Key Takeaways For Vermont’s Fall 2026 Concert Season
- Vermont’s fall 2026 concert season centers on Americana, indie folk, Southern rock, and bluegrass, framed by peak foliage at venues such as Waterfront Park, Shelburne Museum, and the Flynn.
- Three major shows anchor the season: Blackberry Smoke’s 25th Anniversary Tour at Paramount Theatre, Portugal. The Man at Grand Point North, and Spacey Jane supporting Rainbow Kitten Surprise at Champlain Valley Exposition.
- September leans heavily on outdoor venues before the calendar shifts indoors to intimate rooms like the Flynn, Higher Ground, Spruce Peak, and Paramount Theatre as temperatures drop.
- Festival formats shape much of the schedule, with Grand Point North, New World Festival, and Plymouth Folk and Blues Festival offering multi-act, multi-day experiences.
- Tickets for the most in-demand shows sell quickly during foliage season, so early booking through OnesToWatch Live helps secure preferred dates and seats.
Featured Ticket Links For OnesToWatch Shows
Three OnesToWatch–backed concerts sit at the center of Vermont’s fall 2026 season. These dates pair national touring acts with foliage travel windows, so advance tickets matter.
Blackberry Smoke – 25th Anniversary Tour 2026
Friday, September 18, 2026 | Paramount Theatre, Rutland, VT
Portugal. The Man – Grand Point North 2026
Friday, September 18, 2026 | Waterfront Park, Burlington, VT (Package Only)
Get Portugal. The Man Festival Passes
Spacey Jane – Supporting Rainbow Kitten Surprise
Saturday, September 12, 2026 | Champlain Valley Exposition, Essex Junction, VT
The 15 Best Concerts In Vermont This Fall 2026
The following 15 concerts outline the core of Vermont’s fall 2026 season, moving from outdoor September highlights into more intimate late-fall indoor shows.
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Blackberry Smoke – 25th Anniversary Tour 2026
Friday, September 18, 2026 | Paramount Theatre, Rutland, VTBlackberry Smoke’s 25th Anniversary Tour turns Rutland’s Paramount Theatre into a one-night survey of the band’s Southern rock catalog. The group has spent more than two decades building a reputation for feel-first, guitar-driven shows that reward close listening. Paramount’s intimate seated layout keeps every seat within clear range of the stage, which suits the band’s dynamic shifts and extended solos. OnesToWatch highlights this date as a milestone performance that works both for long-time followers and newer listeners. Rutland’s position along Route 4, one of Vermont’s premier foliage drives, makes the show a strong anchor for a weekend itinerary.
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Portugal. The Man – Grand Point North 2026
Friday, September 18, 2026 | Waterfront Park, Burlington, VT
Portugal. The Man joins the Friday lineup of Grace Potter’s Grand Point North Music Festival at Burlington’s Waterfront Park. The festival runs September 18–20, 2026, with Dawes and Trampled by Turtles on Saturday and Dark Star Orchestra on Sunday. Portugal. The Man’s psychedelic rock works especially well in an outdoor setting, and the Lake Champlain backdrop adds a strong visual element. Tickets are sold as festival packages rather than single-show entries. OnesToWatch has tracked the band’s consistent festival presence, and Grand Point North fits that pattern.
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Spacey Jane – Supporting Rainbow Kitten Surprise
Saturday, September 12, 2026 | Champlain Valley Exposition, Essex Junction, VTAustralian indie rock band Spacey Jane opens for Rainbow Kitten Surprise on the Champlain Valley Exposition’s Midway Lawn in Essex Junction. The show starts at 8:00 PM on Saturday, September 12, 2026. Spacey Jane’s melodic guitar work and hook-forward writing have built a growing international audience, and this support slot marks a notable step in their North American touring profile. OnesToWatch identifies the group as a breakout candidate, and the Midway Lawn’s capacity of around 5,000 attendees delivers festival-scale energy while still feeling approachable.
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Old Crow Medicine Show – Ben & Jerry’s Concerts On The Green
Friday, September 18, 2026 | Shelburne Museum, Shelburne, VTOld Crow Medicine Show brings its high-energy string band set to the Shelburne Museum outdoor meadow, with Palmyra opening. Tickets range from $57 to $65. The Concerts on the Green series, presented by Higher Ground and evenko, encourages blankets, low beach chairs, and picnic spreads, which suits Old Crow’s blend of Americana and bluegrass. Children 12 and under are admitted free, and Shelburne’s location seven miles south of Burlington makes the show easy to pair with Grand Point North.
