High Sierra Music Festival’s Dave Margulies Talks New Site, 2026 Lineup, New Orleans Influence & More

High Sierra Music Festival's Dave Margulies spoke with JamBase ahead of the 2026 multi-day event. The 34th annual HSMF returns July 2 – 5, where it will be held for the first time at the Nevada County Fairgrounds in Grass Valley, California.

High Sierra Music Festival has been held annually on 4th of July weekend since its founding in 1991, most recently at Plumas County Fairgrounds in Quincy, California. The 2026 edition marks the festival’s first year at the new Grass Valley site.

Margulies spoke to JamBase about selecting a new location and the decision to stay on 4th of July weekend. The interview also covered building this year’s lineup that includes headliners Steel Pulse, a Grateful Dead album tribute and a strong contingent of New Orleans artists.

Steel Pulse are joined atop the 2026 HSMF lineup by The Word and Don Was & The Pan-Detroit Ensemble. The four-day festival’s Grass Valley debut will also see performances by Dumpstaphunk, Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe, Cymande, Eggy, (featuring George Porter Jr., Jay Lane, Holly Bowling and Jennifer Hartswick) and Mountain Grass Unit, along with dozens more.

High Sierra is also known for special sets, including late-night shows, artist-led playshops and Troubadour Sessions. In addition, festivalgoers can enjoy daily parades, the Family Village, crafts and a wide variety of food and drink options. 2026 General Admission tickets, FestivALL packages, RV & Parking Passes and tickets for late night shows are on sale now.

Learn more about High Sierra Music Festival 2026 from JamBase’s interview with Dave Margulies below.

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JamBase: What led you to choose Nevada County Fairgrounds as HSMF’s new home?

Dave Margulies: The Grass Valley/Nevada City area offers greater conveniences in terms of more lodging options and closer proximity from the Bay Area, Sacramento and Lake Tahoe.

JamBase: Was there any consideration given to changing the weekend?

Dave Margulies: Not really, we’ve been consistent on the 4th of July weekend since we began in 1991. I know people who have started new jobs and told their employers “I need off 4th of July weekend for a family reunion I go to every year.”

JamBase: What is different about the site as compared to Plumas County Fairgrounds?

Dave Margulies: The Nevada County Fairgrounds is a beautifully kept venue, offering more shade and versatility than the Plumas County Fairgrounds. It’s the prettiest fairgrounds I’ve ever worked with and the folks who run the facility take great pride in the venue which is why it’s in high demand. We’re fortunate they had our weekend open!

The layout is a bit different but big enough that you could literally airlift every element that makes up High Sierra and gracefully land them in Grass Valley, without skipping a beat.

JamBase: Has it been challenging to bring all the elements of HSMF that fans love to a new location?

Dave Margulies: There have been some challenges but mostly in terms of logistics, like moving our warehouse full of supplies/festival decorations from Quincy to Grass Valley, but every element that people have come to know and love about High Sierra — from our acoustic Troubadour Sessions, to artist playshops, to the Family Village, The High Sierra Swirl (beer/wine/spirit tasting), craft vendors village, daily parades, morning yoga, sunrise kickball and Silent Disco — will all fit neatly into the friendly confines of the Nevada County Fairgrounds.

JamBase: How has the community responded since the announcement of the new location?

Dave Margulies: Really positively.

We’ve been welcomed and embraced by the local Grass Valley community — the mayor is a fan! — and I’ve heard from a bunch of folks who plan on making their return to High Sierra (after taking years off) due to the convenience and availability of Airbnb’s and hotels in the area. Of course many of our Grizzly Radio crew are affiliated with KVMR which is in downtown Nevada City and with venues/partners like The Crazy Horse Saloon, Brewbuilt BrewHaus and Elixart (who serve handcrafted N/A botanical beverages) the community feels like a natural extension of the High Sierra state of mind.

JamBase: How did you approach putting together the 2026 lineup after the attempts to restructure last year’s festival didn’t get the hoped-for response?

Dave Margulies: I believe last year we didn’t get the response we were hoping for because we refrained from chasing cost-prohibitive big-name headliners that didn’t move the attendance needle for us in recent years, coupled with the fact that many High Sierra fans want more comfortable sleeping options than camping provides. Quincy also, as nice as it is, is quite a trek from any major population center.

This year, like last year, we leaned more into artists we consider to be more in our collective core/wheelhouse, with our usual approach to turning people on to new and emerging artists as well as a strong nod to acts from New Orleans.

JamBase: Tell us about choosing Steel Pulse as the headliner.

Dave Margulies: Steel Pulse is an old school OG reggae act that fits neatly under the wide umbrella of what qualifies as a High Sierra headliner. Reggae is well received in Grass Valley/Nevada County as well as with the High Sierra community in general, and we felt they rounded out the vibe with what we already had booked.

JamBase: What set(s) are you most excited about?

Dave Margulies: Wow, that’s a loaded question. I’m excited about so much.

First two things that pop up: Don Was & The Pan Detroit Ensemble covering the Grateful Dead’s Blues For Allah album in its entirety, celebrating 50 years since the release of that record. Then there’s Cymande, OG groove funksters from the U.K. who had a few seminal funk records in the seventies, still bringing it. There are a lot of familiar names for people who have been to High Sierra before so I’ll focus on artist discovery, which is always a High Sierra superpower.

I encourage people to check out the 2026 High Sierra Music Festival playlist on Spotify where you’ll hear new acts like Moga Family Band, The Point, Taper’s Choice, Deerlady, Magoo and so much more.

JamBase: What influence has New Orleans had on HSMF?

Dave Margulies: Well, I’m currently in New Orleans attending my 49th consecutive Jazz Fest so that alone says a lot. New Orleans is my spirit animal, my muse, my happy place and I owe most of who I am in this business to the music of New Orleans. I went to Tulane, and was fortunate to be in NOLA during one of the great heydays of New Orleans music when Tipitina’s first opened and I got to see folks like Professor Longhair, James Booker, Dr. John, Allen Toussaint, The Neville Brothers, The Radiators, Astral Project and more.

High Sierra has always featured bands from New Orleans and this year we have a slew of acts from the Crescent City including The Rumble ft. Chief Joseph Boudreaux Jr., Dumpstaphunk (doing their own set and a Sly Stone tribute), The Breaks (a power trio featuring Stanton Moore of Galactic, Eddie Roberts of The New Mastersounds and Robert Walter of The Greyboy Allstars), Anders Osborne, Kota Dosa, Anna Moss, Handmade Moments and 16-year-old piano phenom River Eckert. The Meters bassist George Porter Jr. will also be adding his funk as part of ‘s band.

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High Sierra Music Festival returns July 2 – 5 at Nevada County Fairgrounds in Grass Valley, California.

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[JamBase is a media partner of HSMF.]