New 11-day festival celebrating the music of the Grateful Dead in Central New York

Calling all Deadheads: There’s a new music festival in Central New York for you.

“Grateful Getaway: An Enchanting Cosmic Odyssey Through the Musical Wonderland of the Grateful Dead” is an 11-day event taking place August 1-11 at Wonderland Forest near LaFayette, NY. Each evening features the music of the Grateful Dead as a tribute to bands and artists with ties to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame group, including the Sam Grisman Project and Melvin Seals & JGB.

Sam Grisman is the son of bluegrass musician David Grisman, also known as “Dawg,” who played mandolin on the Grateful Dead’s “American Beauty” album and collaborated many times with bandleader Jerry Garcia. Seals was a long-time member of the Jerry Garcia Band and continued the music as “JGB” after the deaths of Garcia in 1995 and bandmate John Kahn in 1996.

Other artists include the Dark Star Orchestra, which has performed as a Grateful Dead tribute band for more than 25 years; Pink Talking Fish Are Dead, a “fusion of Pink Floyd, Talking Heads and Phish”; Steely Dead, which combines the musical precision of Steely Dan with the free-flowing improvisation of the Grateful Dead; and Grateful For Biggie, a live hip-hop mashup of the music of the Grateful Dead with the raps of Notorious BIG.

“This captivating event promises to be a euphoric celebration of the band’s timeless melodies, blending the melodies of the past with the boundless energy of the present,” reads the event description. “Imagine immersing yourself in a true wonderland where the soulful sounds of the guitar and the hypnotic beats of the drums invite you to lose yourself in the moment. From sunrise to sunset, the Grateful Getaway transports you to a world where time stands still and the only thing that matters is the pure, unadulterated joy of experiencing live music in all its glory.”

Tickets are available through Wonderlandforest.com; Prices are $199 for admission to all 11 days of music (excluding camping), $420 for 11 days of music and camping in Wonderland Forest, and $1,999 for an all-inclusive package that includes an exclusive campsite, a private porta potty, meals and drinks included and more. Additional fees may apply.

Tickets are also available for individual shows, starting at $25 for Sam Grisman Project, $35 for Pink Talking Fish Are Dead, $25 for Steely Dead, $39.50 for Melvin Seals & JGB and $49.50 for Dark Star Orchestra .

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Grateful trip plan

Thursday August 1st – TBA

Friday, August 2nd: Sam Grisman Project

Saturday August 3rd: Sam Grisman Project with Grateful For Biggie

Sunday August 4th: Pink Talking Fish are dead

Monday August 5th: TBA

Tuesday August 6th: Steely Dead

Wednesday August 7th: Melvin Seals & JGB

Thursday August 8th: Melvin Seals & JGB

Friday August 9th: Dark Star Orchestra

Saturday August 10th: Dark Star Orchestra

Sunday August 11th: TBA

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Wonderland Forest is a new campground and concert venue that opened last year with a celebration of Summer Jam’s 50th anniversary. The site is located on 400 acres of forested land in the hills of Otisco, about a 20-minute drive south of Syracuse.

Other upcoming events at Wonderland Forest include Trey Anastasio with Classic TAB on May 17th, Dark Hollow (A Grateful Dead Tribute) on May 24th-26th. May, Papadosio Presents: Summer Sequence on May 21st-22nd June, Biscoland feat. Disco Biscuits on July 4th and 6th, Moe. on the 12th-13th July, Greensky Bluegrass on July 18th and The Dave Matthews Tribute Band Presents – One Sweet World Festival on July 16th-17th. August.