I know there are a lot of bluegrass fans around here, so I thought I'd post this very interesting article I read the other day in the New York Times about how bluegrass thrives in unlikely places like the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, etc. There are excellent players, festivals, etc. all over Europe. The Czechs claim that there are more bluegrass bands, per capita, in the Czech Republic, than in any other country in the world . . .

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04...&sq=bluegrass&st=cse

Bluegrass is getting bigger and bigger in Europe.In Czech Republic there are some excellent bands.
But in Greece where i live,there's nothing at all.I've been trying hard for 14 years to find any guys to pick with;what i've found is an excellent banjo/old time fiddle player and an another blues guitar player who became an excellent flatpicker too,after we met together.And that's it.3 guys is enough!

Regards,
Yiannis

There's a major bluegrass festival in France at the end of July (La Roche Bluegrass Festival) near Geneva which is a nice motorcycle trip from where I live in Italy. Last year, there were 12,000 people there. I'm definitely going -- how could you pass up a bluegrass festival in the middle of the French Alps????

Sounds like a nice motorcycle trip from here in the UK too - i'll look it up, just difficult carrying the guitar on the bike.
There have always been pockets of Bluegrass about Europe even if not full Bluegrass Festivals some certainly booked plenty of bluegrass acts. Have played some lovely mainland European gigs and there are certainly some very hot pickers this side of the water.