Savannah Music Festival unveils 2025 lineup and schedule

THE Savannah Music Festival today unveiled their 2025 lineup and schedule. The mega-popular annual event – taking place March 27-April 12 next year – features a remarkable number of intriguing debut appearances for 2025, along with some well-known crowd-pleasers from past editions.

Debuts include Warren Haynes, Leftover Salmon, Michael Doucet, and Marcus King.

Popular past performers who return in 2025 include Angelique Kidjo, Shovels & Rope, Victor Wooten, Anda Union, Sebastian Knauer, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, and the unique Ukrainian ensemble DakhaBrakha (pictured above).

The Festival is responding to audience requests for more dancing-friendly and standing-room shows by expanding to two new venues, Victory North in Starland and District Live in Plant Riverside.

Take a peek at the full lineup here. Tickets go on sale Friday, Nov. 22 at 10 a.m.

The Festival's closing show on April 12, Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, was previously announced, and you can get tix for that here.

We had a quick chat with SMF Artistic Director Ryan McMaken about the 2025 edition.

Tell us about the new venue additions (Victory North and District Live) and why their presence in the Festival next year is important.

Both Victory North and District Live have been incredible partners during the off-season. By incorporating both venues into the festival season, SMF is able to expand the experience with intimate and flexible settings with high-quality production.

It allows our organization to bring in club-style presentations on a wider scale, with flexible seating options and increased opportunities for standing and dancing. 

The American Roots series is particularly exciting. Tell us more about the intent and vision of these bookings.

As you know, the established artistic framework of SMF incorporates four main components: American and international roots music, classical, and jazz. This allows for endless opportunities in programming each year. This year's American roots music programs are plentiful, with acclaimed songwriters, instrumentalists, and tradition-based artists.

We're thrilled to be presenting debuts by artists such as Marcus King, Beausoleil avec Michael Doucet, Warren Haynes Band and others, along with new projects and collaborations including Michael Cleveland and Jason Carter, East Nash Grass and Bronwyn Keith-Hynes, Hazel at 100: a Hazel Dickens celebration including Della Mae, Laurie Lewis and Alice Gerrard, Darol Anger & Bruce Molsky, and Shovels & Rope and Langhorne Slim.

Many of the jazz-centered performances also incorporate American roots influences, including Jenny Scheinman's All Species Parade featuring Bill Frisell, Carmen Staaf, Tony Scherr and Kenny Wollesen, Allison Miller's Rivers in Our Veins, and others.

Additionally, closing out with festival favorites Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit is a standout show.         

Is it true the last Shovels & Rope appearance at SMF was 2015? What set of events helped make their upcoming appearance here ten years later possible?

It is true that this will be a decade since Shovels & Rope's last SMF appearance. We've been trying to arrange a return for several years, and this year's "Bare Bones" acoustic performance seemed to be a perfect fit with Langhorne Slim (also acoustic), particularly having it at the Lucas Theatre for the Arts. 

The dance performances seem very interesting and out of the box. Tell us more about these artists and why dance continues to be important to the SMF.

This BalletCollective production has been in the works since 2018. Led by Troy Schumacher, and incorporating a ballet by Savannah native Gabrielle Lamb, the theme focuses on various ways in which the digital world has and is impacting human communication and connection.

This company is extremely innovative, in that their method incorporates cross-disciplinary collaboration in the arts and science, and always involves commissioned scores and live music.

StepAfrika is making their festival debut, and is the first professional company dedicated to the African-American tradition of stepping. In Rivers In our Veins by Allison Miller, tap dance is an important element. 

Tell us more about the Gregg Allman retrospective/tribute plans!

While specific details are still forthcoming, I can explain the genesis of this planning. We connected with Gregg Allman's former manager (and the current manager of his estate), after he noticed a few productions paying tribute to artists such as Doc Watson, Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf in the 2024 festival season.

We're working on a series of activities celebrating Gregg's musical legacy, which could incorporate a new documentary, artist talks, and special guest appearances. More on that to come! 

See the full SMF lineup here. Tickets go on sale Friday, Nov. 22 at 10 a.m.