Grammy-winning Williamsburg native Bruce Hornsby is reuniting with the Virginia Arts Festival for the 2nd annual Funhouse Fest.
“We’re building on last year’s success,” Virginia Art Festival Director Rob Cross said. Last year’s inaugural festival drew 6,000 attendees across its three days. A sequel was an easy decision.
“The different styles he plays in really lend themselves to these big outdoor festivals,” Cross said of Hornsby.
This year’s event features a more diverse range of performers than the original.
“Bruce has reached out to his colleagues to bring in some of the country’s best artists,” Cross said.
On Friday, June 23, Bruce Hornsby and the Noisemakers will play their hits; nine-time Grammy-winner Sheryl Crow will also headline.
Hornsby’s band will play again the next night, with a set featuring Grateful Dead tunes. Blues-jazz-roots band Lake Street Dive, the Staves, Kenny Garrett and yMusic will also perform.
Singer-songwriter Rhiannon Giddens kicks off the final day. The Staves will perform a set with yMusic. Then, Hornsby will return alongside the Sonny Emory Duo for the festival’s conclusion.
“I only want to do the Funhouse Fest every year if we can put together a special, unique and stylistically varied array of artists,” Hornsby said in a news release. “This year’s group is truly exciting.”
This year’s event will introduce a second stage, allowing for more sets by more artists. Food trucks and craft beer will also be available.
Birkenmeyer can be reached by phone at 757-390-3029.
Want to go?
The festival runs June 23-25 on the lawn of the Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg. Single-day tickets range from $29.95 to $100; three-day passes range from $96.98 to $270.75, with Gold VIP and Gold Elite packages also available. They can be purchased beginning at 10 a.m. on March 17 at www.funhousefest.com, by phone at 757-282-2822 or at the Virginia Arts Festival Box Office.
