Mt. Shasta Blackberry Music Festival

The Mt. Shasta Blackberry Music Festival returns to Shastice Park on Sunday, September 6, 2026, from noon to 6:00 PM in the shadow of one of the most geologically and visually imposing mountains in the American West. Labor Day weekend in Mount Shasta holds a particular quality: the summer visitors are thinning, the mountain’s glaciers catch the September light differently than they do in July, and the blackberries that give this festival its name are at their peak — fully ripe, abundant in the surrounding volcanic hillsides, and central to the day’s most anticipated transaction. Roughly 1,000 people attend, drawn by local bands, craft vendors, small-town end-of-summer energy, and the blackberry pie sale that has become the event’s defining institution.

The Pie Strategy and Everything Else

The blackberry pie is a limited resource. If it is your primary reason for attendance — and for many regulars, it is — go directly to the sale table upon arrival at noon and secure what you came for before making any other decisions. The pies sell out. This is not a theoretical concern or a promotional claim; it is the consistent experience of festival-goers who arrived at 2:00 PM with pie on their mind. Once you have secured the pie, the rest of the afternoon opens naturally: local bands play the park stage through the afternoon in a genre rotation that reflects the community’s musical breadth without demanding a specific taste. Craft vendor booths line the park perimeter with handmade goods at the kind of price points that reward browsing without requiring commitment. Food vendors cover the basics for a six-hour outdoor afternoon. The festival brings cash as a practical measure — mobile payment connectivity at outdoor park events in this part of Northern California can be inconsistent at peak hours.

Lake Siskiyou and the Mountain That Frames Everything

Lake Siskiyou, two miles south of downtown Mount Shasta off West A. Barr Road, is the practical water anchor for any stay built around the festival. The 440-acre reservoir sits at the base of Mount Shasta’s southwestern slope with the mountain’s 14,179-foot summit reflected in the water when conditions are still — the most classically photographed view of the mountain in existence, and available at no cost from the lake’s accessible shoreline trail. A loop walk around the lake runs approximately three miles on a flat, paved path that functions as the ideal morning warm-up before the noon festival start. Canoe and kayak rentals are available through the Lake Siskiyou Camp Resort on West A. Barr Road for visitors who want the mountain reflection from the water surface rather than the shore. The McCloud River, 15 miles east of town, is a California Wild Trout stream with catch-and-release sections that hold wild rainbow trout in a basalt canyon setting that fly fishers travel significant distances to reach — access is through the McCloud River Preserve managed by The Nature Conservancy, with permitted day access available by advance reservation. For dinner in Mount Shasta, Lily’s Restaurant on Pilgrim Creek Road has been the town’s most celebrated kitchen for more than 20 years, with a menu that moves between California-influenced and Pacific Rim preparations; the Dungeness crab cakes with remoulade and the grilled salmon with seasonal vegetable preparation are the two dishes that appear in every sustained review of the restaurant. For a more casual post-festival dinner, Berryvale Grocery and Café on South Mount Shasta Boulevard operates a café counter with local sourcing and the kind of daily rotating menu that reflects what is genuinely in season in Northern California in early September.

Planning the Weekend

Shastice Park is located in downtown Mount Shasta, accessible from Alma Street off North Mount Shasta Boulevard. The festival is free to attend. Arrive at noon for the pie. Bring a picnic blanket, a tote bag, and a light jacket — September afternoons in Mount Shasta start warm and cool after 4:00 PM as the mountain’s shadow extends across the park. Dogs are welcome on leash. Mount Shasta is located on Interstate 5 in Siskiyou County, approximately 60 miles north of Redding and 180 miles south of Eugene, Oregon.

Lake Siskiyou and Shasta Valley Waterfront Stays on Lake.com

Lake Siskiyou’s shoreline accommodations and the broader Shasta-Trinity lake system — Shasta Lake to the south, Siskiyou Lake, and the Trinity Alps reservoir chain — represent one of Northern California’s most geographically concentrated collections of waterfront rental options. Search Lake Siskiyou and Siskiyou County lake options on Lake.com for September availability. A weekend built around the Blackberry Music Festival with a morning on the lake and an afternoon in the park is the template that most repeat visitors settle into after a first visit.