The Best Country Music Festivals
Tractors, beer, and cowboy hats. Check out the best country festivals here.
Skiddle Staff
Date published: 25th May 2023
Yeehaw! Country music has seen a rapid rise in Britain, with streams shooting up almost 50% over 2021-22. As a result, there are more country music festivals popping up in the UK and beyond.
If you’re one of those who can’t get enough of immersive storytelling, acoustic guitars, and the occasional mentions of tractors, whiskey, and beer, we’re here to help you out.
Instead of spending hours and hours researching the best country festivals, we put them all here, to make choosing that bit easier. Check them out below with some in the UK, Canada, and Australia, and, as you’d imagine, loads in America!
Stagecoach
Photo: Stagecoach Festival / Facebook.com
When: Friday 28th April - Sunday 30th April 2023
Where: Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, America
2023 lineup: Luke Bryan, Kane Brown, Chris Stapleton, ZZ Top, and more
One of the world’s biggest country music festivals, Stagecoach celebrates country, folk, bluegrass, rockabilly and fusion genres.
Regularly attracting the biggest country artists to its stages, the fest also boasts country culture with barbecued treats, line dancing, and cowboys. They get a big DJ on the decks (this year’s was Diplo) to keep the party going strong until late, and there’s loads more to check out.
Stagecoach 2023 has been and gone, but now you’ve heard a bit about it, you can keep track of any announcements for the 2024 bash.
Photo: The Long Road / Facebook.com
When: Friday 25th - Sunday 27th August 2023 (bank holiday weekend)
Where: Stanford Hall in Leicestershire, England
2023 lineup: Blackberry Smoke, Margo Price, Robbie Cavanagh, The Hanging Stars, Two Ways Home, and more
This family-friendly festival is now in its third year and just keeps getting bigger.
Alongside all these incredible country, Americana and roots artists across five stages, there's a classic car show, dance classes, a kid's area, wellbeing workshops, tractor racing, and so much more to explore. Perfectly blending modern activities with those classic country vibes, The Long Road is definitely one of the best country festivals in the UK.
Click or tap for tickets for The Long Road Festival
Black Deer Festival of Americana
Photo: Black Deer Festival / Facebook.com
When: Friday 16th - Sunday 18th June 2023
Where: Eridge Park in Kent, England
2023 lineup: Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats, The Pretenders, Bonnie Raitt, Richard Hawley, Bear's Den, and more
Another one with more than music in its offering, Black Deer celebrates the best in Americana counter-culture including huge, custom-built motorbikes and BBQ dishes. The whole festival pays homage to the culture.
A family-friendly bash, there are plenty of activities for the littluns to check out, like zip wires, tree climbing, tie-dying, music and circus workshops, and more.
Photo: Maverick Festival / Facebook.com
When: Friday 30th June - Sunday 2nd July
Where: Easton Farm Park in Suffolk, England
2023 lineup: Tom Russell, Laura Cantrell, Rich Hall, Carter Sampson, Jon Langford, Amerlie White, and more
Priding itself as the UK's first Americana festival with roots music from all over, Maverick was born in 2008 and has a home among restored Victorian barns and out-buildings in the Suffolk countryside.
Maverick showcases music, comedy, film, dance, and workshops featuring over fifty artists across six indoor and outdoor stages. The team has ensured there are lots of foods available including vegetarian options, Greek street food, award-winning local deserts, Suffolk cider and ale, nachos, and more.
Just over two and a half hours drive from London, it’s accessible for many and allows attendees to step into the peaceful countryside to enjoy their favourite music.
Photo: thegatheringscotland.com
When: Saturday 27th May 2023
Where: Inverness Northern Meeting Park in Inverness, Scotland
2023 lineup: Tide Lines, Red Hot Chilli Pipers, Shooglenifty, Torridon, Talisk, Ho-Ro, Beinn Lee, and more
The Gathering is a multi-genre festival with rock, pop, folk, world music, country, and Americana. So if you’re quite new to country, this might be the best festival to slowly introduce you to the world.
They have an incredible bar stocked with Scottish beer, whisky, gin, and more, a food village full of Highland’s street food, The Tomatin Whisky Stage with music, dancing, poetry, drams (that's small whisky or another spirit), and a kids area.
Tickets for The Gathering
Tamworth Country Music Festival
Photo: Tamworth Country Music Festival 2023 / Facebook.com
When: Friday 19th - Sunday 28th January 2024
Where: Tamworth, Australia
2023 lineup: Aleyce Simmonds, The Spurs, Christie Lamb, Melody Moko, Kelly Brouhaha, Kaylee Bell, and more
Tamworth has been and gone in 2023, but they’ve already set a date for 2024. As it’s too early for a 2024 lineup reveal, we’ve included this year's lineup above to get an idea of who might play next year.
One of Australia’s best country festivals, Tamworth brings the biggest Aussie country names, has over 120 venues getting involved in the festival for a huge pub crawl, family zones and activities, parties, and obviously live music. Going strong for over 30 years now, Tamworth is Australia’s biggest country fest and is a vital part of the genre's history over there.
Read about more Australian music festivals here
C2C: Country to Country
Photo: C2C Country to Country / Facebook.com
When: Friday 8th - Sunday 10th March 2024
Where: The O2 in London, OVO Hydro in Glasgow, and SSE Arena in Belfast
2023 lineup: Thomas Rhett, Lady A, Zac Brown Band, and more
Same as Tamworth, we looked at this year's artists but included the dates for next year's event. CTC is Europe’s biggest country music festival, attracting huge names and emerging talents from the UK, Europe, and Nashville.
The three-day festival stops by in indoor London, Glasgow, and now Belfast (originally Dublin) venues every March, and celebrated its tenth birthday in 2023. As well as huge headline artists on the arena stage, the fest has three smaller stages outside the venue for rising stars.
