Stage 5

Stage 5 (or, originally, "Stage V") is an unofficial stage at the Walnut Valley Festival, an annual bluegrass festival in Winfield, Kansas, United States.[1]

Stage 5
Stage 5 at the Walnut Valley Festival
Genre	Bluegrass music
Location(s)	Walnut Valley Festival, Winfield, Kansas, United States
Years active	1987-present
Founded by	Russell Brace and friends
Website	Stage 5 website

Set up in the Pecan Grove campground, the informal stage began in 1987 when camper Russell Brace and friends built it on the back of a flatbed truck. The stage is so-named because the festival proper has four main stages.

The stage was immediately popular and is now a cherished tradition at the annual event.

Audiences at Stage 5 can usually expect to hear typical acoustic string instruments. However, many musicians, while there, part from traditional bluegrass styles and emphasize a looser, more rock-oriented interpretation of roots music.

Several notables have played Stage 5. Among them: Tommy Emmanuel, The Wilders, Beppe Gambetta, an early incarnation of the Dixie Chicks, and Split Lip Rayfield.