For the FOURTH year in a row, in what is becoming an annual pilgrimage to Camp Ramblewood over the Indigenous Peoples Day  / Columbus Day Holiday Weekend, we find ourselves again transfixed on The Ramble Festival's lineup in Darlington, Maryland, on October 10-12, 2025.

With three unforgettable years under their belt, the creative forces behind The Ramble Festival are back to capturing lightning in a bottle and have announced the lineup for their fourth festival. Each year, we see considerable efforts put into making the best lineup possible - a cohesive living organism of bands, creativity, and community.  

What was once the ambitious dream of two creative powerhouses launching a small independent festival in 2022 - well, you ain't seen nothing yet!

Everything about The Ramble Festival is authentic, handcrafted, and filled with love, and it shows.  In just 3 short years, it's become a famed family—or should we say JAMILY— reunion, prompting yearly pilgrimages from fans and artists alike.  This year, we see the return of Ramble Alumni, including Cris Jacobs, Caleb Stine, Sneezy, Natalie Brooke, Scrambled Greg, Naptown Brass Band, and The Deer Creek Sharpshooters.

New to this year's edition will be headliners The California Honeydrops, The Infamous Stringdusters, and Baltimore's own Pigeons Playing Ping Pong.  The Ramble Festival has never been just about the headliners - the geniuses behind the scenes ensure that the lineup is stacked with both overwhelming and emerging talent.  The Brothers Comatose, High Fade, Yarn, Dizgo, The Infinity Tribe, The Local Honeys, The Wilson Springs Hotel, The Tan & Sober Gentlemen, Underground Springhouse, Joe Marcinek, Pappy, TreeSap (Cabinet Trio), The Plate Scrapers,  Nester, and the 2024 Busking Competition Winner, Cisco.

Ramble Festival introduces none other than guitar shredding Baltimore Pigeon, Jeremy Schon, as Artist-at-Large.  Talk about a funktastic addition to The Ramble Festival.

If you have not purchased tickets to Ramble Festival yet, let us tell you some of the many reasons you should come to Camp Ramblewood in just a few days - tickets are still available, and we can hear the second-line brass band already ringing in our ears!

Top Ten Reasons to Ramble

1. The Vibe

This is why Ramblers call it a forever festival. Ramble is where good people and good music converge to create a one-of-a-kind vibe that echoes eternally in your soul. It’s about finding your music-loving tribe, sharing experiences, and being part of a community that feels like home. The end of the weekend feels like the last day of summer camp; leaving Ramble is like saying goodbye to close friends you’ve known forever—even if you just met that night.

2. Stellar Lineups 

Meticulously curated from nationally touring legends to rising stars, Ramble hits the sweet spot: big enough for serious talent, small enough to feel personal. The carefully curated lineup balances national acts with regional gems, so you get both scale and roots. You’ll stumble on a new obsession as easily as you catch a headliner.

3. Once in a Lifetime (NO JOKE) Collabs & Super Jams

Genre-smashing mashups, unscripted sit-ins, Late Night Super Jams, and this year’s epic Ramble Band featuring Baltimore legend, Cris Jacobs, Ramble Fest guarantees you’ll witness performances that can never be recreated. FOMO much??

4. Pop-Ups & Surprise Sets

Sick of being stuck behind the 4th wall? That doesn't exist at Camp Ramblewood! Music appears where you least expect it, like a sudden Sneezy jam in the Beer Garden, Hailey Jane’s secret lakeside set, fireside busking, and the legendary mustard couch pop-up. Ramble Festival lives to showcase fresh talent in intimate settings, constantly blurring the line between audience and performer in the most innovative ways.  Sometimes there are clues, sometimes a hushed whisper, and sometimes a band just appears in front of their cabin with instruments in tow.

