The International Bluegrass Music Association will hold its annual award ceremony this weekend. The awards ceremony—previously hosted in Nashville—will occupy Oak City this weekend, bringing its esteemed World of Bluegrass event with it.

North Carolina has a rich musical history. The state has been home to some of the most iconic bluegrass musicians during the past century, so it’s rather fitting that one of the most highly acclaimed bluegrass festivals decided to settle in Raleigh.

North Carolina is home to some of the finest pickers from old and new times. Legendary acts such as Doc Watson and Earl Scruggs laid a foundation for the classic genre while acts such as the Grammy Award-winning Steep Canyon Rangers continue that tradition.

The World of Bluegrass event combines an awards ceremony with conventions, trade shows and a massive concert series, which all kicked off this past Tuesday. 

The sprawling event will be home to unique performances from revered artists such as Béla Fleck—who performed with the N.C. Symphony earlier this week—Del McCoury, The Punch Brothers and Steve Martin & The Steep Canyon Rangers, according to IMBA’s website.

More than 100 artists will fill out eight venues throughout the weekend, according to IMBA’s website, saturating downtown Raleigh with plenty of banjo, among other traditional bluegrass sounds. One of the most notable IBMA events is the Bluegrass Ramble, a five-day event that showcases a wide variety of bluegrass music throughout six different venues. Acts such as Peter Rowan, The Gibson Brothers, The Honeycutters and more will be bringing a brilliant mixture of traditional and contemporary bluegrass to the stages of downtown Raleigh.

The event will begin on Friday and Saturday, when the Wide Open Bluegrass Festival will fill Downtown Raleigh with five stages featuring bluegrass music. Unlike some of the Weekend’s events, the Wide Open Bluegrass Festival is free for everyone.

Friday and Saturday will also mark some of the festival’s marquee performers. 

The main stages at Red Hat Amphitheater and the Raleigh Convention Center will showcase some of the most famous names in bluegrass on the same stage. 

Friday night Del McCoury, Sam Bush, Béla Fleck, Tony Rice, Jerry Douglas and Mark Schatz will collaborate and Steve Martin & The Steep Canyon Rangers will take the stage Saturday. Tickets to those events have sold out, but there are still plenty of bluegrass events in downtown Raleigh that won’t cost a dime.

The IBMA will be in Raleigh at least until 2015, when the festival will presumably set-up shop at yet another esteemed hub for bluegrass music.