Maysville International Festival

03/24/2026

Mark your calendar! The 4th Annual Maysville International Festival will be Oct. 3, 2026.

10/06/2025

We are extremely grateful to the downtown businesses that have partnered with us on the Passport Trail challenge and to all the businesses and community members who donated funds and time to make the Third Annual Maysville International Festival a success.

We would like to thank our donors at
• Ambassador level – Maysville-Mason County Arts Commission
• Diplomat level – Carmeuse, Mitsubishi Electric, and Maysville Community & Technical College,
• Humanitarian level – International Paper, Dr. Herb Samuels, Bank of Maysville, and Merle Norman.
• Delegate level – Stober, Doug and Kate Hendrickson, Stephanie McNeil, Colonial Heights Veterinary Clinic, Security Bank, Schumacher Insurance, Boone Real Estate, Dr. Cheryl French, Bob Vance, Dave and Liz Wallingford, and Donald and Deborah Wilson.

And for donations of
• Gift cards from JBS Entertainment, Caproni’s, and Babz Bistro and
• Tickets from Maysville Players and Kentucky Gateway Museum Center

And thank you to all the individuals who gave donations big and small and to media partners WFTM and WVXU Cincinnati.

Special thanks to City of Maysville Public Works Department crews that set it all up, kept it clean, and broke it all down. We couldn’t pull it off without you.

10/04/2025

Next up fire dancer The Flaming Femme followed by The Cowbillies at 3:00, Grupo Baile at 3:45, and Brad Alford and Saddletramp at 4:00.

10/04/2025

Kona Ice is here! Near 2nd StreetMall.

10/04/2025

10/04/2025

10/04/2025

Grab a cold drink from one of our local vendors or downtown merchants to go with your tasty treat!

10/04/2025

Lots of tasty reasons to come downtown today!

10/02/2025

10/02/2025

Brad Alford and Saddletramp will be performing 4-6 p.m. at the Third Annual International Festival.

Brad Alford is a Kentucky-born singer/songwriter/guitarist whose life has been totally focused on his passion for music. From early on, Brad knew what he would be doing with his life, playing his guitar and singing anywhere, anytime there was an audience, no matter how big or small. Brad was given his first guitar when he was only 6 years old at Christmas by his mother Alice and was playing soon after following in the foot steps of father Jim Alford who had also been a successful singer who was married then to KY Town Talk host June Rawlings, Brad Joined the Blackwater band in 1987 performing all over the state of KY at Various club venues leading up to a nationwide tour through the remainder of the 1980's through the early 1990's.

Upon his return from the road Brad decided to pursue a solo career and entered the club scene back in Lexington KY. It wasn’t long before success followed. Brad and his band (Saddletramp) became one of the most sought acts in Kentucky and Tennessee, Brad had signed a management contract with David Lee Entertainment in Nashville coached and developed by manager Suzie Pennington eventually winning the Jim Beam National Talent Search out of North America hosted at the Wildhorse Saloon in Nashville one year after Troy Gentry of Montgomery Gentry had won. Brad was selected as the eventual winner out of what started as a field of 500 nationally.

Brad gained national recognition and appeared in several national music publications, including Billboard magazine and Country Music Weekly. In 1996 Brad’s debut CD, Some Things Were Meant to Be, was released on Vision Records. The album was produced by Exile singer and front man J. P. Pennington featuring 2 songs Pennington had written with Brad. Soon after Brad acquired many dedicated new fans and was headlining shows and making numerous television and radio appearances. With the new millennium came Brad’s entrance into the business world. He used his local popularity to launch one of the most successful night clubs in the nation, the Cadillac Ranch, in Lexington, Kentucky. A couple of years later, he opened the Sterling Saloon in Mt. Sterling, Kentucky, and went on to start a third club, B.A.’s Nashville Station in Wi******er, Kentucky.

Brad now resides in his hometown of Frenchburg, KY where he has a recording studio and continues to write and record. He will release his third album projected to be available by the end of 2023. He continues to perform primarily at venues within the state of KY and spending time with his 3 sons Austin, Dustin and Logan Alford.

"I will never stop playing singing and producing music. Its really not a choice but something that I was put here to do!" says Alford.

Brad Alford maintains a strong presence on the internet and has his music available for purchase there while hosting his worldwide stream radio show H***Y TONK SATURDAY NIGHT on Hank 105.5 FM,Lexington,KY. Living a comfortable life in Frenchburg, KY the place that he loves most and helping other artists develop their music.

10/02/2025

Steve Free will perform noon-1 pm at Maysville International Festival, Oct. 4 th.

Steve is an Internationally Acclaimed Award Winning singer/songwriter whose music is drawn from his Native American (Shawnee/Cherokee ) and Appalachian roots. He has won numerous Music Industry Awards including 9 ASCAP Awards, a Platinum Record, a 2016 Grammy nomination, and 3 Americana Music Award nominations. He has charted over 60 songs on The National and International Charts including 21 # 1 songs and is one of the most popular Folk/Americana Artist on European and International radio.

He was named International Independent Recording Artist of The Year in 1996. n 2008 he won The Governors Award For The Arts as the #1 Artist in his home state of Ohio received an Arts Award from The Kentucky State Senate in 2009 for his contributions to Appalachia. In 2009 he was named an Official " Ohio Treasure " by the Ohio Arts Council .

An accomplished Native American flute player he is an Ohio Arts Council " Ohio Artist On Tour" with an award winning school program. His Christmas song JUST A BABY BOY has become a worldwide Christmas classic performed around the world every holiday. His Cd SHIP OF DREAMS was named one of The Top 50 Albums of 2015 by Roots Music Report and received a Grammy nomination. His CD THERE FOR YOU hit The Top 10 on the international Charts in 2021. He was named by LUX LUFE International Magazine of London " Best American Folk Artist " in 2019. He remains one of the Most Popular Folk /Americana Artist on European and Australian Radio and in 2023 had the # 1 song on The World Folk Charts with I'LL BE THERE FOR YOU.

He is honored with a Floodwall Star and a Music Mural in his home area of Portsmouth Ohio.