About Us

Good Friends Music Fest began in 2018 with a simple idea: create a stage for local artists and bring original live music back to the Manchester community.

At the time, opportunities for musicians to perform original work were limited, and one of the town's most beautiful public spaces, the Rotary Park Amphitheater, sat largely unused. What started as a small grassroots gathering of artists and friends quickly became something bigger.

Year by year, the festival grew organically through community support, artist participation, and a shared belief in what live music can do. Today, Good Friends Music Fest has become a cornerstone event for Manchester and the surrounding Middle Tennessee region.

In 2026, the 9th annual Good Friends Music Fest expands to a three-day experience featuring nearly 20 artists and welcoming over 1,000 attendees, while staying true to its grassroots foundation.

Good Friends Music is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to building community through live music.

Our mission is to organize and host a free community music festival that promotes undeniably important artists and provides educational and cultural enrichment to the residents of the community we serve.

We are committed to creating free, accessible, and high-quality live music experiences that bring people together, support artists, and strengthen the cultural fabric of Middle Tennessee.

Manchester is globally recognized for music, yet access to live, original performances at the local level has not always been consistent or accessible.

Good Friends Music Fest helps close that gap.

By keeping the festival completely free, we ensure that anyone can experience high-quality live music regardless of background or financial means. At the same time, we give artists a meaningful platform to share their work, grow their audience, and contribute to a thriving local arts community.