From a pair of early-year vacation opportunities in Mexico to such tentpole annual events as Austin City Limits (ACL) Fest, CMA Fest and the Houston Rodeo, there's no shortage of country music festivals and events worth marking on your calendar.
Some, like Rock the South and Stagecoach, gather current and future stars of country radio. Others, like AmericanaFest and MerleFest, offer exposure to acts outside of the mainstream. There's also events like DelFest and the Earl Scruggs Music Festival that continue the decades-long tradition of bluegrass festivals. So, there's something for just about any fan of country and adjacent musical styles.
As of the publish date, most events have a partial or complete lineup set in stone. However, a few announcements are still pending.
Outside of our January selections, this list sticks with events held in the US. Thus, we skip over the numerous country and roots music festivals in Canada, Europe and the rest of the world.
Read on four our top 20 picks that should be worth using a few vacation days and sky miles. An exhaustive list of other festivals follows. More will be added to the latter list in the coming months as additional events get announced.
Natasha Moustache/WireImage Dates: Jan. 17 - 20 Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Live Nation Dates: Jan. 18 - 21 Xinhua/Lao Chengyue via Getty Images Dates: Feb. 27 - March 17 Rick Kern/WireImage for Shock Ink Date: March 14 John Shearer/Getty Images for Essential Broadcast Media Dates: April 25 - 28 Terry Wyatt/Getty Images for BMG/BBR Music Group Dates: April 26 - 28 Rick Diamond/Getty Images Dates: May 17 - 18 Stephen J. Cohen/Getty Images Dates: May 23 - 26 Kayla DeLaura/Getty Images Dates: May 30 - June 2 Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images Dates: June 1 - 2 Monica Murray/Variety via Getty Images Dates: June 6 -9 Thomas Rhett (photo by Getty Images) Dates: June 20 -22 Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images Dates: June 28 -29 Erika Goldring/WireImage Dates: July 18 - 20 Scott Legato/Getty Images Dates: July 19 - 21 Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images Dates: Aug. 30 - Sept. 1 Carol M. Highsmith/Buyenlarge/Getty Images Dates: Sept. 13 -15 Erika Goldring/Getty Images Dates: TBA/ September SUZANNE CORDEIRO/AFP via Getty Images Dates: TBA/ Fall 2024 Rick Kern/Getty Images Dates: Oct. 4 - 13Luke Bryan's Crash My Playa
Location: Riviera Cancun, Mexico
Lineup: Luke Bryan, Dierks Bentley, Jelly Roll, Jon Pardi, Bailey Zimmerman and more
More Info: Bryan will begin this year's festival calendar with his annual beachfront party.Brandi Carlile's Girls Just Wanna Weekend 5
Location: Riviera Maya, Mexico
Lineup: Brandi Carlile, Allison Russell, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Brandy Clark and more
More Info: Women are frequently unrepresented on festival lineups. So, Carlile started her own multi-day gathering.RodeoHouston
Location: Houston, Texas
Lineup: TBA
More Info: The annual Houston Rodeo will focus on country music on Feb. 27 - 28 and on March 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9 14, 16 and 17. The March 11 theme will be country rock.Luck Reunion
Location: Spicewood, Texas
Lineup: Willie Nelson plus more TBA
More Info: The annual event takes place on Nelson's legendary Luck Ranch.MerleFest
Location:Wilkesboro, NC
Lineup: Turnpike Troubadours, Old Crow Medicine Show and more
More Info: A roots-heavy lineup will run opposite Stagecoach.Stagecoach Festival
Location:Indio, Cal.
Lineup: Eric Church, Jelly Roll, Miranda Lambert, Willie Nelson, the Beach Boys and more
More Info: Stagecoach ranks right behind CMA Fest when it comes to what's the most star-studded multi-day country event. As of Jan, 4, tickets are sold out, but there is a waiting list for if there are any additional passes.FreshGrass Festival Bentonville
Location: Bentonville, Ark.
Lineup: Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, Trampled By Turtles, Allison Brown and more
More Info: FreshGrass is one of the preeminent Americana, folk and bluegrass events of the year.DelFest
Location: Cumberland, Md.
Lineup: The Del McCoury Band, Marty Stuart and more
More Info: Bluegrass great Del McCoury is DelFest's namesake.Gulf Coast Jam
Location: Panama City Beach, Fla.
Lineup: Jelly Roll, Cody Johnson, Parker McCollum and more
More Info: Tickets are sold out.Railbird Festival
Location: Lexington, Kent.
