beer and wine sales.
The free, family-friendly festival takes place the same weekend as the St. James Court Art Fair, Oct. 2-4,
making it easy for attendees to enjoy both signature Louisville events in one trip. Jubilee organizers
hope the shared weekend will encourage art fair visitors to add jug band music to their plans — and
give jug band fans a chance to make a full weekend of music, art and Louisville culture.
Headliners Piedmont Blūz Acoustic Duo, featuring Valerie and Benedict Turner, are dedicated
ambassadors of country blues, Piedmont-style fingerpicking and traditional roots percussion. Through
a blend of performance and education, the duo works to preserve and promote these vital elements of
African American culture.

The Turners previously performed for the Jubilee at Summer Swing, a 2024 mini festival the
organization hosted with the Louisville Folk School in Douglass Park.

Louisville is considered the home of jug band music because it produced the first two groups to make
commercial recordings. OKeh Records released 10 sides, credited to Sara Martin’s Jug Band, to great
acclaim in 1925. And Whistler’s Jug Band released “Chicago Flip” and the B-side, “Jerry O’ Mine,” on
Gennett later that year.

The recordings led by Martin and Threlkeld set off a jug band craze that lasted until the Great
Depression. Between 1890 and 1930, this early jazz style thrived in Louisville and many other river
towns.

The National Jug Band Jubilee was founded in 2005 to preserve Louisville’s jug band legacy. After
pausing its annual Waterfront Park festival following the 2022 event, the Jubilee continued presenting
performances and educational programs in partnership with other organizations like the Louisville Folk
School and Louisville Metro Government.

The Oct. 3 event marks the relaunch of the Jubilee’s full outdoor festival format.

Heather Leoncini, president of the National Jug Band Jubilee board, said the organization needed time
to rebuild after losing board members and volunteers during the COVID-19 pause.

“We took the time to discern the best, most sustainable path forward for the organization,” Leoncini
said. “Partnering with other groups allowed us to keep jug band music on stages in Louisville while
broadening our focus beyond a single weekend. Returning to Waterfront Park on Oct. 3 is a major
milestone for us.”

For more information about the National Jug Band Jubilee or the Oct. 3 return to Waterfront Park,
contact Heather Leoncini at 502-417-1107 or juggernautpr@yahoo.com.