Farm Aid Headed to Minneapolis for 40th Anniversary Concert

Farm Aid will celebrate its 40th anniversary on September 20 with a super-sized show at Huntington Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota, featuring Farm Aid board members Willie Nelson, Neil Young, John Mellencamp, Dave Matthews, and Margo Price in addition to Billy Strings, Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats, Trampled by Turtles, Waxahatchee, Eric Burton of Black Pumas, Jesse Welles, Madeline Edwards, and others that have yet to be announced. Ticket sales begin May 16.

“Family farmers are the heart of this country, and we depend on each other for good food and strong communities,” Nelson says in a statement. “For 40 years, Farm Aid and our partners have stood with farmers, supporting them to stay on their land even when corporate power, bad policies and broken promises make it harder to keep going. This year, we’re proud to bring Farm Aid to Minnesota to celebrate the farmers who sustain us and to fight for a food system that works for all of us. Family farmers aren’t backing down, and neither are we.”

Farm Aid has been held virtually every year since the inaugural event in Champaign, Illinois, back in 1985. But this is the first time it’s touched down in Minneapolis. It will be the kickoff event to a year-long celebration of Farm Aid.

“We’re grateful to our dedicated board members and hundreds of generous artists who have brought us together year after year to celebrate family farmers and highlight the challenges they face every day,” Farm Aid Co-Executive Director Jennifer Fahy says in a statement. “Our anniversary marks a critical time for the nation to come together in support of the family farmers we all depend on. Our work isn’t done. There are significant threats to the future of family farm agriculture and our food system. Farm Aid 40 is an opportunity to call those out and work for the food system that farmers, eaters and our planet all deserve.”

The 2024 incarnation of Farm Aid took place at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center in Saratoga Springs, New York. It featured the debut of Neil Young’s new band the Chrome Hearts. They’re set centered around classics like “Harvest Moon,” “Heart of Gold,” “Unknown Legend,” and “Powderfinger.” They hit the road this year for their first proper tour, and will play Farm Aid at the end of the run.

Dave Matthews is spending much of the summer on the road with the Dave Matthews Band. But in keeping with longtime Farm Aid tradition, he’ll play an acoustic set with Tim Reynolds at the event.

The vast majority of Farm Aid concerts take place at outdoor amphitheaters. This is the first one at a stadium since the 2012 Farm Aid at Hersheypark Stadium in Hershey, Pennsylvania.