MerleFest is an annual Americana music festival hel in Wilkesboro, North Carolina at Wilkes Community College at the end of April. The festival is hosted by legendary guitar player Doc Watson and is named for his son, Eddy Merle Watson, who died in a farming accident in 1985. The four-day-long festival was founded in 1988 and now attracts more than 85,000 participants, making it the largest folk music festival in the United States. Its annual economic impact on northwestern NC exceeds $14 million and the festival has contributed nearly $7,300,000 to Wilkes Community College.