The 2026 Banjo Gathering will be held in Gaithersburg, Maryland from Thursday, November 5 to Sunday, November 8, at the
Gaithersburg Marriott Washingtonian Center.
We are thrilled to return to Maryland and the Washington, D.C. area to celebrate the banjo's early roots in the Chesapeake region, the area's sustained history of the banjo, and the banjo's central role in D.C.'s bluegrass scene.
The Gathering consists of three full days of presentations, exhibitions, and a banjo marketplace for studying, buying, selling, and trading historical and vintage banjos, parts, and related items. We also have banjos from some of the world’s finest instrument makers available to view and buy/trade.
Since 1998, the Banjo Gathering has been the platform for banjo collectors, researchers, instrument builders, and musicians to share new scholarship and findings about the banjo as a historical, cultural, and built object.
The Gathering consists of three full days of presentations, exhibitions, and a banjo marketplace for studying, buying, selling, and trading historical and vintage banjos, parts, and related items. We also have banjos from some of the world’s finest instrument makers available to view and buy/trade.
Since 1998, the Banjo Gathering has been the platform for banjo collectors, researchers, instrument builders, and musicians to share new scholarship and findings about the banjo as a historical, cultural, and built object.
Registration - Coming Soon!
Hotel Information
The event will take place at the Gaithersburg Marriott Washingtonian Center. Check back soon for information about our room block.
Presentations & Panels
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS NOW OPEN!
All proposals should explore the cultural history of the banjo, physical and design aspects of the banjo, playing techniques and styles, banjo building and set-up, banjo-related ephemera, banjo collecting, banjo players, and/or anything banjo-related! We look forward to celebrating the banjo's early roots in the Chesapeake region, the area's sustained history of the banjo, and the banjo's central role in D.C.'s pioneering bluegrass scene.
We invite proposals for presentations and panels that can be: live and in person or pre-recorded with no Q&A (which will be available for viewing online only). All content (live and recorded) will be available for viewing online. Presentations can be 45 minutes (30 minute presentation with 15 minutes Q&A) or 30 minutes (20 minute presentation with 10 min Q&A). Please direct questions to thebanjogathering@gmail.com. If you would like to submit a proposal but believe that you may have technical restraints, please mention this in the comments section below or email us.
Please SUBMIT YOUR PROPOSAL BY SUNDAY, JUNE 28, 2026 by clicking below. We will select presentations by mid-August.
All proposals should explore the cultural history of the banjo, physical and design aspects of the banjo, playing techniques and styles, banjo building and set-up, banjo-related ephemera, banjo collecting, banjo players, and/or anything banjo-related! We look forward to celebrating the banjo's early roots in the Chesapeake region, the area's sustained history of the banjo, and the banjo's central role in D.C.'s pioneering bluegrass scene.
We invite proposals for presentations and panels that can be: live and in person or pre-recorded with no Q&A (which will be available for viewing online only). All content (live and recorded) will be available for viewing online. Presentations can be 45 minutes (30 minute presentation with 15 minutes Q&A) or 30 minutes (20 minute presentation with 10 min Q&A). Please direct questions to thebanjogathering@gmail.com. If you would like to submit a proposal but believe that you may have technical restraints, please mention this in the comments section below or email us.
Please SUBMIT YOUR PROPOSAL BY SUNDAY, JUNE 28, 2026 by clicking below. We will select presentations by mid-August.