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Of Monsters And Men – Ben & Jerry’s Concerts On The Green
Sunday, September 20, 2026 | Shelburne Museum, Shelburne, VTIcelandic indie folk group Of Monsters and Men headlines the Ben & Jerry’s Concerts on the Green at Shelburne Museum on September 20, with August Ponthier supporting. Tickets run from $54.50 to $58.50, and children 12 and under are admitted free. The band’s layered vocals, folk instrumentation, and wide dynamics match the rolling meadow setting. This is a family-friendly option that rewards early arrival; see the guidance section for parking tips.
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Grand Point North 2026 – Full Festival
September 18–20, 2026 | Waterfront Park, Burlington, VTGrace Potter’s Grand Point North serves as Vermont’s flagship fall festival, spanning three days at Burlington Waterfront Park with ticket prices from $60 to $330. Beyond Portugal. The Man on Friday, Saturday features Dawes, Trampled by Turtles, Maggie Rose, Frankie White, and Rose Asteroid. Sunday centers on Dark Star Orchestra and Dogs in a Pile. Proceeds support the Grand Point Foundation, which funds arts education and cultural programming. VIP packages add a private viewing area, hospitality space, signed poster, commemorative laminate, and early entry.
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Marcus King Band – The Flynn
Tuesday, September 15, 2026 | Flynn Center for the Performing Arts, Burlington, VTThe Marcus King Band, with support from Penelope Road, plays the Flynn in Burlington on a Tuesday night. The Flynn’s main stage seats 1,453 people, giving King’s blues-rock guitar work clear sightlines and strong acoustics. A mid-week date often draws a more focused audience and pairs well with mid-week foliage travel, which typically avoids the heaviest crowds.
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Pete Yorn – Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center
Thursday, September 11, 2026 | Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center, Stowe, VTPete Yorn appears at the Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center in Stowe, a 420-seat room that offers one of Vermont’s most intimate settings for a national act. Official venue pricing lists $48.34–$74.55, while secondary sites report higher starting prices and averages around $88. Stowe ranks as the No. 9 fall foliage destination in the U.S. for 2026, and the 71-mile Green Mountain Byway makes this a natural concert-and-scenic-drive pairing.
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Graham Nash – Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center
Thursday, September 17, 2026 | Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center, Stowe, VTGraham Nash performs at Spruce Peak Arts in Stowe on Thursday, September 17, 2026, with tickets from $87.86 to $139.75. The 420-seat capacity makes this one of the smallest rooms Nash visits, giving the show an unusually close feel for a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer. The date falls the night before Grand Point North opens in Burlington, which creates a natural two-night run along the Stowe–Burlington corridor.
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Madison Cunningham – Higher Ground
Wednesday, September 23, 2026 | Higher Ground, South Burlington, VTMadison Cunningham plays Higher Ground in South Burlington, a converted warehouse venue whose main room holds around 750 people, with some sources citing up to 1,100. Cunningham’s detailed guitar work and songwriting benefit from the room’s direct sightlines and compact floor. The venue sits near Burlington International Airport and is surrounded by lodging options typically priced between $110 and $240 per night.
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Suzanne Vega – Barre Opera House
Friday, October 23, 2026 | Barre Opera House, Barre, VTSuzanne Vega’s Flying With Angels Tour reaches the Barre Opera House on October 23 as part of an expanded East Coast leg. Vega appears with longtime collaborators Gerry Leonard on guitar and Stephanie Winters on cello, supporting her album Flying With Angels, her first new collection in a decade. The historic Barre Opera House sits in central Vermont, and the late-October date lands within the region’s typical foliage window.
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Punch Brothers – Paramount Theatre
Sunday, November 8, 2026 | Paramount Theatre, Rutland, VTSeven Days lists Punch Brothers at the Paramount Theatre on November 8 as a key fall show. The progressive bluegrass quintet, led by Chris Thile, brings intricate arrangements and precise ensemble playing to one of Vermont’s most respected mid-size rooms. By early November, foliage has largely passed, so the draw here is the indoor listening experience rather than scenery.
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Judy Collins With The Vermont Symphony Orchestra – The Flynn
Saturday, November 14, 2026 | Flynn Center for the Performing Arts, Burlington, VTThe Vermont Symphony Orchestra presents Judy Collins in a performance billed as her final Vermont appearance after nearly seven decades on the road. Collins has noted that her “farewell tour” is more of a continuing tour, yet the occasion still carries weight. She appears with the full VSO on the Flynn’s 1,453-seat main stage, which offers the scale and acoustics suited to a career-spanning set. Tickets are available through the orchestra’s site.
