Lightning Bug Music Festival

Lightning Bug Music Festival Our mission is to shed light on how important live music is for the mental health of fans and bands. "Remember Who We Really Are"

Lightning Bug Family, our venue Sunset Hill Farm, has exciting news! A permanent stage will be built this year in the sa...
04/19/2024

Lightning Bug Family, our venue Sunset Hill Farm, has exciting news! A permanent stage will be built this year in the same location as our 2022 main stage, a proper improvement to the natural amphitheater. Swipe through for a sneak peek of this exciting project.

Lightning Bug will not return in 2024 amidst these improvements. We are thrilled with dreams of filling the air with music, the farm with you, and our hearts with love when the timing is right.

In the meantime: Remember Who We Really Are.

Big Love,
Lightning Bug HQ

Producing an independent music festival of this scale is no small feat. It requires countless moving parts to work toge...
04/10/2023

Producing an independent music festival of this scale is no small feat. It requires countless moving parts to work together in unison. Our team worked tirelessly, from a place of love, to be the vessel that allows magic to emerge. ️

Last year exceeded our wildest dreams and visions. The newly added dynamic of on-site camping, continuous music, and the vibes that you all brought to Sunset Hill started a beautiful new era for Lightning Bug. We know that this is just the beginning of building a community for artists, dreamers, and lovers at our special venue.

We deeply care about how we produce this festival and recognize that without all of the pieces in place, taking a year off is necessary for the integrity of this special weekend we share together. After exploring all options, Lightning Bug ‘23 is not currently viable due to funding. We don’t feel we can offer the best experience possible for the fans and artists alike this year, and while it’s hard to admit, it’s the right choice.

Our future together is as bright as a Lightning Bug on an Indiana summer night. We can’t wait to reconnect together in 2024. Take care of yourself, one another, and in the meantime-

Remember Who We Really Are.

Friends, thank you for your support. Big Love.

Cordovas , man…🤠⚡️They bring such a powerful energy to the stage. Bass solos in the crowd is something we didn’t know we...
10/05/2022

Cordovas , man…🤠⚡️
They bring such a powerful energy to the stage. Bass solos in the crowd is something we didn’t know we were missing.
Big Love to y’all for sharing your magic and keeping the Friday night vibes high.



📸: .visuals

Mikaela Davis & Southern Star is truly a special band. They played an unbelievable set at Lightning Bug. They oozed groo...
10/01/2022

Mikaela Davis & Southern Star is truly a special band. They played an unbelievable set at Lightning Bug. They oozed groove, vibe, deep feelings: backed by real talent. Their mix of instrumentals, lyrics and stage presence make for a live experience you won’t soon forget. They have an album coming out soon that we are so excited to experience. They are a band that allows you to Remember Who The Heck You Really Are.

📸: .visuals

A special acoustic trio performance by Duane Betts Johnny Stachela and Berry Duane Oakley on that beautiful Friday after...
09/29/2022

A special acoustic trio performance by Duane Betts Johnny Stachela and Berry Duane Oakley on that beautiful Friday afternoon. With a mix of originals and thoughtful covers, this “Dog Daze” outfit was a memorable show for us all. We can’t wait to see how this evolves 🤠⚡️



📸: .visuals

Turning Lemons into Lightning ⚡️When Cedric Burnside had to cancel last minute, we had an opportunity to create somethin...
09/23/2022

Turning Lemons into Lightning ⚡️
When Cedric Burnside had to cancel last minute, we had an opportunity to create something special. Something that will never exist in that format, in that place & time ever again: the first ever Lightning Jam.

Featuring:
Jam Jester Rushad Eggleston
Fervent Fiddler The Lil Smokies
The Kind Killer Kid Trevor Shepich Music
Smiles for Miles Grant Livingston Music
Banjo Badass

It’s truly magic what can be created within a few hours with good intentions, talented & open-minded musicians, and a slot on the main stage! Lightning Jam will be the vessel each year for musicians to be able to collaborate and create together for the first time. Thank you to every musician on stage who generously gave their time and energy to make Lightning Jam V1 so dang special. Big Love.



📸: .visuals

09/22/2022

Holly Bowling eased us into Friday with her unbelievable talent. We remember the first time we heard Holly play the “Tahoe Tweezer” in 2014 and have been seeing her in all different iterations since.
Later that day she and her all-star group Ghost Light brought down the house with our favorite show we’ve seen live, relisten to it on nugs.net ! Their new album The Healing (fitting, right?!) is set to be released in Oct. 7th and it is 🔥.
We are so thankful to have shared this years Lightning Bug with such a diverse and talented group of musicians.

