The team behind the yearly Pilgrimage Music & Cultural Festival in Franklin, Tennessee has confirmed the event will not take place in 2026. Instead, organizers say they are preparing for a return in 2027 with what they described as “something bigger, something better, something brighter,” according to a message shared on Instagram on March 25.

The announcement video posted on Instagram included the message, “11 years of memories, of magic, of music…now something new is blooming.” The caption added, “New sights, new sounds, new surprises! This move will allow us to bring you the best festival experience. We can’t wait to see you next year!”

At this point, organizers have not shared specific reasons for canceling the 2026 edition or provided further information about what fans can expect from the 2027 event.

Better Than Ezra singer Kevin Griffin helped start the festival alongside Brandt Wood and Michael Whelan. Pilgrimage Music & Cultural Festival first launched in 2015 with headlining performances from Cage The Elephant, Willie Nelson, and Wilco at The Park at Harlinsdale Farm in Franklin. The following year featured artists such as Beck, Jason Isbell, and Daryl Hall & John Oates. Over time, the event has built a reputation for mixing country, rock, folk, and Americana artists, with performers through the years including Chris Stapleton, Zach Bryan, Foo Fighters, and The Lumineers.

In 2015, Griffin spoke with Billboard about the inspiration behind creating the Pilgrimage festival, pointing to the influence of the New Orleans Jazz Fest.

“Jazz Fest has huge tents on the main stages that look unlike any other festival. It has a very bucolic, rural look to it and we’re taking that idea,” Griffin said at the time. “All the partners in Pilgrimage grew up in New Orleans going to Jazz Fest and having gone to a lot of festivals around the country and world I realized that model of a multi genre day festival with a big emphasis on food and drinks and art really wasn’t done the way Jazz Fest does it. It hadn’t been done many places outside New Orleans. So that was really the emphasis behind Pilgrimage.”

The most recent edition of the festival featured sets from Kings of Leon, John Mayer, Turnpike Troubadours, Better Than Ezra, American Aquarium, and Sam Barber.