Photos: Rhiannon Giddens' sold-out Biscuits & Banjos Festival centers Black music, art and culture
April 28, 2025
Biscuits & Banjos — Rhiannon Giddens’ first-ever festival — unfolded over this past weekend in Durham, N.C. The sold-out festival of Black music, art and culture offered a one-of-a-kind bespoke festival experience for fans, and was created to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Black Banjo Gathering, celebrating the legacy of the event that launched Giddens’ career and the formation of her Grammy-winning band, the Carolina Chocolate Drops. Vitally, Biscuits & Banjos champions Black artists and creators in the traditions of old time, country, Americana, folk, jazz and blues.
Related:
- From NPR: Rhiannon Giddens' new music festival celebrates Black music, art, culture in N.C
- In Depth: Carolina to 'Cowboy Carter' and back: A celebration of Black roots music finds a home
On Saturday night, the Carolina Chocolate Drops played their first show together in a decade, and Giddens debuted her new band, The Old-Time Revue, which will soon begin a major U.S. tour that includes the Hollywood Bowl with Steve Martin, Our Native Daughters and others as well as Central Park Summerstage in June.
Giddens and her Chocolate Drops bandmate Justin Robinson also just released a new album, What Did the Blackbird Say to the Crow, a collection of old-time North Carolina tunes.
The festival — which will return in 2027 — included music performances at multiple venues in downtown Durham, as well as lectures, workshops, readings, free banjo lessons and the Biscuit Trail, showcasing Durham’s thriving culinary scene by featuring biscuit-inspired dishes from seven local restaurants throughout the weekend. Adding a touch of friendly competition, the participating restaurants went head-to-head in a biscuit competition, with Giddens serving as one of the judges.
Free programming throughout the weekend included musical performances, artist panels, a walking tour and film screenings, with topics ranging from Black voices in country music to the relationship between food and storytelling.
Highlights from Biscuits & Banjos Festival
Friday, April 25: The Festival kicked off with Rissi Palmer’s Color Me Country Revue, followed by performances from Demeanor, Adia Victoria, Christian McBride with NCCU Jazz Ensemble I, Dom Flemons, Niwel Tsumbu and Charly Lowry. Other programming throughout the day included a celebration of 10 years of Alice Randall’s Soul Food Love, a panel on the lineage of art-making and collective activism, and more. The day culminated with a “Friday Night Frolic” square and line dance featuring live music from Rhiannon Giddens & Friends (including Justin Robinson, Jake Blount and Dirk Powell), followed by a headlining set from Taj Mahal and Leyla McCalla at the Carolina Theater.
Saturday, April 26: Saturday’s programming included free banjo lessons, panels on Black voices in country music (with Giddens, Rissi Palmer, and Alice Randall — see photo above), Black String Band history, cultivating legacy through farming and sustainability, the Art of the Biscuit and more. The performance lineup featured Buffalo Nichols, Hubby Jenkins, Joy Clark, Amythyst Kiah, New Dangerfield, Toshi Reagon, Shana Tucker, Infinity Song, Yasmin Williams and more. Then on Saturday night, Carolina Chocolate Drops reunited for the first time in over a decade at the Durham Performing Arts Center. The anticipated show, which was livestreamed with Veeps and outside at Downtown Durham’s Lot 20, also included performances from New Dangerfield and Niwel Tsumbu, plus the debut of Rhiannon’s new band, The Old-Time Revue.
More from The Current
- Studio Session: Carolina Chocolate Drops perform in The Current studio (2008)
- Live Session: The Carolina Chocolate Drops perform live at the Minnesota State Fair (2010)
Sunday, April 27: The final day of the festival featured a Sunday morning gospel set with the Legendary Ingramettes, a performance by Bittersweet Brass Band, and community programming which included a “NC Roots & Rhythms” program presented by the NC Department of Natural and Cultural Resources and free banjo lessons.
External Links
Biscuits & Banjos – official site
Rhiannon Giddens – official site