The 35th Annual Walnut Valley Festival begins today in Winfield, KS. The festival runs September 13-17 this year. This festival is the home to the National Flatpicking Championship along with several other high profile contests. Featuring six stages and nearly 40 performing acts, the festival has become an annual destination for many music fans.

The first year of the festival was 1972, and many of today’s bluegrass superpickers have competed and won contests on their various instruments at the Walnut Valley Festival in years past. You never know, this year’s contestants may be next year’s stars.