A personal note from the Planet

May 8, 2026

Howdy Friends,

Zach Tucker here – Vice President of Planet Bluegrass. Apologies for the lengthy email, but I wanted to take a moment to share some thoughts.

I’m one of the lucky ones…  someone who gets to spend their whole year on Planet Bluegrass. Of course, my favorite part of the year is when the Planet lights up with thousands of new Festivarians arriving from all corners of the world! And whether your first landing is in Telluride or Lyons doesn’t matter – what matters is that you get here.

My work each year constantly reminds me of a simple fact – humans need to gather. We need to be reminded of our shared humanity. We need to cherish moments together, whether as small as a hug with an old friend in Town Park or as big as a rainbow piercing through the clouds above the stage, taking our collective breath away. 

I’ve found myself saying this almost every year, but each year it rings more and more true. And each year it seems to get harder and harder, as if to spite our growing need. Our team is all too aware of the increasing expense and undertaking involved in going to see live music, especially Telluride Bluegrass.  

At my core, I believe in Telluride Bluegrass being an every persons’ festival. Though it’s rare in the festival world, and difficult in a place like Telluride, it’s part of what makes it so special. We are trying hard to protect who we are while keeping things as affordable as we can, and it’s proven to be a hefty undertaking when nightly lodging rates are double that of a four-day pass. 

But that doesn’t mean we’re giving up on solving the lodging puzzle… we’re just getting creative! 

Some solutions we've been able to offer (so far):

First, we still have available camping spots! I know vehicle camping goes quickly, and we are trying so hard to find more for the future. In the meantime, a tent is one of the purest ways to experience the Festival. That's how I experienced my first Telluride Bluegrass, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. There are some other cool camping perks as well  – if you grab a spot at Mary E, you can come as early as Saturday before the festival, which makes the cost of camping come out to about $10/night and gives you ample days to enjoy everything else that Telluride has to offer before the party starts!

Second, we've compiled every lodging discount we can find into our handy-dandy lodging guide. Most units in Telluride are independently-owned, but luckily we do have friends who understand the importance of keeping Bluegrass accessible to all Festivarians and are trying to help.

Finally, we are trying something totally new this year! We’re piloting a Glamping program, with the intention of providing a middle ground for accommodations that offers more comfort than camping without the high price point of lodging. I would call it a “Bluegrass take” on glamping, where you get a real mattress with sheets and sleeping bags, a heater, camp chairs that you can bring to the Festival with you, a cooler for snacks (or beer?), and more. The best part is that it’s all set up for you when you arrive at your campground. I would love for you to give it a try and let us know what you think. You can check out our glamping options here. 

The world is changing, and Bluegrass may have to change a bit to keep up – but we don’t want to lose our roots. We would love to know what’s important to you, what you would change if you could, and how we can continue to make our Festivals the best on the Planet.

Please be respectful to our small but mighty team, but feel free to respond to this email if anything comes to mind you want to share. Is it time to think about VIP? Would you love reserved seating? Should we add a day? Let us know!

If we’ll be seeing you this summer, thank you. Thank you for being a part of this family. Thank you for supporting the dream that is Planet Bluegrass. It’s a planet I think we need now more than ever before.

Here’s to many, many more!

– Zach

Your Friend on Planet Bluegrass