Outermost Roots And Blues Festival Returns Columbus Day Weekend

ORLEANS – The air is crisp, the leaves are changing, and chances are your coffee might have a hint of pumpkin spice to it. 

 All the telltale signs of fall have arrived on Cape Cod. But in Orleans, a much livelier harbinger of autumn is due to make its return to Nauset Beach.

 This year’s Outermost Roots and Blues Festival will bring music lovers together once again over Columbus Day weekend, with music on two stages in the beach’s upper parking lot on Oct. 11 and 12. The festival is now in its fifth year and third consecutive since returning from a hiatus brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

 “Obviously there’s a lot of learning that comes out of each year,” said festival organizer Mike McNamara, whose Hog Island Beer Co. once again coordinated this year’s concert alongside Garrett “G. Love” Dutton and the nonprofit Friends of Nauset Beach. “An hour after the festival’s over, we compile our notes and make sure we’re capturing everything so it doesn’t get lost. Because a year goes by, you can forget about things.”

 Dutton, an Orleans resident, will once again play both days of the festival alongside his long-running band G. Love and Special Sauce. Also performing on the main stage Saturday are Little Stranger, Mihali and Bumpin’ Uglies. The festival announced Monday that Chadwick Stokes of the band Dispatch will also perform an acoustic set.

 Sunday’s slate will be headlined by reggae legends Steel Pulse. Dutton will be accompanied on his Sunday set by bluesman Robert Randolph. Ron Artis II and Cedric Burnside are also on tap for the main stage that day.

 A second stage will also be set up for local acts including Nikki and the Barn Boys. The festival will serve as a Cape farewell for the up-and-coming rock outfit, which is taking its considerable talents to Austin, Texas.

 “We’re really happy to see them blossom into the great band that they are,” McNamara said. Others slated for the local stage include Solgyers, Anthony Michael, Kristy Lee, Van Gordon Martin and Wild Flower Lane.

 “I think it’s huge,” McNamara said of providing an outlet for local talent at the festival. “The one big thing that Garrett and I really discussed at length was celebrating local bands that have their own music. We don’t want it to be a cover band program. I think it’s a nice blend of people celebrating their music that have ties to this area who are up-and-comers of sorts.”

 Space will once again be allotted in the upper lot for food trucks, beverage and ice cream vendors, McNamara said. There also will be a “kids corner” run by The Black Dog of Martha’s Vineyard for the festival’s younger attendees.

 This year’s festival promises something for everybody. But the festivities kick off in earnest on Oct. 10 with the Outermost Friday Market In The Park. Hosted by the Orleans Chamber of Commerce, the afternoon event will feature local merchants, food, beer/wine and live music on the village green at the intersection of Route 28 and Main Street. WOMR will be providing performances from the roots-funk outfit Sugar Bucket and the Slant Four, featuring members of Sarah Swain and the Oh Boys!, Randy and the Oak Trees, and Johnny and the Value Leaders. The event will be held from 2 to 7 p.m.

 Last year’s Outermost Friday was a hit, McNamara said, helping to drive significant business to local merchants throughout the festival weekend.

 “It worked really well last year, and I think that’s why we collectively agreed, ‘why not try to build that out?’” he said. “People who are in town will have something fun to do to support our local businesses in town. And it’s a lot easier to buy something Friday night and put it in your car than carry it around a festival for the whole day.”

 Shuttle buses will again offer transportation to and from the festival, with stops at several locations around town. The buses will drop attendees off in the beach’s lower parking lot where the vendor market was held last year, McNamara said.

 Doors will open at 11 a.m. each day, with music scheduled to start at noon. Attendees are allowed to bring  “low back” beach chairs, reusable water bottles and small bags. Blankets, coolers, outside food and alcohol, large umbrellas, tents, weapons, illegal substances and glass containers are prohibited. 

 For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.outermostfestival.com