Music lovers brave the rain at the 10th annual festival

Madden Ritzer and her mother Merry drove through a hurricane to get to the Pilgrimage Music and Cultural Festival.

They set off Friday from their home in Rock Hill, South Carolina, to Tennessee, a journey that normally takes them six or seven hours. Instead they needed 10.

They encountered the remnants of Hurricane Helene, which swept through the region. They navigated their Toyota Highlander SUV through high winds, heavy rain, fallen trees every few miles and a seemingly endless line of darkened gas stations and stores.

Some time after the crossing, part of Interstate 40 even collapsed.

“It was really bad,” Merry Ritzer said.

At 12:30 p.m. Saturday, they laughed off the day's stress and took third and fourth places in the queue at the festival gates, which remained closed until 2 p.m. after pilgrimage organizers announced a delayed start.

Although persistent rain – also a side effect of Helene in Middle Tennessee – delayed the opening of the gates by two hours, festival-goers gathered well ahead of time.

Madden, 16, said she was most looking forward to Hozier and Noah Kahan's performance. They plan to head home early on Monday morning. They're looking forward to an easier ride this time.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the festival, led by musician and Franklin resident Kevin Griffin. The annual music festival brings together some of the biggest names in rock and roll, alternative country, bluegrass, jazz, indie, gospel, Americana and more.

While the last few years of the festival have gone smoothly, the rain has left many fearing the event could be a repeat of 2018. This year, Pilgrimage was evacuated on the first day and ultimately canceled for the remainder of the weekend due to severe weather, including lightning.

Many festival-goers, like Lisette Lafabe and Nicholas Royer, who traveled 13 hours from Michigan, were understandably worried as they crowded into the Factory across from the festival site around midday. During their drive, Airbnb contacted them and informed them that the area in front of them had been flooded due to the rain.

“We were totally freaked out but had to quickly book another hotel,” Lafabe said.

The Pilgrim line-up will be reshuffled after weather-related delays occur

As many stood in line with smiles on their faces and braved the rain, they only had one thing on their minds: music.

“We’re excited to see Hozier,” Lafabe said, echoing several others who made their way to the festival site Saturday afternoon.

Festival organizers reshuffled the lineup to ensure artists affected by Saturday's delay had a place to play over the weekend. Current showtimes for the weekend can be found at www.pilgrimagefestival.com.

The National Weather Service in Nashville said the rain would continue through Sunday but remain light. Storms are not expected. At the time of going to press on Saturday, the plans for implementing the festival had been finalized.

The Pilgrim line-up will be reshuffled after weather-related delays occur

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