(Lukas Nelson first performed during Farm Aid at age 10.)
By Jeff Maisey
Virginia family farmers, musicians, activists, supporters, and fans will gather Saturday, September 26 at Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater @ Virginia Beach for Farm Aid 2026.
The list of legendary performers and up-and-comers is as bountiful as an early fall harvest: Willie Nelson & Family, Neil Young & The Chrome Hearts, John Mellencamp, Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds, Margo Price, Nathaniel Ratliff, Turnpike Troubadours, Lukas Nelson, Ty Myers, Mike Campbell & The Dirty Knobs, Jesse Wells, Sierra Ferrell, Mon Rovia, I’m With Her, Amythyst Kiah, Lily Meola, Chris Pierce, and the Wisdom Indian Dancers.
For Lukas Nelson it’ll be a long day. He’ll be joining his dad on stage for the Willie Nelson & Family set; his group The Chrome Hearts are Neil Young’s touring backing band; and then there’s his solo career and a set of his originals from his 2025 album “American Romance” and others.
The first Farm Aid concert happened in 1985 with the goal of raising awareness and money to help with the continuous struggles encountered by family farms. Forty-one later the struggle continues with the added impact of climate change.
When Farm Aid began Lukas Nelson wasn’t even born. Once he entered the world it didn’t take him long to saddle up with the family tradition.
“In 2000 was the first time I played Farm Aid with my dad,” said Lukas. He was 12 years old at the time. “Anytime I get a chance to be up there with my dad, spend time with hm, and connect with him through the language of music its akin to church. It’s a spiritual experience every time I’m playing music with my father, and especially when we’re doing it in the spirit of giving back to the community. It doesn’t get any better than that.”
Lukas started touring with his own band in 2009, and the annual Farm Aid concert remains etched on his calendar.
The perception that country music, folk, and bluegrass have a special bond with family farmers is a truth in the mind of Lukas Nelson.
“Yeah, I would say from wayback when to now the rural areas of our country have driven folk and country music,” Lukas said, “and that’s where the farmland is.”
In the 1930s and ‘40s families and friends in rural America often entertained themselves in the evening after a hard day’s work in the fields by playing acoustic instruments like the six-string guitar, banjo, fiddle, and mandolin.
“And it’s still happening in those areas, you know,” Lukas said. “There’s a lot of great music, and bluegrass has had quite the resurgence with Billy Strings and Molly Tuttle kind of leading the way. It’s alive and well.”
Family farmers certainly faced challenges when Farm Aid began, but that struggle is even more daunting today.
“I think the main challenge facing the family farms is the takeover by corporate farming and the unethical business practices they employ; tactics that are manipulative and frankly immoral,” said Lukas. “The way that people justify their quarterly bottom line and yearly earnings are destroying family farms in the process.
“I think there needs to be a reckoning on where we get our food from, how the food is grown, and what’s put into food,” he continued.
Lukas Nelson has observed the popularity of organic produce in grocery stores and on restaurant menus, and this trend with education is also a highlight of Farm Aid.
Throughout the day, festival-goers will have many activities to explore. These range from watching the concert to strolling around the grounds of the venue to check out the Homegrown Village with educational vendors such as Ocean Friendly Farming, Eat Your Zip Code, New to You Crops, What’s In Your Water, What It Takes to Farm, and others. There’ll also be a cornucopia of Homegrown Concessions to feast upon.
The day before, on Friday, a free evening of entertainment will be presented at Neptune Park (31st Street at the Oceanfront) from 6—11 PM featuring Rissi Palmer, Roberta Lea, Rebecca Porter, and others.
For tickets and more information click and pick on FarmAid.org