OrcasFest | Island-style music and dance ramble coming to Orcas

|||. FROM TASHI LITCH for ORCASFEST |||

OrcasFest is a new roots music festival coming to Orcas Island. This island-born celebration of folk and roots music takes place May 29th – June 1st and opens with a high energy evening square dance with headliner musicians on Thursday, May 29th. Ferry over on Thursday, get ready to kick up your heels and enjoy the music at the historic Odd Fellows Hall. Friday and Saturday, OrcasFest features a warm and welcoming array of live performances in intimate venues throughout the village of Eastsound and features a blend of nationally touring artists and beloved local talent, most of whom will perform more than once across the weekend.

One-day or full festival tickets are now available online at orcasfest.com . Come enjoy this musical ramble through the picturesque waterfront village with stunning water and mountain views in the heart of Orcas Island. Walkable inns and nearby vacation rentals, plus low-key to upscale dining shares a taste of island life, with OrcasFest offering the heart and soul that makes a music gathering so delightful and memorable.

The idea for the festival started years ago when co-founder Tashi Litch, then a young local musician raised on Orcas, a small island off the northwest coast of Washington, dreamt of organizing a festival on the island as a way to bring his island mentors and music community together with the friends he made and inspirations he found growing up playing bluegrass with his brother Kaj. Since then, the brothers have been off to college and continue to perform around the country, meeting music legends and emerging bands along the way. Their travels as performers introduced them to festivals across the country—each one planting seeds of inspiration. “I kept thinking about all the best parts of the festivals I loved—the community, the discovery, the spontaneous jams—and what it would mean to bring that experience back to Orcas,” says Litch.

Litch’s vision solidified while working behind the scenes at bluegrass festivals around the country, continuing to tour, now with his four-piece band The Litch Brothers, and after discussing the idea during a recording session with mentor and fellow Orcas-raised musician, Caleb Klauder. Over the years, Caleb – who has had a long career as a touring musician and has built a notable presence in the American roots and country scene, along with his partner, acclaimed singer Reeb Willms — also imagined Eastsound hosting a music ramble of its own. As Litch, Klauder, and Willms individually moved forward with laying the groundwork for an event, discussing it with their friends and family on the island, they soon realized they all shared a wonderful vision and immediately decided to collaborate.

Unlike large-scale destination events, OrcasFest is designed to feel intimate, walkable, and community-centered. With performances scheduled in small venues like historic chapels, hotels, churches, taverns, and cafes throughout Eastsound, attendees will be able to wander the town and take in music in a variety of settings—each one unique, cozy, and full of character. “The Idea behind the multiple venue festival came to me from performing at festivals like the Shetland Folk Festival or the Alaska Folk Festival, or Celtic Connections in Glasgow, or the Sisters Folks Festival in OR,” says Klauder. Most artists in the festival’s lineup will perform at least twice during the festival, in most cases, once on Friday and once on Saturday, in order to give festival goers the chance to catch an artist if they missed them the first time in the midst of the festival’s busy schedule with many overlapping performances and activities.

OrcasFest intends to return annually, with plans already underway for an expanded 2026 edition that will include workshops, youth showcases, and even broader representation of musical traditions such as Cajun, Tejano and Québécois. The team is also developing opportunities for local musicians of all ages to perform, including a community showcase stage open to non-professional artists.

Tickets are available now at orcasfest.com at an intentionally low cost to keep the event as inclusive as possible. Donations are welcome and tax-deductible via fiscal sponsor Orcas Open Arts. Business sponsorships are welcome year-round.

Festival Highlights – Meet Some of Our Artists

OrcasFest features both nationally touring artists and beloved local talent, many of whom will perform more than once across the weekend. See the web site for artist and schedule details, as well as updates on dance events throughout the weekend. Here are a few of the great musicians joining together to launch OrcasFest.

Eli West

Eli West is an American Roots musician from the Pacific Northwest. A multi-instrumental creator of sonic spaces, Eli’s former training as a designer informs a sound that is lush and organic – neither manicured nor overgrown. Evergreen timbres weave among pitches, rhythms and lyrics to become comfortable rooms into which listeners are invited.

Lauded by Tim O’Brien as a musician “making music the World,” Eli’s reputation as a crafter of considered, toneful environments has fostered collaborations with Bill Frisell, Andrew Marlin, John Reishchman, Julie Fowlis, and many other pillars of the growing Americana movement.”

Annie & Ellie Davis

Ellie and Annie Davis are sisters from Olympia, Washington, who have been immersed in old-time music their entire lives. Growing up, they spent many years playing and singing together, and previously performed as members of The Sassafras Sisters.

Now based in Johnson City, Tennessee, Ellie and Annie both study Old-Time Music at East Tennessee State University, where they continue to deepen their musicianship individually and together, surrounded by some of the most renowned bluegrass and old-time musicians of today. They are active participants in the region’s thriving traditional music community, both on and off campus.

The sisters have shared the stage with artists such as Amythyst Kiah, The Wood Brothers, Foghorn Stringband, Bruce Molsky, and others. Their work reflects a deep respect for traditional Appalachian music while also embracing new songwriting and arranging styles.

Their performances reflect a lifelong musical bond—blending the roots of Appalachian tradition with fresh, contemporary influences to create a sound that feels both timeless and distinctly their own.

Andy Rick & Devin Champlin

Andy Rick is a midwesterner who found a love for Hawaiian steel guitar music when he followed his future wife to Oahu in 2004.  After moving to Bellingham, WA, Andy began playing with Devin Champlin in an old-time string band called The Shadies.  Over the years Andy and Devin cultivated a repertoire of early 20th century steel guitar music, much of it from recordings of Hawaiian artists such as Sol Hoopii, Sam Ku West, and The Kalamas Quartet.

Yoseff Tucker and the Bow Ties

The Bow Ties are a group of true bluegrass pickers dedicated to infusing traditional bluegrass with fresh energy. Frontman Yoseff Tucker is a staple in the California Bluegrass scene, known for his piercing tenor and driving rhythm guitar. Billy Moore sets the groove with his no-nonsense five string banjo playing. Caleb Roberts brings the Monroe style mandolin, while Jack Kinney lends his tasteful and clean fiddle playing to the group.  The beating heart of this unit comes from the fierce rhythm of duo Zach Sharpe on upright bass and Michael Carroll on snare. The combination of these talented musicians offer a refreshing, exciting and meticulous bluegrass experience.

Kian Dye

Born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, over the past two decades Kian Dye has made a name for himself as one of the premier bluegrass musicians in the region. Kian comes from a childhood of fiddle contests, bluegrass festivals, and music camps, and has performed alongside artists like Never Come Down, Eli West, and Under the Rocks as well as leading his own group. Kian released his debut album in May of 2024 which he wrote, produced, engineered, and mixed. Kian is joined this weekend by two PNW legends: Forrest Gibson (Bellingham) on guitar and Brian Alley (Methow Valley) on the banjo.

Elias Hix

Growing up on a cattle farm in Spartanburg, South Carolina, Elias Hix fell in love with music early on in life. Trained in classical music and stand-up bass, and shaped by his rural upbringing, Hix creates music that effortlessly captures these influences. His unique mix of classical skills and small-town roots gives his music an irreplicable, genuine sound. Hix released his debut album, Thinner, in 2023, and has cultivated a passionate fan-base since. His music features a beautiful blend of folk and A mericana, with top-notch songwriting, and uniquely sculpted instrumentals. Though still early in his career, he built a substantial following on social media and with his recorded music, and has toured nationally with acts such as The Wood Brothers, The Last Revel, and The National Parks.