Hipnic celebrates a decade of deep lineups, impromptu jam sessions and new friends under the Big Sur redwoods.

No one really noticed that the coastal evening mist had grown into the kind of cold steady rain that eventually stings as it taps at your face. However, the 350-plus attendees collectively refused to take shelter. As the rain continued, a historic set of music unfolded at Hipnic III in 2011. Beach Boy Al Jardine joined the Mother Hips on the outdoor stage at the Fernwood campgrounds for a dazzling rendition of Del Shannon’s “Runaway.”

Fast forward to Hipnic IX in 2017, when Jonathan Richman (formerly of the Modern Lovers) and frequent collaborator, drummer Tommy Larkins, jammed late into the night in front of an intimate audience inside the Fernwood tavern. These are just a couple of the many dozen instances that (((folkYEAH!))) Presents’ Britt Govea (who co-produces and co-curates the three-day Hipnic with longtime NorCal jamband/event namesake, the Mother Hips), cites as unforgettable, once-in-a-lifetime musical moments.

The intimate three-day music gathering, celebrating its 10th year this weekend, is the complete opposite of mega-fests like Coachella. Govea breaks it down as, “Good times with close friends with unbeatable camping in a truly family-friendly place.”

The 2018 iteration of Hipnic boasts another amazing tapestry of artists. In addition to the Mother Hips, the jam-packed lineup includes Jackie Greene, Marc Olson (of The Jayhawks), Mapache, Johnny Irion, Jason Crosby, local outfit Sky Country, Scott Law and Ross James’ Cosmic Twang, Little Wings, Meg Baird, Midnight North, The Cairo Gang and GospelbeacH. Along with an array of surprise guests, Sweet Chariot, Par Value Country Band, Sensations and Jay Farrar (of Son Volt) – who’s also playing a gig just down the road at the Henry Miller Library Sunday, May 20, with his duo – will perform.

The Flamin’ Groovies top it all off with a crockpot of R&B, punk, power pop and garage rock. The San Francisco group comes armed with a history that spans more than 50 years of break-ups and comebacks, label bouncing and a lasting influence on the rock world.

“That’s what we’ve been doing for decades,” says co-founding guitarist/singer Cyril Jordan. “Nobody could categorize us. We were doing R&B, rock, pop, whatever.”

Jordan says the label-hopping and genre mixing allowed the Groovies the freedom to remain in “a perpetual state of evolution.”

HIPNIC X music starts at 3pm Friday, May 18; 11:30am Saturday, May 19; 11am Sunday, May 20. Fernwood Resort, 47200 Highway 1, Big Sur. Sold out. 667-2422, folkyeah.com