ARTS IN THE HEART OF AUGUSTA 2026
FESTIVAL INFO
about the 2026 FESTIVAL
SEPT. 18- 20: Friday 5pm – 9pm; Saturday 11am – 9pm; Sunday 11am-6pm The award-winning Arts in the Heart of Augusta Festival returns September 18–20, 2026, with a brand-new festival experience at the Augusta Exchange Club Fairgrounds. Presented by the Greater Augusta Arts Council and Powered by Amazon, this beloved celebration brings together an incredible weekend of art, culture, music, food, and community.
Music takes center stage throughout the weekend with five stages filled with exceptional local, regional, national, and international talent spanning cultural music, jazz, soul, rock, country, dance, spoken word, theatrical performances, family entertainment, and more.
The Global Stage welcomes Friday night headliner Whiskey Run, followed by an extraordinary Saturday night performance from Weedie Braimah & The Hands of Time. An acclaimed master of the djembe and a dynamic force in contemporary African music, Braimah brings an electrifying celebration of rhythm, culture, and musical tradition to Augusta.
The Jazz & Soul Suite Stage welcomes acclaimed singer, songwriter, pianist, and Augusta favorite Avery*Sunshine. With her unmistakable blend of soul, R&B, gospel, jazz, and powerhouse live performance, Avery*Sunshine brings the kind of energy that has made Jazz & Soul one of the festival’s favorite destinations.
And the music doesn’t stop with the headliners. Festival stages will come alive all weekend with remarkable performers representing the extraordinary range of talent and cultures that make Arts in the Heart one of Augusta’s signature events.
TASTE THE WORLD
Come hungry.
The Global Village returns with 20 countries represented, creating one of the festival’s most anticipated experiences. Festivalgoers can travel the world one plate at a time with authentic foods prepared and served by the cultural organizations and communities that call the CSRA home.
This year’s Global Village gets even bigger with the addition of Nigeria and Ghana, bringing two more rich culinary and cultural traditions to the festival.
Beyond the food, Global Village is an immersive celebration of heritage through music, dance, traditional dress, storytelling, demonstrations, and cultural experiences. It is a place to discover something new, reconnect with something familiar, and experience the world through the people who proudly live and share these traditions.
ART IS STILL AT THE HEART
At the center of it all is an outstanding juried Fine Arts and Crafts Market, featuring artists from across the United States and an extraordinary variety of original work. Festivalgoers can meet the artists, learn about their creative processes, and shop original paintings, sculpture, photography, ceramics, jewelry, fiber art, mixed media, fine crafts, and more.
Families can spend the weekend exploring a dedicated Family Area filled with performances, creative experiences, interactive activities, and opportunities designed especially for young festivalgoers.
From world-class performances and authentic global cuisine to original art, family experiences, and the unmistakable energy of thousands of people gathering to celebrate creativity and culture, Arts in the Heart of Augusta Festival 2026 is one BIG Festival with something for everyone.
September 18–20, 2026
Augusta Exchange Club Fairgrounds
Friday Night Headliner | Global Stage
Augusta knows Whiskey Run, but there is nothing quite like seeing them take over a festival stage.
Based in Augusta, Georgia, Whiskey Run has built a reputation across the Southeast for high-energy live performances, tight four-part harmonies, infectious lyrics, and a sound that moves comfortably between modern country, Southern rock, Americana, and classic favorites.
Performing together since 2015, Whiskey Run has gone from local stages to performing more than 160 shows a year and supporting some of country music’s biggest names, including Darius Rucker, Old Dominion, Zac Brown, Whiskey Myers, Jason Aldean, Keith Urban, Dwight Yoakam, Luke Bryan, and Niko Moon.
The band features Dave Firmin on acoustic guitar and lead vocals, Jayson Sabo on lead guitar and vocals, Jamie Jones on drums and vocals, and Jeff Davidson on bass and vocals. Together, they deliver the kind of show built for singing along, dancing, and kicking off festival weekend properly.
Whiskey Run brings a little bit of home to the big stage as our Friday night Global Stage headliner at Arts in the Heart of Augusta Festival 2026.
Come ready. Friday night is going to be a good one.
WEEDIE BRAIMAH & THE HANDS OF TIME
Saturday Night Headliner | Global Stage
Prepare to experience rhythm differently.
Weedie Braimah & The Hands of Time brings an extraordinary musical journey to the Global Stage at Arts in the Heart of Augusta Festival 2026, connecting the rhythms of West Africa with jazz, funk, fusion, hip-hop, and music of the African diaspora.
Born in Ghana, raised in East St. Louis, and deeply connected to New Orleans, Weedie Braimah is a master of the djembe, carrying forward a remarkable musical lineage. His father, Oscar Sulley Braimah, was a world-renowned composer and master drummer. His mother, Ann Morris, was an accomplished jazz drummer, and his great-uncle was legendary jazz drummer Idris Muhammad.
But Braimah is not simply preserving tradition. He is pushing it forward.
With The Hands of Time, percussion moves from the background to the center of the musical experience. Djembe, dunun, kora, ngoni, balafon, tama and sabar meet bass, electric guitar and contemporary musical influences to create a sound rooted deeply in African tradition while moving boldly across musical boundaries.
Braimah has spent decades performing, teaching, studying, and preserving African cultural music while expanding the possibilities of the djembe on contemporary stages around the world. His performances are known for breathtaking musicianship, speed, dexterity, improvisation, and an ability to pull an audience directly into the rhythm. This is more than a concert. It is a musical conversation between generations, continents, traditions, and the sounds those traditions helped create.
Weedie Braimah & The Hands of Time headline the Global Stage Saturday night at Arts in the Heart of Augusta Festival 2026.
You may come to watch.
Don’t expect to stay still.
AVERY*SUNSHINE
Saturday Night Headliner | Jazz & Soul Suite Stage
Soulful. Joyful. Powerful. And unmistakably Avery*Sunshine.
GRAMMY Award-winning singer, songwriter, pianist, and composer Avery*Sunshine brings her powerhouse vocals, musicianship, humor, warmth, and undeniable stage presence to the Jazz & Soul Suite Stage at Arts in the Heart of Augusta Festival 2026. Blending soul, R&B, gospel, jazz, and contemporary influences, Avery*Sunshine has created a sound that feels both sophisticated and wonderfully familiar. Her performances move effortlessly from intimate moments at the piano to soaring vocals and full-room celebrations, often accompanied by the candid humor and audience connection that have become part of her signature live experience.
Her career has taken her from church and classical piano training to major stages and performances connected to Dreamgirls, Tyler Perry’s Meet the Browns, the 2008 Democratic National Convention, and President Barack Obama’s 2009 inauguration.
In 2025, Avery*Sunshine reached another career milestone when her album So Glad to Know You won the GRAMMY Award for Best Progressive R&B Album.
But accolades only tell part of the story.
To understand Avery*Sunshine, you have to experience her live. She sings. She plays. She talks to the audience. She laughs. She takes you somewhere. And somewhere along the way, a concert starts feeling a whole lot like a family gathering with exceptionally good music.
Avery*Sunshine headlines the Jazz & Soul Suite Stage Saturday night at Arts in the Heart of Augusta Festival 2026.
Bring your people and settle in. This is going to feel good.
Arts in the Heart of Augusta Festival is September 18 – 20th. The festival is presented by the Greater Augusta Arts Council, City of Augusta and Powered by Amazon. For more information visit artsintheheartofaugusta.com and the festival social media pages on Facebook and Instagram.