Cavendish Beach Music Festival
Photo: Cavendish Beach Music Festival / Facebook.com
When: Thursday 6th - Saturday 8th July 2023
Where: Cavendish, Prince Edward Island in Canada
2023 lineup: Kane Brown, Jake Owen, Chris Stapleton, and more
CBMF, or Cavy to the fest’s fans, attracts over 60,000 country music lovers to its home by the beach in the Prince Edward Island National Park. In front of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, the natural beach hosts Atlantic Canada’s largest outdoor music event with live BBQ cooking with chefs, beer, and sunshine.
Crash My Playa
Photo: Crash My Playa / Facebook.com
When: Thursday 19th - Sunday 22nd January
Where: Moon Palace, Cancun in Mexico
2023 lineup: Luke Bryan, Chris Stapleton, Cole Swindell, Lionel Richie, Ashley McBryde, and more
Luke Bryan's Crash My Playa takes place in a stunning Mexican resort with pool parties, a beach stage, and late-night music. Keep an eye on this one for 2024 if you fancy country music in the sun!
This four-night, all-inclusive festival/holiday picks you up from the airport. From there, you can enjoy beaches, pools, and explore the stunning oceanfront resort. Complimentary bevs, performance art, interactive art installations, staff to help you out, food, and your favourite country artists. It doesn't get much better than this.
Photo: Craic by the Creek / Facebook.com
When: Friday 21st - Sunday 23rd July 2023
Where: Whitebottom Farm in Stockport, Greater Manchester, England
2023 lineup: Nathan Carter, The Tumbliing Paddies, Ceol, Claudia Buckley, Ruaile Buaile, Lampa, Joe Keegan, and more
A little different to the rest on this list, Craic by the Creek is more focused on traditional and contemporary Irish country and folk music than American country. Here, they’ve got plenty of Irish country and folk artists with acoustic, world music, indie pop, cover bands, and more.
Going down the weekend after St Patricks Day, it’s probably the best festival to join in with the celebrations. Expect a huge variety of food, drink, music, camping facilities, and an unbeatable atmosphere. Over in Stockport, using public transport from Manchester, you’ll get there in a little over an hour.
Tickets for Craic by the Creek Festival
Carolina Country Music Fest
Photo: Carolina Country Music Fest / Facebook.com
When: Thursday 8th - Sunday 11th June 2023
Where: Myrtle Beach, South Carolina in America
2023 lineup: Kenny Chesney, Miranda Lambert, Brooks + Dunn, Whiskey Myers, Bret Michaels, Lainey Wilson, and more
Growing every year, in 2022, CCMF attracted 35,000 country fans to its 18-acre coastal fest. CCMF has five stages of music, a zip line (get up there for some amazing pictures and videos!), classic Southern food, and more.
Close to the ocean, if you’re heading here, don’t be fooled into thinking it’ll be hot as hell - it might actually be a bit on the breezy side.
Tortuga Music Festival
Photo: Tortuga Music Festival / Facebook.com
When: Friday 14th - Sunday 16th April 2023
Where: Fort Lauderdale Beach in Florida, America
2023 lineup: Shania Twain, Kenny Chesney, Eric Church, Wiz Khalifa, and more
Celebrating country, rock, and roots, Tortuga might just have the prettiest setting of all American country festivals. On the beach with palm trees, boats in the sea, and sand beneath your feet, the festival aims to raise awareness about the issues our oceans face.
Organised by Rock the Ocean, the fests fans have already donated over $1,000,000 from ticket sales.
Click or tap here for the best beach festivals
Country Thunder Music Festivals
Photo: Country Thunder Music Festivals / Facebook.com
When: 3 days festivals taking place throughout the year
Where: the US - Arizona, Wisconsin, Tennessee, Florida / Canada - Alberta and Saskatchewan
2023 lineup: Jon Pardi, Tim McGraw, Cody Johnson, and more - lineup dependent on location
This country music festival travels across America and Canada to spread the love as far as possible.
Operating since 1996 before expanding into different states and provinces, it's known for catering to many country fans with the hottest artists, legends from the past, and the next big names.
The Arizona 2023 edition has wrapped up with Saskatchewan and Wisconsin coming in July, Alberta in August, and Tennessee and Florida in October. If you’re planning on attending, it’s a fantastic idea to do some thorough research as you don’t want to get absolutely fried by the sun on the first day.
Read our festival packing list here
CMA Music Festival
Photo: CMA Country Music Association / Facebook.com
When: Thursday 8th - Sunday 11th June 2023
Where: Music City Center in Nashville, Tennessee, America
2023 lineup: Luke Bryan, Tim McGraw, Eric Church, Ashley McBryde and more
CMA is the longest-running country music festival in the world, celebrating 50 years in 2023. So if you’re keen to check out a vital part of the scene, CMA is a good shout.
Always welcoming some of the biggest names from the genre, CMA has countless fans and plenty of other activities to get stuck into. For example, tickets for the fest also grant entry to Fan Fair X, where you can find acoustic performances, interviews, games, merch, shops and more.
With country music on the rise, now is a fantastic time to check out some of these festivals. The scene is thriving and growing by the minute, and the festivals dedicated to the genre have plenty of activities surrounding the culture. So stick on your cowboy hat, pick up a cold one, and get out into a field and sing until you lose your voice!
Search Skiddle now to find more festivals in the UK or abroad. Or click or tap here for some inspiration.
Check out our What's On Guide to discover even more rowdy raves and sweaty gigs taking place over the coming weeks and months. For festivals, lifestyle events and more, head on over to our Things To Do page or be inspired by the event selections on our Inspire Me page.
Header: CMA Country Music Association / Facebook.com
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