Highlands Food & Wine celebrates a decade of what they call “Hitting the High Notes.”
What began as a boutique food-and-wine gathering has evolved into a four-day sensory celebration that draws nationally known chefs, sought-after vintners, and a genre-crossing slate of musicians to the Plateau.
The weekend opens with Thursday’s sold-out Grand Tasting, where culinary craftsmanship meets the effervescence of Champagne and live music sets the tone for the days ahead.
Friday’s Smoke Signals keeps it loose and flavorful with elevated street food focused on things smoked, grilled, and barbecued, paired with small-batch cocktails and a crowd-pleasing musical lineup.
Railroad Earth
On Saturday, downtown Highlands becomes the stage for Main Street, a celebration of sound and flavor that winds through the heart of town. And Sunday’s Shot at Redemption brunch sends everyone off with biscuits, Bloody Marys, and soul-stirring gospel – both literal and figurative.
But make no mistake: while the food and drink are exceptional, the music is what turns Highlands Food & Wine into something unforgettable.
This year’s lineup reads like a curated journey across roots, rock, soul, and beyond. Friday brings Railroad Earth, the genre-blurring collective known for their blend of progressive bluegrass, Celtic fiddling, and improvisational groove. Their music doesn’t just fill the air—it shifts and drifts like mountain mist, grounded in tradition and lifted by exploratory spirit. Sharing the stage are Paul McDonald and The Mourning Doves, bringing raw-voiced Americana with a Southern rock sensibility.
Nikki Lane
Saturday is a double dose of Nashville flair. Country rocker Nikki Lane opens with her signature blend of vintage cool and honky-tonk swagger. She’s followed by The Wallflowers, led by Jakob Dylan, whose gravel-edged voice and timeless songwriting will echo down Main Street.
But Sunday belongs to legends. The Blind Boys of Alabama close the weekend with harmonies that have been moving souls for over eight decades. Winners of six Grammy Awards and recipients of a Lifetime Achievement Award, these gospel masters recently claimed the 2024 Grammy for Best Roots Gospel Album with Echoes of the South. And, in a full-circle moment they return to Highlands exactly 10 years after performing at the very first Gospel brunch.
Founded in 1939 in Talladega, Alabama, the group has featured a changing roster of musicians over its history, the majority of whom are or were vision impaired. Their ability to find light in darkness, both literally and musically, transforms their Sunday brunch performance into something approaching the sacred.
At Highlands Food & Wine, music doesn’t play second fiddle – it plays in perfect harmony.
Pictured | Jakob Dylan of The Wallflowers
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