5. Later-Than-Late Nights

Late nights & Late-late nights in the barn, and so late it’s sunrise campfire jams keep the music alive long after the main stages close.  The late-night sets are where the magic really shines.  We have seen many Ramble artists behind the barn queuing up with delight to mix it up in a super jam and have witnessed a stage so packed that it goes four rows deep with musicians playing their heart out into the crisp Darlington nights.

6. Art Around Every Corner

Live painting, interactive installations, light jugglers, fire dancers, and other roaming creatives turn the festival grounds into a living gallery. Bring your fire sticks, giant bubbles, ribbon wands, and portable paints to join in the constant creativity and movement!

7. Authentically Kid-Friendly

Daytime programming for kids and families means everyone gets their space to play and explore, while late-night energy keeps the adults dancing.  Did we mention that the one-and-only Scrambled Greg is back for another kids set at The Barn?

8. The Ramble Je Ne Sais Quoi

The extras you’ll never forget, and will only find at Ramble (seriously, we dare you to find these gems elsewhere). From Buskers greeting you at the gate, Stef’s Cereal Bar to Naptown Brass Band parades between stages, the one of a kind Busking Competition, and the infamous theme nights, it’s the little touches that make the weekend unforgettable and unmatchable. Don't forget to bring your costumes! This year's themes: Friday-Disco, Saturday-Onesies! Sunday-Retro Summer Camp 😎

9. Choose Your Own Adventure 

Stay your way: cozy cabins, tent camping, RV camping, or just come for the day. However you Ramble, you’re part of the family.

10. Close to Home, Worlds Away 

Set on over 200 acres of pristine beauty at Camp Ramblewood, MD, it’s just a short drive from Baltimore, DC, and Philly, yet feels like its own universe of music, creativity, and community. Ramble Festival is your home not-that-far-away from home, and we promise you'll be itching to come back even before you leave.

BONUS 2025 EXCLUSIVES

 (because who can really stop at just ten??):

Pigeons, Pigeons, Pigeons, Everywhere

This year, the members of Pigeons Playing Ping Pong are performing two-sets on the second night of Ramble.  However, it does not end there, members will be ever-present at the festival.  Greg Ormont can be found playing his very own set for children, Jeremy Schon is the artist-at-large, Alex "Gator" Petropulos will be performing alongside Natalie Brooke on their Infinity Tribe project, and when you have three out of four band members at a festival - we can only bet that we will find Ben Carrey picking up his bass and sitting in somewhere during the weekend.

The PreAmble To The Ramble

If all of that isn't enough, do you want to get the party started a little early, ready to Ramble and feel the vibe?  On Thursday, October 9th, why not get the party started at The PreAmble to the Ramble at Hopkins Farm Brewery featuring Ramble vets The Dirty Grass Players and Uncle Kunkel's One Gram Band!  Nothing like a little pre-party started and for $15 with a festival pass, we cannot find a better reason to come up to the Ramble Festival just a day early. Bonus: you can skip the drive and be one of the first in line when festival gates open on Friday, with your pick of the very best campsites.

These are just a FEW of the many reasons to Ramble!  

See their web page dedicated to Reasons To Ramble

At DC Music Review, we value a festival not just by what happens on stage, but also by what happens off stage and the festival's overall vibe.  The Ramble Festival's mantra is "Feel The Vibe and Find Your Tribe," to which we say "Vibe felt.  Tribe found."  

For those who attended any edition of The Ramble Festival, we are sure you left with a radiating heart, gleeful memories, and a content musical soul.  

If you are looking for an incredible weekend for people to enjoy with unbelievable music and the friendliest atmosphere, you would hope to experience.  In that case, you have found your tribe and your vibe at The Ramble Festival.  

We look forward to seeing you at the fourth edition of The Ramble Festival later this week.

 See you all at The Ramble Festival in

To learn more about Ramble Festival, please see the following web resources:

• Webpage
• Facebook
• Facebook: Ramble Tribe - The Ramble Family Festival
• Instagram
• Twitter
• YouTube
• Spotify