New Huntsville music festival now has name, dates, genres

September 28 and 29 will mark a new era in Huntsville live music history.

That’s when the city’s new music festival, produced by C3 Presents, a company whose resume includes mega festivals like Bonnaroo and Lollapalooza, will debut at John Hunt Park.

The festival’s name? South Star.

Today, a website and social media presence were launched for South Star Music Festival.

The performer lineup and ticket prices have yet to be unveiled.

However, the South Star website indicates tiers will be offered beyond a standard general admission ticket: “GA+, VIP and Platinum offerings for perks like expedited entry, dedicated viewing areas, air-conditioned lounges and so much more.”

The website/socials branding also hints at the festival’s genre focus, with phrases like, “Celebrate nostalgic pop & rock anthems and make new memories with us in the heart of John Hunt Park.”

In March, South Star festival director Ted Heinig, of C3, told AL.com, “Festivals that are really successful right now are focused top-to-bottom and they’re super-serving their fans with all of the artists they like.”

Online branding touts South Star as a “world class festival experience.” Fans can sign up for updates on the as-yet-unseen music lineup via the website.

South Star’s hours for each day of the festival have yet to be posted. The dates fall on a Saturday and Sunday.

South Star’s opening night overlaps with two highly anticipated college football games in a college football crazed state.

University of Alabama hosts University of Georgia on September 28, with kickoff scheduled for 6:30 p.m. That same Saturday, the University of Auburn is set to take on Oklahoma University, kickoff time to be determined.

In March, AL.com asked Heinig if C3 had concerns about launching a new festival in the middle of football season. At that time, Heinig said, “We have a strategy to blend football with the music.

Huntsville’s two marquee concert venues, Von Braun Center and Orion Amphitheater, don’t currently have concerts schedule the weekend South Star’s occurring.

The opening page of South Star’s new website includes a section addressing this strategy, “SEC country takes football season seriously and so do we. Post up with a beer, good eats and friends to watch the big games at our giant sports bar”.

In March, when AL.com asked C3′s Heinig for an already existing festival to compare what’s now known as South Star too, he cited Atlanta’s Shakey Knees Festival, attended by around 40,000 fans last year. This year’s Shakey Knees lineup boasts artists including Foo Fighters, Bill Idol, Queens of the Stone Age and Arcade Fire.

Huntsville has been without a large-scale music festival since the final Big Spring Jam in 2011. That festival was held downtown. Over its run, Big Spring Jam brought artists like Wilco, Destiny’s Child, Allman Brothers, Al Green, Hall & Oates and a young Taylor Swift to Huntsville.

AL.com first reported the city’s designs on bringing a music festival back to Huntsville in 2022.