Free admission, free parking for a day of blue grass music!
Held at Hibernia Park in Chester County, PA, the Old Fidder’s Picnic is a long standing tradition.
The sound of fiddles, banjos (4 and 5 string), harmonicas, ukeleles, mandolins, guitars, violins, violas, stand up accoustic basses, and various accoustic percussion can be heard throughout the area all day long.
This is a really cool and casual event. It is incredibly relaxing and despite the parking lot being full, it didn’t feel crowded.
Kids stuff
We put this up at the top of the article, because this is a kid friendly event with a ton of FREE stuff for kids.
There were some inflatable kids games, yard games, wagon rides, along with face painting and fairy hair.
They even had an area with a bubble machine and large bubble making (apparatus?) that volunteers made huge bubbles. There were bubbles and more bubbles. The whole seven hours.
The main stage
This is the place where real people get to showcase their skills. That’s right, there’s no international headliner, this stage has locals sharing what’s been passed down their family for generations.
You’ll hear songs from virtually every bluegrass and country artists and some you’ve never heard of.
People bring their own lawn chairs and blankets, sit at picnic tables that are scattered throughout. There was plenty of shaded area for people to sit under trees if they wanted to.
The Fiddler’s Cove
This could be the best kept secret of the event. Fiddler’s Cove is a designated area away from the main stage where folks (yep, folks) sit in circles and play music. They pick a song and all start playing. Once they all get into a rhythm, they’ll take turns playing solos to the song, and sometimes they’ll sing the song as well.
There are often several circles at once throughout the cove. Musicians float in and out of circles playing for a while and then leaving. Sometimes people from the main stage will join a circle or two during the day.
What’s interesting is that even though there could be several music circles playing simultaneously (we counted as many as 7 at once), because everything is accoustic, there’s no real interference with each other. That allows the listener to stroll through, stop and enjoy a particular circle, and either stay there or move on to the next, all while thoroughly enjoying the music.
Even outside of the Cove, there were random people throughout playing songs and singing.
Food
While you are welcome bring your own food and drink (although alcohol is prohibited), there are food trucks that have a variety of things to eat for purchase. There were smoked meats (pulled pork, jerky, etc.) as well as hamburgers and hot dogs. And of course, there was plenty of ice cream!
This year’s food trucks included Smoke Signals BBQ, Jamaican Jerk Shack, Petrucci’s, Dixie’s Down Home Cooking, Bucktown Grille, Jr’s Soda, A& J Sweets, and Buddy’s Burgers.
One of our personal favorites though was Creekside Coffee which is right down the street from where we live at the Landenberg Store.
Craft vendors
The event wouldn’t be complete without some vendors selling locally made products. We saw local honey and products, artwork, jewelery, clothing, and cutting boards to name a few.
There was even a group there doing some blacksmith and ferrier work right there while you watched!
Minor details
Starting in 1929, the event is still staffed by volunteers with assistance from county park rangers. The event happens every August somewhere around the second weekend. Because it’s located out in the country, you’ll need to use an app on your smart phone, then follow the signs.
The Fiddler’s Field is surrounded by open space and a trail system, part of which runs along the edge of the woods, right by the stage.
People show up as early as 8:30am to sign up for the main stage, which starts at 9:00am. Music starts at 10:00am and ends at 5:00pm.
Finally, if you want to camp there, there is a small campground onsite that charges a nominal overnight fee.