Lineup: Chris Stapleton, Noah Kahan, Turnpike Troubadours and more
More Info: If you missed out on Gulf Coast Jam tickets, consider attending this. Though as of Jan. 4, few Railbird tickets remain.CMA Fest
Location: Nashville
Lineup: TBA
More Info: CMA Fest still reigns as the biggest annual country music gathering.Country Jam Colorado
Location: Grand Junction, Col.
Lineup: Jelly Roll, Thomas Rhett and more
More Info: Few states offer more beautiful scenery for outdoor fests than Colorado.Country Thunder Bristol
Location: Bristol, Tenn.
Lineup: TBA
More Info: This annual event was previously held in October,Rock the South
Location: Cullman, Ala.
Lineup: Eric Church, Hardy and Jelly Roll
More Info: Rock the South puts together some of the most consistently stacked lineups.Faster Horses
Location: Brooklyn. Mich.
Lineup: TBA
More Info: Faster Horses joins Rock the South as one of the biggest country music parties of July.Earl Scruggs Music Festival
Location: Mill Spring, NC
Lineup: TBA
More Info: Jan. 6 would've been Scruggs' 100th birthday.Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion
Location: Bristol Tenn. and Va.
Lineup: TBA
More Info: This one takes place in the twin cities at the center of country music's "big bang."AmericanaFest
Location: Nashville
Lineup: TBA
More Info: This annual event brings roots artists from around the globe to Music City.Farm Aid
Location: TBA
Lineup: Willie Nelson, Neil Young, Margo Price and more TBA
More Info: Nelson co-founded Farm Aid, which dates back to 1985.Austin City Limits Music Festival
Location: Austin, Texas
Lineup: TBA
More Info: The two-weekend ACL Fest lineup typically includes country and Americana heavy-hitters.
Additional Country Music Festivals Scheduled for 2024
- Country Music Cruise (Jan. 20 - 27 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla, Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos, Key West, Fla. and Half Moon Cay, Bahamas)
- Mile 0 Fest (Jan. 23 - 27 in Key West, Fla.)
- WinterWonderGrass (March 1 - 3 in Steamboat Steams, Col.)
- Tortuga Festival (April 5 - 7 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)
- Country Thunder Arizona (April 11 - 14 in Florence, Ariz.)
- Moon Crush Pink Moon (April 18 -21 in Miramar Beach, Fla.)
- Crawfish Music Festival (April 19 - 21 in Biloxi, Miss.)
- Two Step Inn (April 20 - 21 in Georgetown, Texas)
- Brandi Carlile's Mothership Weekend (May 10 - 12 in Miramar Beach, Fla.)
- Big As Texas Festival (May 10 -12 in Conroe, Texas)
- Rooster Walk 2024 (May 23 - 26 in Martinsville, Va.)
- Carolina County Music Fest (June 6 - 9 in Myrtle Beach, SC)
- Tailgate N' Tallboys Clinton (June 6 - 8 in Clinton, Iowa)
- The Country Fest (June 12 - 15 in North Lawrence, Ohio)
- Kickin' Up Country (June 12 -15 in Karlstad, Minn.)
- Tailgate N' Tallboys Bloomington (June 13 - 16 in Bloomington, Ill.)
- Country Summer Music Festival (June 14 - 16 in Santa Rosa, Cal.)
- Summerfest 2024 (June 20 - July 6 in Milwaukee, Wisc.)
- Barefoot Country Music Festival (June 20 - 23 in Wildwood, NJ)
- Buckeye Country Superfest (June 22 - 23 in Columbus, Ohio)
- Country Fest (June 27 - 29 in Cadott, Wisc.)
- Jackalope Jamboree (June 27 - 29 in Pendleton, Ore.)
- Country Concert 2024 (July 11 - 13 in Fort Loramie, Ohio)
- Windy City Smokeout (July 11 - July 14 in Chicago)
- Under the Big Sky (July 12 - 14 in Whitefish, Mont.)
- Country Jam USA (July 18 - 20 in Eau Claire, Wisc.)
- Country Thunder Wisconsin 2024 (July 18 - 21 in Twin Lakes, Wisc.)
- FloydFest (July 24 - 28 in Check, Va.)
- Headwaters Country Jam (July 25 - 27 in Three Forks, Mont.)
- WE Fest (Aug. 1 - 3 in Detroit Lakes, Minn.)
- Watershed (Aug. 2 - 4 in George, Wash.)
- Voices of America Country Music Fest (Aug. 9 - 11 in West Chester, Ohio)
- TidalWave (Aug. 9 - 11 in Atlantic City Beach, NJ)
- Live at the Station (Oct. 11 - 12 in College Station, Texas)
- Country Thunder Florida (Oct. 18 - 20 in Kissimmee, Fla.)
- GoldenSky Festival (Oct. 18 - 20 in Sacramento, Cal.)
