In its Boonerang Music & Arts Festival took over downtown Boone from June 19-22, filling Howard Street and Depot Street with live music, visual art and energy.
The free, four-day event shared the streets of downtown Boone with locals, students, alumni and visitors, all bringing the heart of the High Country to life for the start of summer.
While the festival features many local vendors and artists, it brings in outside acts as well. Big Daddy Love, an Appalachian rock band based out of Winston-Salem, was delighted to perform at Boonerang for their fourth consecutive year.
Brian Swenk, the lead singer of the group, hails from Sparta, North Carolina, finding himself native to the Appalachian region. Big Daddy Love is familiar with the Blue Ridge Mountains as Swenk said he found himself at home during Boonerang.
“It’s like a big family reunion,” Swenk said.
Another returning member on the festival’s lineup was Adam Church. Growing up in Boone and graduating from App State, Church said he was happy to once again participate in the local festival and give back to the community he knows and loves. His first gig in Boone was in 2011 at Murphy’s Restaurant and Pub, where SouthEnd Brewing Co. currently resides.
“This year’s Boonerang performance will be my 2,169th show,” Church said.
While some artists consistently return to Boonerang, Pressley Laton took her guitar onto the ECRS stage at South Depot Street for the first time.
Performing their first Boonerang set under the rays of the Friday afternoon sun, The Pressley Laton Band played a variety of country and folk tunes for the growing audience. At the end of their set, the band premiered their new track, “He Has Risen.” Ecstatic to be playing a festival, the band thought there was no better day to premiere and release the song on streaming platforms.
Traveling from Stanly County, North Carolina, Laton noted one of the many reasons she returned to the High Country. “It’s just like there’s such an inviting kind of atmosphere,” Laton said.
“I feel like it’s such a familiar thing even though you might walk down the road and not know a single soul,” Laton said.
Besides the diverse lineup of musical performances, many food, drink and art vendors set up shop throughout downtown Boone. Alongside permanent local establishments, visiting shops and artists turned Howard Street and North Depot Street into a bazaar.
“I think this is such a great community up here,” Mike Brown said, and owner of Little Wing Ice Cream. “I fell in love with the area ever since I moved up here.”
Little Wing returned to the High Country for their fourth Boonerang. “I think this is one of the best music festivals out there,” Brown said.
While some vendors have moved here recently, others have been here for their entire lives. Emily Thompson of Stony Fork Dyes has been here since her days as a Mountaineer.
The multicolored booth was filled with hand made t-shirts, pants, sweatshirts and bucket hats, many of which were sourced and repurposed from local thrift outlets. This year marked Thompson’s fourth year returning to the festival.
“Seeing so many friends, returning customers, you still see a lot of people you know from school,” Thompson said.
While the 2025 Boonerang Festival invited new and old faces, the biggest welcome came with the addition of a fourth day. Boonerang International Festival occurred on Sunday, introducing a full day of world music and vendors from other cultures.
Among the lineup was Las Montañitas, a South American group that classifies their music as Cumbia Psicodelica, a genre combining psychedelic rock and Colombian folk music. Featuring an accordion, tenor saxophone, guiro and congo drums, the group’s lead singer, who goes by Mar, loves the community on stage and in the audience.
“I think we’re all here for support at the moment,” Mar said. Based out of Ashville, the group was highly appreciative of the addition of Boonerang International Festival.