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Buena Vista Social Club – Higher Ground
Thursday, October 15, 2026 | Higher Ground, South Burlington, VTThe Buena Vista Orchestra, associated with the Buena Vista Social Club project, brings Cuban repertoire to Higher Ground on October 15. The ensemble’s set draws on decades of Cuban musical tradition, delivered with a mix of warmth and precision. Higher Ground’s close-quarters floor and warehouse architecture support the communal feel of the performance. The mid-October date aligns with peak foliage in much of the state.
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Vermont Symphony Orchestra Season Opener – The Flynn
Friday, September 18, 2026 | Flynn Center for the Performing Arts, Burlington, VTThe Vermont Symphony Orchestra’s 2026–27 season opens at the Flynn on September 18 with a program focused on music inspired by powerful women. The concert premieres a VSO commission by composer Clarice Assad, funded by Vermont Humanities and Vermont Arts Council, which draws on the story of Charity Bryant and Sylvia Drake, a historic Weybridge couple. For visitors in town for Grand Point North, the VSO opener offers a contrasting indoor option just seven blocks from the waterfront.
Additional Vermont Concerts To Watch
Several smaller venues and festivals round out the fall calendar and reward travelers with flexible schedules.
- Radio Bean, Burlington – Burlington’s most intimate room hosts Sova with Tom Pearo on September 23 and Racecourse on November 18, among other dates. Radio Bean suits listeners who prefer close-quarters sets from local and regional artists.
- New World Festival, Randolph – The 34th Annual New World Festival on September 6 brings Celtic and Québécois music to five stages in downtown Randolph, with artists including Cantrip, Genticorum, and Mélisande. Adult day tickets cost $65 plus tax, and children 12 and under attend free.
- Plymouth Folk And Blues Festival, Plymouth Notch – A free two-day event on September 5–6 at the President Calvin Coolidge State Historic Site, featuring folk and blues artists in a historic hillside setting. Cash donations support performers.
- Zenbarn, Waterbury Center – This restored dairy barn venue ten minutes from Stowe hosts Andy Frasco & the U.N. (September 16–17), Oliver Wood (September 27), and Kaleta & The Super Yamba Band (October 2). An on-site vacation rental makes it easy to turn a show into a weekend stay.
- Five For Fighting – Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center, Stowe – Five For Fighting with String Quartet plays Spruce Peak Arts in Stowe on Saturday, September 26 at 7:00 PM, with official ticket prices from $48.34 to $63.85. The show offers another intimate Stowe option during the late-September foliage window.
Season Trends And Programming Themes
Vermont’s fall 2026 concert calendar leans toward Americana, bluegrass, and jam-adjacent acts, from Old Crow Medicine Show and Punch Brothers to Grand Point North’s Dawes, Trampled by Turtles, and Dark Star Orchestra. This emphasis reflects Vermont’s reputation as a jam-leaning, Grateful Dead–oriented market. Outdoor venues such as Shelburne Museum, Waterfront Park, and Champlain Valley Exposition carry most of September’s load before audiences move indoors to the Flynn, Higher Ground, Spruce Peak, and Paramount Theatre. Festival structures stand out across the schedule, with Grand Point North, New World Festival, and Plymouth Folk and Blues Festival all favoring multi-act, multi-day lineups. OnesToWatch focuses on artists with strong live potential, and the inclusion of Spacey Jane and Portugal. The Man fits that lens.
Explore OnesToWatch’s 2026 Top 30 Artists
Practical Guidance For Vermont Fall Concert Trips
Planning a Vermont fall concert weekend starts with foliage timing and lodging lead time. Peak foliage in central and southern Vermont usually runs through the first half of October, sometimes stretching into the third week. During those peak weekends, accommodation rates often sit 50–100% above off-season pricing, with regional variations, so booking six to eight months ahead is a practical target.
Several routes pair naturally with concert stops. Route 4 works well for Rutland or central Vermont shows and covers roughly 40 miles from White River Junction through Quechee and Woodstock to Sherburne Pass. Route 100, a north–south state highway, runs along the eastern edge of the Green Mountain National Forest, passes through the Mad River Valley, and reaches Plymouth, where it connects with VT 100A, linking Stowe-area venues with southern destinations. The Green Mountain Byway forms a 71-mile loop through Stowe and surrounding landscapes, with views of Mt. Mansfield that complement a Spruce Peak concert weekend.
