LEFT OF CENTER: Eaux Claires Fest Organizers Host Pre-Game Press Conference
Justin Vernon announces return of Aaron Dessner to lineup, ‘The Farm’ stage and other artist activations
Evelyn Nelson, photos by Ethan Kulinski |
Embracing the spirit of the season — marked for some locals by the 2026 home opener of the Eau Claire Express baseball team — the Eaux Claires crew gathered on May 20 to offer more information on the upcoming festival, set to take place July 24-25 at the historic Carson Park (100 Carson Park Dr., Eau Claire).
Local press outlets and community members alike gathered in the stadium’s Hank Aaron Plaza to hear from festival co-founder, Justin Vernon, on what's coming this summer at the music and arts event.
As the July festival dates draw near, a few announcements have stirred the local landscape since our last check-in with the Eaux Claires organizers: ticket prices for the festival increased on May 1 (general admission, one-day tickets now starting at $124/person); on-site parking passes have sold out; volunteer opportunities encourage sign ups to support week-long festival operations from July 19-27.
On May 8 at The Local Store (205 N. Dewey St., Eau Claire), longtime festival narrator and best selling author – Michael Perry – welcomed friend and Marvel comics writer Benjamin Percy to an intimate preview of the festival's inaugural “Writers In Residence” offerings.
Plus, a new wave of Artist Ambassadors have been paired with local eateries around the city: Phil Cook and Egg Rolls Plus (1611 Bellinger St., Eau Claire), Monica Martin and The Good Wives (2161 Eastridge Center, Eau Claire), Black Sabbath Cover Band Rehearsal and Leona’s Pizzeria (406 Galloway St., Eau Claire) – just to name a few.
But, what else awaits festivalgoers in the week of July leading up to the Friday and Saturday of live music and artist activations?
While Vernon kept explicit details close to the chest, he remained candid in that the approach to curating Eaux Claires – in its current iteration – has evolved since its inception over a decade prior.
From the current names on the lineup to the “and more to come” listed on many of the promotional materials of the 2026 Eaux Claires festival, Vernon confirmed fellow festival co-founder Aaron Dessner (The National) will return to the Valley once more.
“Daddy’s coming home,” Vernon said, promptly followed by laughter from guests. “It wouldn’t be a festival without Aaron. Without his guidance I would never even have (had) the idea.”
“We’ve got a good balance of collaborations – guest spots of people that are going to be ‘on the bill and not on the bill’ joining different people on stages to give that same sensation, but still deliver something that we can really kind of chew on,” he continued.
As for the local music scenes and artists from the Valley on the lineup, Vernon shared admiration for acts such as Gash, who have become a “pinnacle of the local music scene, carrying such a huge torch in their own sort of identity.”
During festival week, Vernon teased more opportunities to enjoy local music outside of the starting lineup. Eaux Claires' current organizers – including RT Verize, Asher Weisberg, Christopher Bartlett, among others – have reached out to different pockets of the larger Eau Claire community to spotlight their talents, at Carson Park and beyond.
“These are going to be places for kind of alternative performances to be happening as well,” Vernon said of the Chippewa Valley Museum, Sunnyview School House and other yet-to-be revealed venues.
“The biggest difference between now and then is that humble service, really shining the light on what we already have here.”
justin vernon
bon iver, co-founder of eaux Claires
The “Farm Stage,” he announced, will be another activation space through Eaux Claires, something to be unveiled in the weeks to come. This feature, too, pays homage to the festival's original era at Foster Farms (3443 Crescent Ave., Eau Claire) – often characterized by its intimate, grassy setting with the audience surrounding the performers.
Reflecting on the legacy of former artist activations, Vernon noted he continues to find connections between regional, global and homegrown creatives to expand the festival’s ever-growing “family.”
“I think the biggest art piece there is this stadium, in this town,” Vernon said. “We are going to have a lot of really exciting, surprising visual art in and around the festival.”
“We have reached out to different communities within the larger Eau Claire community: performers, dancers, singers, carriers of our cultures,” he continued. “I think there’s a line to draw between making this what I would want personally, what I think could be special and you know a little left of center.”
Amidst the symphony of ballpark chatter, walk-up anthems and cheers from inside the baseball stadium, Vernon said it was this organic energy which perfectly captures the evolving creative heartbeat of Eaux Claires as it looks toward the horizon.
While no continuation of the festival after 2026 has been announced, Vernon noted “I think it is just about being a humble servant… displaying what we have here and extending it.”
“Something that we wanted to do was to bring things back to the essence of Eau Claire and not to have it be esoteric, not to have it be removed,” he continued. “The biggest difference between now and then is that humble service, really shining the light on what we already have here.”
Following the press conference, attendees had the chance to come together to watch Vernon’s alma mater – Eau Claire Memorial High School – baseball team face local rivals, Eau Claire North High School.
A shared sense of camaraderie, celebration of our city and a deep-seated passion for the game remain defining values as the community prepares for the festival's return.
Follow along with Volume One online for continued updates on the 2026 Eaux Claires Festival, slated for July 24-25 at Carson Park in Eau Claire. Visit eauxclaires.com to be the first to know about future lineup announcements and festival updates.
