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Free Music, No Tickets: The Levitt BLOC Season Finale Is September 26 🎵

Written by

Chad Hembree

The 2026 Levitt BLOC Berea Music Series is down to its last show.

Saturday, September 26, Devon Gilfillian, Darrin Hacquard, and MojoFlo will take the stage at Alumni Field as part of the Berea College One Reunion Mountaineer Fest. It is the season finale, and admission is free. No tickets and no registration. Just show up.

This is the tenth season for the series. It launched in 2017 as Levitt AMP Berea and became the Levitt BLOC Berea Music Series in 2026. Shows have been running since mid-May at the Berea City Park Expansion, the Chestnut Street Pavilion, Glades Community Garden, Tillie Memorial Dog Park, the Berea Community School lawn, and The Lot.

The music comes to the neighborhood 🎵

That is a deliberate choice. By spreading the shows across multiple locations, the series puts music in front of people where they already are instead of asking everybody to come to one place. A family near the community garden gets a different show than a family over by the school. The whole city gets touched.

If you have been to even one of those nights, you already know what they feel like. Families lay out blankets. Kids run around on the grass while their parents settle in and listen. People who have not seen each other in months run into one another in the crowd and end up staying for the whole show. Food trucks line the edges. At many of the shows, Grow Appalachia provides meals for kids, so families do not have to think about that before heading out.

It is the kind of evening that leaves you feeling like something good happened in your town.

Who makes it happen 🎤

The local organization behind the series is AMP Berea, formerly known as First Friday Berea. This year, they received a multi-year Levitt BLOC Music Series grant of $120,000 in matching funds to present free outdoor concerts in 2026, 2027, and 2028. That is a three-year commitment, and the matching requirement means the money depends on local support: sponsorships, donations, and the kind of behind-the-scenes work that most concertgoers never see but that makes the whole thing possible.

The national program is backed by the Levitt Foundation, which works with local partners to bring free live music to small and mid-sized cities that would not otherwise have consistent access to touring musicians. Berea is one of those cities.

Here is what I will say about that. Berea is a town of just over 17,000 people. Devon Gilfillian is the kind of artist you would normally have to drive to Lexington or Louisville to see. Getting him on a stage here does not happen on its own. It takes a grant program like Levitt BLOC, and it takes the people locally who do the work to land it and keep it going.

I have watched these concerts bring people together all season, and I appreciate every person who has put in the hours behind the scenes. The organizers. The volunteers who set up and tear down. The sponsors and community partners who show up in different ways. The concerts are the part you see. Everything behind them is the part that matters most if you want this program to keep going.

The series is presented by AMP Berea, the nonprofit formerly known as First Friday Berea, in partnership with Berea Home Village and Grow Appalachia.

If you go 🎉

For the September 26 finale, bring a lawn chair or a blanket and whatever makes you comfortable. Most shows go rain or shine. Leashed pets are welcome. Food trucks will be on site, and you can bring your own food and non-alcoholic beverages. All venues offer accessible parking. Check @ampberea on Instagram or the Levitt BLOC Berea listing at levitt.org for the time and any weather updates.

Come out on the 26th. Bring your kids. Bring a neighbor who has not been to one of these. Thank a volunteer if you see one. And if this program has meant something to you this season, tell the organizers. The grant depends on local matching funds, and community support is what keeps it alive beyond any single year.

A full season of free concerts in a town of just over 17,000 people. Good music, good neighbors, no ticket required. That is worth protecting.

Upcoming Community and Theater Events 🎭

Tickets and info for all shows: thespotlightplayhouse.com

Sources 📚

About the Author ✍

Chad Hembree serves as the Executive Director of Spotlight Acting School, The Spotlight Playhouse, and Spotlight Performing Arts. A resident of Berea, Kentucky, and a former member of the Berea Council, he has spent decades working in community theater, arts education, and local journalism. Since 1995, he has operated BereaOnline.com, focusing on local news, civic issues, and stories that highlight community collaboration and grassroots efforts across Madison County.

This article originally appeared on BereaOnline.com.

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