SMITH MOUNTAIN LAKE, Va. (WFXR) — One festival is bringing back the melodies of music to Smith Moutain Lake and they are doing it in a new location. 

The 2023 Smith Mountain Lake Live Music Festival is gearing up for its second run on Saturday, Sept. 2. The two-day festival will be hosted at Hot Shots and will kick off at 12 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. 

The festival highlights musical talents and local favorites from the Jared Stout Band and Jojo Stockton & Soulacoustix. Each night, artists and bands will take the stage to get the crowd on its feet. 

“It is them that keeps us dancing, laughing, and celebrating. Their hard work goes neither unnoticed, nor unappreciated; for the time spent practicing, performing, spending valuable hours away from their families, so that we can enjoy their amazing craft,” said event organizers in a Facebook post.  

Sandra Aranegui says the festival all began from a Facebook group a few years ago, but really caught a lot of attraction in the community as the support for local live music grew.

“Between July of 21′ and September of 21′ everything spun like wildfire,” said Aranegui.

She adds the first Smith Mountain Lake Live Music Festival kicked off in 2022, during the Labor Day weekend. It featured six venues, eight stages, and 32 different acts all in two counties. This year, Aranegui tried to do a bigger venue, but at the last minute had to switch gears.

“Hot Shots which served as a satellite venue last year offered to host the entire event this year, which was overwhelmingly amazing. So I did have to condense it quite a bit, but to be completely honest, the show must go on,” shared Aranegui.

The festival is set for the following schedule:

Saturday, Sept. 2:

9:00 p.m. Breaking the Chain

7:15 p.m. The Frequency

5:30 p.m. Seph Custer & The Flatbreaks

3:30 p.m. Five Dollar Shake

1:45 p.m. Chad Nickell & The Loose Change

12:00 p.m. Jojo Stockton & Solacoustix

Sunday, Sept. 3:

9:00 p.m. The Jared Stout Band

7:00 p.m. Phat Laces

5:00 p.m. Mended Fences

3:15 p.m. Andy Burnette Trio

1:30 p.m. Annalyse Marie Band

11:45 a.m. Colby Helms & The Virginia Creepers

Tickets for the festival can be purchased at the gate. For more information, visit the Smith Mountain Lake Facebook page.