By Tara Fischer

Staff Writer

Berlin’s popular and enduring Fiddler’s Convention is back this weekend for its 33rd year of bluegrass, folk, and country tunes.

Berlin’s Chamber of Commerce is gearing up to host the convention on Main Street, which will begin Friday at 6 p.m. and conclude at around 10 p.m. The festival will continue into Saturday with music and entertainment planned from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m.

Friday night will feature bands such as The String Buzzards from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. and The Plate Scrapers from 8 p.m. until 10 p.m.

On Saturday, The High and Wides will play from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., and The Clendenen Brothers, a group making their Fiddler’s Convention debut, will perform from 3:30 p.m. until 5 p.m.

Garrett Neville, the chamber’s president, said that the organization affectionately refers to Friday as “a good locals’ night.”

“The street is open later, and shops usually stay open later as well,” he said.

Also included in the two-day lineup is a contest for amateur musicians on Saturday from 1:30 p.m. until 3 p.m. The performers will have the opportunity to showcase their talent, and a judge has been selected to determine the winners.

Entries are still open for youth and adult categories, said David Fitzgerald, the chamber’s incoming president.

Chamber officials said that they are expecting 2,000 to 3,000 attendees on Saturday alone. Food trucks will be on-site for residents and visitors to grab lunch and dinner, and beer and wine tickets can be purchased from the commerce organization at the event. Around 20 vendors are slated for the second day of the festival.

New this year is the event’s stage placement. Neville said that on Friday night, the platform will be situated in its traditional spot near Sterling Tavern. On Saturday, it will be parked in the center of town.

The Fiddler’s Convention is a Berlin tradition that has spanned decades. Fitzgerald noted that due to its popularity and scale, planning for the event begins up to one year in advance.

“We will probably, even this weekend, start our 2026 planning because I’m sure these bands will ask about coming back, or they will give us their availability for next year,” the official said.

The Fiddler’s Convention is free to attend, with food, beverages, and alcohol available for sale. The festival benefits the town by bringing business to its shops. Furthermore, proceeds from the beer and wine tickets will directly go back into the Berlin Chamber of Commerce, allowing the group to continue hosting its lineup of events.

The commerce team is looking forward to this weekend and ensuring the longstanding and beloved convention goes off without a hitch.

“The convention continues the tradition that a lot of people have come to expect as far as good fiddler music here on Main Street,” Neville said. “Like most of our events, it’s good family fun, good music, good food, good vendors, and another reason to come and explore cool small-town America.”