The 2026 Railbird Music Festival lineup has been released, and the headliner is a lauded Kentucky musician likely to draw a large crowd.
On Monday, Railbird announced Tyler Childers will headline the popular music festival June 6 and 7 at The Infield at Red Mile. This will be Childers’ third time playing at Railbird after appearing in 2019 and headlining in 2023.
Childers, a Lawrence County native, started writing songs at 13 and began playing small shows in local bars before he turned 21, according to a biography on his website. He quickly rose to fame in 2017 with the release of “Purgatory,” an album that several publications described as one of the year’s best, according to the Kentucky Arts Council.
“Purgatory” was the second of seven studio albums created by Childers. Two of his albums, “Long Violent History” and “Rustin’ in the Rain,” were nominated for Grammy Awards.
Childers has also produced several hit singles, including the 2023 song “In Your Love,” which reached the top 10 of Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart. The song was also nominated for three Grammy Awards, including the best country song of the 66th Grammys.
Another single, “All Your’n,” was nominated for the best country solo performance of the 62nd Grammys. In total, Childers has been nominated for seven Grammy Awards.
“All Your’n” is a song about Childers’ wife and fellow performer, Senora May, according to the arts council. Childers performed the song alongside Olivia Rodrigo in a surprise duet at a sold-out July 2024 show at Rupp Arena.
Along with Rupp Arena, Childers has performed at Kroger Field, Bonnaroo, the Grand Ole Opry, Lollapalooza, Merlefest and Newport Folk Festival, according to his biography. He recently played at the Healing Appalachia Music Festival in September, and he is scheduled to play several shows in Europe in 2026 before returning to Lexington for Railbird.
Zach Top and Ella Langley will perform before Childers on the festival’s final day, while The Lumineers will headline the first day of the festival.
The music festival will feature more than 30 artists across three stages. Other notable performers include Caamp, Mt. Joy and many more.
Tickets go on sale at noon Wednesday. Two-day general admission tickets cost $265, but the price will increase one hour after tickets are released.
There are other ticket options available, such as one-day general admission passes, general admission plus, VIP, platinum and superfecta ticket packages.
Two-day general admission plus tickets, starting at $400, features access to the general admission plus lounge, which includes air-conditioned restrooms and a private bar.
Two-day VIP tickets, starting at $765, includes access to the VIP lounge, preferred viewing areas for the two main stages and access to an express check-out lane at the festival merch store.
Two-day platinum tickets, starting at $1,850, features all VIP amenities plus golf cart transportation between stages. Platinum ticket holders can also access the platinum lounge, which includes complimentary all-day dining and full-service bar and coffee service.
Two-day trifecta tickets, starting at $12,500, includes all general admission plus, VIP and platinum amenities along with exclusive on-stage viewing, front-of-stage viewing at all stages and an invitation to a pre-show reception with a tour of the festival.
Tickets can be purchased on Railbird’s website. Fans can also sign up for text message alerts when tickets go sale on the website.
Lainey Wilson and Jelly Roll headlined Railbird in 2025. The festival has taken place every year since 2019, except in 2020 and 2022, and has been hosted at Red Mile since 2023.
