Watermelon Pickers Festival 2025 — Camp Neighbor Stories in Berryville, Virginia

In episode 58 of the Music Festivals Podcast, I packed up the trailer and headed to Berryville, Virginia, to bring you the story of the Watermelon Pickers Festival, one of America’s earliest bluegrass gatherings.

This wasn’t just any festival recap—this event is steeped in history, community, and the kind of passion that keeps music festivals alive through thick and thin. Even though it was much smaller this year, the energy and love for the tradition ran deep, reminding me why these spaces are so important.

You'll also be able to watch and listen too some incredibly interesting stories from the camp neighbors I met along the way as I cruised around the fairgrounds on my scooter making friends.

If you want a glimpse into what keeps a festival family thriving—and why places like Watermelon Pickers are worth preserving—don’t miss this episode. Watch the video on YouTube or listen wherever you get your podcasts, and join me in celebrating the spirit that makes music festivals feel like home.

Staying Fresh with Mark Stuart

I sat down on the fairgrounds with Mark Stewart of Stay Fresh Media—someone I’d only met online before this weekend. We traded stories about festival filmmaking and what hooked us into this world. Mark put it perfectly when he said,

“The primary thing that I love about music festivals is… it represents a window of time to me where people can be good to each other and kind without really having a reason to.”

As a veteran who’s experienced extremes of both camaraderie and aggression, Mark knows the value of the honest, spontaneous connections that only a festival can deliver. Together, we discussed how putting effort into attending—planning, traveling, camping—almost primes you for that sense of community, making you “earn your way onto a festival campground.”

Festival Family Reunions

The atmosphere at Watermelon Pickers truly felt like a family reunion. 🫠 I quickly realized that this old bluegrass festival has been the home festival for many years for a lot of the local Virginians making up the camp. It was similar in feel to how Hookahville is for me and all my hookah friends in Ohio, Indiana and Michigan. 

Somehow, becoming aware of the similarity made me feel at home too. It's funny how festival culture and norms have a way to carry across long distances, contagiously infect tribes and in turn, influence human behavior.  Daniel Donato would probably say that festival neighbors tend to connect on the same 'frequency'.

Talking With Camp Neighbors

When I go to these things, I cruise around the campground on my trusty scooter as I take photos and videos. The best thing about that mode of transportation is that it's easy to hop off and say hello to the neighbors I come across.  And that always leads to interesting conversations and entertaining stories.

On Friday at Watermelon Pickers Festival, I met Johnny, a festival attendee with some wild stories about the old San Francisco music scene in the 90s, his experience living near Haight-Ashbury, and his trippy adventures at the illustrious Burning Man as a desert pirate on acid.

And there was Steve, a longtime vendor and craftsman, who’s been at Watermelon Pickers for over two decades. He described the event best:

“I’m not doing an antique show or a craft show or a festival. I’m going to a family reunion. These people act like my family, that we catch up.”

Steve’s sentiment really hit home—it’s not just about the music, it’s about the relationships, the feeling of belonging, and the shared traditions that keep people coming back.

Through stories of legendary bluegrass acts, pirate ships at Burning Man, and the accidental art born from broken antiques, this episode dives into why festivals matter now more than ever. Mark’s insights about how we buy into these events with our whole selves, and Steve’s call to “never let this go away, no matter what we have to do,” left a lasting impression.

Photo From the 21st Watermelon Pickers Festival

So I got a new Canon R6 Mark II a few weeks back.  Not cheap ... but totally worth the investment in gear and mirrorless tech. I absolutely love it and spent probably more time than I should have shoot photography (which is why this week's episode is light on B-Roll shots 😏.  Check out some of the shots from the weekend.

Festival Performance of the Week:
Hookahville 61 Live Stream

This year's Fall Hookahville at the J&M Ranch in Ansonia, Ohio represented a big step for me, my production company NRMedia Group and Music Festivals Podcast.  After a failed attempt at Hookahville 60, we finally pulled off the a full multi-cam Live Stream production in a remote rural location.  Thanks for the internet, Elon! 🧑🏽‍💻

Nugs actually has it easy — they mostly stream from city venues with permanent stages and and high-speed fiber optic internet connections.  But streaming from a field as tent and a temporary stage brought in by a truck is a completely different adventure.  There is no way this would have happened if it wasn't for my brothers on the production crew with Ekoostik Hookah and JSG Productions and I am grateful for them and what we are going to be able to accomplish at future Hookahville's. As someone who has spent most of his career working as a lone wolf, it was also nice to be a part of a team. 

This was a first go and there is a lot of room for improvement, but there will be many more festival streams coming soon. For now, enjoy Hookahville.