Mid-week shows at venues like the Flynn and Higher Ground bring a clear advantage, as mid-week foliage crowds typically run 50–70% lower than weekend levels, and room rates tend to be more manageable. For outdoor concerts at Shelburne Museum, arriving early simplifies parking and exit, and all events run rain or shine. Children 12 and under attend Ben & Jerry’s Concerts on the Green for free, which makes Old Crow Medicine Show and Of Monsters and Men strong choices for families.
For the three OnesToWatch featured shows, tickets remain available through the links below, subject to change. Blackberry Smoke at the Paramount in particular tends to move quickly, given the venue’s size and the anniversary billing.
Blackberry Smoke – September 18, Paramount Theatre, Rutland
Get Blackberry Smoke Rutland Tickets
Portugal. The Man At Grand Point North – September 18, Waterfront Park, Burlington
Get Grand Point North Friday Passes
Spacey Jane Supporting Rainbow Kitten Surprise – September 12, Champlain Valley Exposition, Essex Junction
Buy Tickets For Spacey Jane In Vermont
FAQ
What Are The Best Concerts In Vermont This Fall 2026?
Standout shows include Blackberry Smoke’s 25th Anniversary Tour at the Paramount Theatre in Rutland on September 18, Portugal. The Man at Grand Point North in Burlington on September 18, and Spacey Jane supporting Rainbow Kitten Surprise at the Champlain Valley Exposition in Essex Junction on September 12. Old Crow Medicine Show and Of Monsters and Men at Shelburne Museum on September 18 and 20, respectively, add major outdoor options. For orchestral and classical programming, the Vermont Symphony Orchestra’s season opener at the Flynn on September 18 and the Judy Collins performance with the VSO on November 14 carry particular weight. Grand Point North, running September 18–20 at Burlington Waterfront Park, offers the highest concentration of touring acts in one place.
What Music Festivals Are Happening In Vermont In Fall 2026?
Grand Point North runs September 18–20 at Burlington Waterfront Park, headlined by Grace Potter with Portugal. The Man, Dawes, Trampled by Turtles, Dark Star Orchestra, and others. The New World Festival, focused on Celtic and Québécois music, takes place September 6 in downtown Randolph across five stages. The Plymouth Folk and Blues Festival runs September 5–6 at the President Calvin Coolidge State Historic Site in Plymouth Notch and remains free to attend. The Burlington Baroque Festival appears September 17–20 across three Burlington venues. The Homegrown in Vermont Music Festival took place September 5 in Stowe with more than 20 Vermont artists.
What Are The Best Concert Venues In Burlington, Vermont?
Burlington and nearby towns offer several notable venues. Waterfront Park at 20 Lake Street hosts Grand Point North and other large outdoor events, with Lake Champlain as a backdrop and wheelchair-accessible paths. The Flynn Center for the Performing Arts seats 1,453 and serves as the city’s primary indoor stage for orchestral, rock, and folk concerts. Higher Ground in South Burlington holds roughly the capacity noted earlier in a converted warehouse setting and books indie, rock, folk, and alternative acts across a dense fall schedule. Radio Bean functions as Burlington’s most intimate listening room. Shelburne Museum, seven miles south of Burlington, presents the Ben & Jerry’s Concerts on the Green series on a sloping outdoor meadow.
Are There Free Concerts In Vermont This Fall 2026?
Several free events appear on the calendar. The Plymouth Folk and Blues Festival on September 5–6 in Plymouth Notch is free, with cash donations encouraged to support artists. Vermont Humanities–supported “The Lonely Days Are Gone: Community Square Dance Tour” brings free concerts and square dances to historic town halls across Vermont in September and October 2026, led by Dorset fiddler Ida Mae Specker. The New World Festival in Randolph admits children 12 and under free with an adult. Ben & Jerry’s Concerts on the Green at Shelburne Museum also admit children 12 and under free, including for Old Crow Medicine Show and Of Monsters and Men.
How Should I Plan A Vermont Foliage And Concert Weekend?
The most reliable approach anchors the trip around a confirmed concert date and then layers foliage drives and side visits around that night. For Burlington-area shows such as Grand Point North or Shelburne Museum concerts, the Champlain Valley offers lakefront drives and straightforward access to Route 7 south toward Shelburne and Vergennes. For Rutland-area events like Blackberry Smoke at the Paramount, Route 4 west from White River Junction through Quechee and Woodstock ranks among Vermont’s most scenic fall corridors. For Stowe-area concerts at Spruce Peak, the Green Mountain Byway provides a 71-mile loop that frames the region’s foliage before or after the show.