Black Potatoe fest will return to Red Mill Museum in ’17; tix go on sale this week

A poster for this year’s Black Potatoe Music Festival. Next year’s festival will take place July 14-16.

The Black Potatoe Music Festival, which celebrated its 20th anniversary this year, has signed a deal with The Red Mill Museum in Clinton for the festival to be held there through its 25th year, in 2021. Tickets to next year’s event, July 14-16, will go on sale this week.

The festival, devoted to independent music of all kinds, traditionally takes place outdoors at the museum, on two stages. It has grown, in recent years, to five days, but will now scale back to three days.

“After year 20, we knew that something had to change,” said festival owner and founder Matt Angus in a press release. “The music industry has been in a constant state of flux for the last 20 years (basically our whole existence). We have to recognize those changes, but we also have to recognize that we have continued to exist by not paying too much attention.”

Added Black Potatoe partner Lewis Wetherall: “We have spent the last 5 months trying to negotiate a deal with the Red Mill so that we could continue to have that spot as our location. Last week it was finalized and now we are good to go.”

Festival hours will be 4 to midnight on July 14; 11 a.m. to midnight on July 15; and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on July 16.

Tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m. Oct. 26, and the first 250 people will receive the discounted price of $50 for a three-day pass. Visit blackpotatoe.com for information and updates.

Artists who have performed at the festival over the years include Levon Helm, Grace Potter, Jimmy McGriff, Bernie Worrell, Graham Parker, The Smithereens, Honeyboy Edwards, Andy Summers of The Police, Kevin Hearn of Barenaked Ladies, Ollabelle, John Hammond, Sarah Borges, Susan Werner and Ellis Paul.