A Music Festival of national acclaim, the annual Farm Aid will return to the Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) on September 21st. The 2024 edition of the festival will feature performances from the festival’s legendary board members: Neil Young, Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp, and Dave Matthews, among other performers.
Farm Aid began in 1985 to raise awareness about the loss of family farms across the country. Bob Dylan’s Live Aid performance, where he commented on the hardships of American farmers, inspired Willie Nelson to begin the festival. In only six weeks the first Farm Aid was organized. Located in Champaign, Illinois, the September 22, 1985 festival drew 80,000 concert-goers. This first farm aid featured legends including Billy Joel, Roy Orbison, and Tom Petty.
Since its founding, the festival has grown into the longest running annual benefit concert, raising over $80 million. The proceeds made by the festival go towards keeping farming families on their land in the face of growing commercial consolidation.
A highlight of Farm Aid was its 2013 edition hosted at SPAC. The festival featured over 20 artists playing to a sold-out crowd of 25,000 fans. In addition to emotional performances from legends like Pete Seeger, the night was dedicated to education and political change. The festival highlighted the issues of GMO seeds and spending cuts to food stamps, among other plights farmers faced.
In 2024, Farm Aid remains true to these convictions. This festival will highlight farmers’ roles in supplying fresh, healthy food for Americans. There will be a specific focus on farmers’ acts of resilience and unity in face of mounting pressures. Rising demand and labor costs coupled with the effects of global warming have had detrimental effects especially for New York’s dairy farmers. In just 5 years, over 3,000 dairy farms across New York have closed due to these pressures.
“We’re energized to be back in New York. The farmers here have always found ways to innovate and contribute to their communities, even as they deal with uncertainties, extreme weather and policies that favor corporations over people”
– Willie Nelson, Farm Aid Founder
The festival will feature performances from its board members as well as a host of other artists. The festival’s founder Willie Nelson is going strong into his 7th decade as a recording artist and will grace the crowd with his world-famous country twang. Also featured is Neil Young, who across his solo albums and work with CSNY, has firmly established himself as one of the greatest folk artists in history. Rock and Roll Hall of Famer John Mellencamp will energize audiences with his iconic heartland rock. The festival’s newest board member Dave Matthews will play a rock set alongside long-time collaborator Tim Reynolds.
In addition to these acts, the festival will feature performances from at least eight other artists. Among these are Mavis Staples, Nathaniel Rateliff, Lukas Nelson, Charley Crockett, Joy Oladokun, Southern Avenue, Cassandra Lewis, and Jesse Welles.
In addition to these musical performances, the festival will feature a number of experiences revolving around the importance of small farms. Festival concessions will use family-farm raised ingredients to highlight local specialities. In addition, exhibits will educate festival-goers on soil, water, energy, food and farming.
Presale tickets for Farm Aid in Saratoga Springs at SPAC go on sale Wednesday, July 24, 2024 at 10am ET. Public sale tickets will follow on Friday, July 26 at 10am ET. Ticket prices range from $85 to $325.
For more information, visit the Farm Aid festival website here.
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