⚡️The Squirming Coil 🌀



🎥&📸: Jay Strausser

Rip-Roaring Nashville based Sicard Hollow played a fantastic set on Saturday at Lightning Bug! These cats have a long a...
09/20/2022

Rip-Roaring Nashville based Sicard Hollow played a fantastic set on Saturday at Lightning Bug! These cats have a long and exciting road ahead of them. They added perfect flavor to an magical day packed with bluegrass/newgrass. We can’t wait to see y’all grow ⚡️

Midwestern Legend Charlie Parr graced us with two sets over the weekend. Each day provided 90 minutes of true musiciansh...
09/17/2022

Midwestern Legend Charlie Parr graced us with two sets over the weekend. Each day provided 90 minutes of true musicianship & storytelling that transported us to a special state of mind. Folks of all ages were moved by Charlie’s music, many for the first time. We enjoyed catching up with Charlie throughout the weekend and would be honored to have his kind spirit back to Lightning Bug.
It’s folks like Charlie who help us to Remember Who The Heck We Really Are.

📸: Jay Strausser Visuals

We couldn’t have dreamt up a better show than the Debutants closing out Lightning Bug properly! A 7-piece Indiana newgra...
09/15/2022

We couldn’t have dreamt up a better show than the Debutants closing out Lightning Bug properly!
A 7-piece Indiana newgrass band, playing theirs hearts out at our Indiana festival felt so right. From opening their set with “The Hobo Song” directly after Railroad Earth to closing the set with sit in from Rushad Eggleston and Trevor Shepich Music totaling 9 musicians on stage(TWO cellos, fiddles, guitars)
From there, they led the charge with a late-late night set until 6am at the windmill jam. They were a staple of this year and we think they should be a cornerstone of Lightning Bug for years to come. Who else felt the pure energy and joy of this band?!



📸: Jay Strausser Visuals

Weekend Artist at large, Rushad Eggleston , harnessed a source of energy that created a pervasive sense of wonder that e...
09/14/2022

Weekend Artist at large, Rushad Eggleston , harnessed a source of energy that created a pervasive sense of wonder that echoed to every corner of the festival🦄.
With a whopping 23 sets over two days, we witnessed a world record in the Land of Sneth. The magic of Lightning Bug was so special this year because of you, buddy. Tharnox Manstros! 🫶

(15) Set Break Goblin Jams
Lindsay Lou sit-in
Windmill Jam
Nature Walk ft. a 75 ft tree climb bird jam>
Amphitheater Tree Jam
Director of Lightning Jam
The Lil Smokies sit-in
Debutants sit-in>
Vintage ‘93 Windmill Jam ft. Debutants

Lightning Bug Music Festival X Rushad Eggleston = Kismet

Two nights of Railroad Earth is GOOD for the soul. The kindest folks, the realest songs, the purest vibes. Thank you for...
09/13/2022

Two nights of Railroad Earth is GOOD for the soul. The kindest folks, the realest songs, the purest vibes. Thank you for playing two special nights of your music for Lightning Bug. Ending our Saturday night show with Harvest Moon by Neil Young with a beaming Harvest Moon above us was nothing short of magic. Who else felt a sense of spirit this weekend? 🌕

⚡️THANK YOU! 🪲This was our team’s first year producing Lightning Bug and we are beaming with gratitude. The kindness, re...
09/11/2022

⚡️THANK YOU! 🪲

This was our team’s first year producing Lightning Bug and we are beaming with gratitude. The kindness, respect, vibes, and love were felt in every corner of this beautiful venue all weekend. To the artists, the fans, the staff, the NWI community and Mother Nature - THANK YOU!

This is just the beginning of something special & we’re so excited to be on this journey with y’all. 🤘

Be Good. Be Kind. Follow your Truth.
Remember Who The Heck You Really Are.

See you in 2023. 💚

Big Love,
Lightning Bug HQ

A big thank you to everyone who came out to this morning’s nature walk! 🌱📸: Jay Strausser Visuals🎻🐒: Rushad Eggleston ...
09/10/2022

A big thank you to everyone who came out to this morning’s nature walk! 🌱

📸: Jay Strausser Visuals
🎻🐒: Rushad Eggleston

Some shots from Ghost Light last night at the Main Stage 👻💡📸: Jay Strausser Visuals
09/10/2022

Some shots from Ghost Light last night at the Main Stage 👻💡

📸: Jay Strausser Visuals

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775 Meridian Road
Valparaiso, IN
46385

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