Discover Redmond’s Latest Premier Music Event: FairWell Festival

The third annual FairWell Festival returns to the Deschutes County Fair and Expo Center. For the two day festival July 18-19, this year’s headliners include Tyler Childers on Friday and Sturgill “Johnny Blue Skies” Simpson on Saturday.

More than 20,000 people are expected to travel to Redmond for the event, which includes dozens of entertainers both days. The show starts at noon on July 18 and finishes at 11 p.m. on July 19.

There were a lot of changes added in 2024 to help the festival run smoother, after larger than expected crowds caused traffic and noise issues in 2023. Those changes will be implemented again, according to Geoff Hinds, Fair and Expo center director. 

“We worked on a multi-agency plan to come up with strategies to alleviate some of the initial challenges that were experienced on the first year festival,” Hinds said. 

Hinds said that adding on-site camping in 2024 helped reduce the number of vehicles entering and leaving the facility each day. The camping element is back again this year, but all sites are already sold out. The expo center RV park pass is still available at $1,399 for the weekend.

For those who are planning on traveling in and out of the festival each day, traffic officers and ODOT crews will be on hand to help crowds exit the fairgrounds and merge onto U.S. Highway 97. A bus shuttle program will also return this year, connecting the fairgrounds with large parking lots at Redmond and Ridgeview high schools. Each shuttle costs $25 per vehicle you leave at the shuttle site.

“I hope that those strategies from last year and some of the new implications this year will create a good or better experience,” Hinds said.  

Travelers better have thought ahead for a place to stay. Hotels in Redmond are all sold out for the weekend.

According to Redmond Inn, they have been fully booked for months. As of July 7, there was one home available to rent in the Redmond area on Airbnb and costs over $3,000 for two nights. The nearest hotels that the festival recommends on their website available are in Bend and Sisters, with costs starting at at $500.