Annual Topanga Banjo-Fiddle Contest
and Folk Festival

This year's event got a day of cool, pleasant weather with several hours of overcast sky. There was nothing overcast about the musicians, though, and they delivered hot licks and good music throughout the day. In the morning, many were warming up for the competition and the soft light was especially flattering for photographs of the ladies.

The festival is one of the best bargains in music there is. For fifteen bucks (ten if you're an old fart like I am), you get a full day of bluegrass music with three stages and random jam sets throughout the area. The old time buildings are an added bonus for photography, and when the sunlight is harsh, musicians will find shelter in the shade of those buildings where light is more manageable for photography. 'Nuff said. Below are thirty-four photographs from the 2016 event.