Since its inception in 1997,[1] it had been held at venues along the Mid-Atlantic, including Trip's Farm (Terra Alta) Masontown, West Virginia, Brandywine, Maryland and most notably Marvin's Mountaintop.

The lineup had included artists such as Furthur, Derek Trucks, Railroad Earth, Keller Williams, The Flaming Lips, Phil Lesh and Friends, Widespread Panic, Umphrey's McGee, The String Cheese Incident, Les Claypool, Ratdog, Moe., Lotus, Bassnectar, Old Crow Medicine Show, The New Deal, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, Yonder Mountain String Band, Dark Star Orchestra, and Leftover Salmon.

The two main stages in the concert area operated with no overlapping sets, allowing festival-goers the unique opportunity to see all of the music scheduled at the festival.

Lewin, of Cape Charles, Virginia, lost control of his pickup but blames parking and security agents who guided him to the "steep, grassy slope near tents and other vehicles."

Lewin, Ton, Doran and Kim Miller sued campground operator Marvin’s Mountaintop LLC; Walther Productions; California-based Tobin Productions; M&M Parking Inc. of Pennsylvania; and three security providers, Event Staffing Inc. of Virginia, National Event Services, Inc. of New Hampshire, and Axis Security Inc. of Tennessee.

[5] On October 13, 2011, Tim Walther sent a request to Caroline County, VA to ask for a change in a music ordinance.

He wanted to move the annual show from West Virginia to Moss Neck Manor, a 1,200-acre site in Port Royal, VA off U.S. 17 owned by the Silver Cos.