Hot August Music Festival Opens With Eric Gales Near Baltimore

Official Hot August Music Festival artwork for the August 21–22 weekend at Oregon Ridge Park. PowerPage branding added.

Hot August Music Festival opens its 2026 weekend Friday, August 21, with a kickoff concert led by Eric Gales at Oregon Ridge Park in Cockeysville. Vanessa Collier and the Jonathan Sloane Band are also on the opening-night bill, setting up two days of blues, soul, roots, rock, and jam music just north of Baltimore.

The festival returns Saturday, August 22, with Cory Wong, Galactic featuring Jelly Joseph, Dogs in a Pile, Lindsay Lou, the Hot August Collective, Mallow Hill, Ricky Wise & The Aggressive Joy, Pretty War, the Fitzkee Brothers, Owen Stewart, and Uncle Kunkel’s One Gram Band. Organizers say individual set times will be announced separately.

For Saturday’s main program, gates are scheduled to open at 11 a.m., with music running from 11:30 a.m. until 10 p.m. The event is staged at Oregon Ridge Park, 13401 Beaver Dam Road. The organizers describe the meadow as a single-stage setting where listeners can move closer for a set or settle onto the lawn.

The practical details matter for a long outdoor day. Low-back chairs, blankets, sunscreen, hats, refillable water bottles, and a rain layer are permitted. Hot August is rain or shine, and there is no re-entry after leaving the grounds. Food trucks, craft beverages, nonalcoholic options, and an artisan market are planned on site.

Families can also use the festival’s kids’ meadow, and children age 12 and younger are admitted free, according to the official event information. High-back chairs and pop-up canopies must remain toward the rear lawn, while certified service animals are allowed and pets are not. Accessible parking and an accessible viewing area are available.

The weekend adds another major live-music option to a busy Baltimore-area calendar. Readers following the region’s summer concert season can also revisit PowerPage’s recent preview of Thee Sacred Souls at Pier Six. Ticket availability, Friday entry information, and any schedule changes should be confirmed on the festival’s official website before traveling.