Rock the South 2024: Eric Church, Jelly Roll, Hardy headline lineup

Rock the South 2024: Eric Church, Jelly Roll, Hardy headline lineup

Three marquee country stars — Eric Church, Jelly Roll and Hardy — are set to headline Rock the South 2024.

The music festival in Alabama revealed its new lineup on Monday, touting artists that also included Parker McCollum, Nelly, Big & Rich featuring Gretchen Wilson, Warren Zeiders and Oliver Anthony. (He’s the Virginia singer-songwriter who raised a ruckus this year with “Rich Men North of Richmond,” which was adopted as an “anthem” by conservative Republicans such as Marjorie Taylor Greene.)

Dates for festival — officially known as Pepsi Rock the South — are July 18-20 at York Farms, 1872 County Road 469 in Cullman. A total of 17 acts will perform during the event, including Priscilla Block, Flatland Cavalry, Nate Smith, Wyatt Flores, Treaty Oak Revival, Kidd G, Gavin Adcock, Alana Springsteen and Dee Jay Silver.

Tickets go on sale Friday, Nov. 3, at 10 a.m. CT via the Rock the South website. Registration opened today for a pre-sale that starts Wednesday, Nov. 1, at 10 a.m. CT. (To sign up for the pre-sale, visit the festival website. Prices for the pre-sale are TBA.)

Starting on Friday, tickets are priced at $149.99 general admission, $399.99 VIP and $899.99 for Front Porch Seating. Various perks come with VIP and Front Porch tickets, such as viewing areas close to the stage, seating, private restrooms, parking passes and access to air-conditioned areas.

The Country Club, an ultra-VIP level introduced in 2023, will cost $1,999.99 per ticket. It includes a skydeck with elevated seating, concierge service, a private entrance, parking close to the festival grounds, private restrooms with an attendant, a lounge with open bar and food, air-conditioned spaces with phone charging stations and Wi-Fi access, and more.

Prices for GA and VIP tickets will increase over time in various “tiers,” the website says, growing more expensive as the festival dates near. General admission tickets will increase to $179.99-$249.99 and VIP tickets will increase to $429.99-$499.99, depending on when they’re purchased. No increases for Front Porch and County Club levels are mentioned on the website.

Parking passes also are on sale via the Rock the South website. A weekend parking pass costs $90; car camping is $299; RV parking is $750, $1,350 with an electrical power hookup.

Rock the South is owned and produced by Nathan Baugh of 46 Entertainment and Shane Quick of Premier Productions. “Crafting the lineup for Pepsi Rock the South 2024 has been an incredible journey. We’ve listened to our fans and aimed for the stars,” Quick said via a press release.

Rock the South started off small in 2012, with a single-day lineup that featured Dierks Bentley, Kellie Pickler, Brent Cobb and Jon Pardi at at Heritage Park, 1705 Lee Ave. Southwest in Cullman.

The festival changed significantly in 2013, when the new team of organizers replaced the City of Cullman and its parks department. Birmingham’s Jay Barker and Sara Evans were co-owners of the event in 2013-2015, along with Quick, but left the partnership after three years. The festival expanded its footprint in 2019, moving to the current 140-acre site.

Throughout its history, Rock the South presented performers such as Chris Stapleton, Alabama, Little Big Town, Luke Combs, Florida Georgia Line, Kid Rock, Morgan Wallen, Thomas Rhett, Hank Williams Jr., Luke Bryan, Sam Hunt, Maren Morris, Alan Jackson, The Band Perry, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Brooks & Dunn, Jamey Johnson, Riley Green and more. Despite its name, the festival has leaned to country music of various types, mixed with some Southern rock.

Two headliners announced for 2024, Eric Church and Hardy, have performed at Rock the South in the past. Church played at the festival in 2018 and was set to return in 2020, but that year’s event was canceled during the coronavirus pandemic. Hardy appeared at Rock the South in 2022, delighting the crowd when he autographed a prosthetic leg for a fan who passed the artificial limb up to the stage during his set.

RELATED: Rock the South: 20 big stars who played at the music festival in Alabama

Rock the South has raised more than $1 million for for area charities during its tenure, organizers said. Beneficiaries have included Cullman County Imagination Library, Sisters United Recovery, North Alabama Agriplex, Cullman City Parks and Recreation, Children’s of Alabama, The Link of Cullman County and Cullman Caring for Kids.

The festival has experienced some problems, as well, from traffic snarls along Cullman County 469 to parking issues and weather woes. In 2021, rainstorms caused significant delays in the music schedule and fans complained of cars stuck in deep mud in the parking lots.

Organizers promised to spend more than $1 million to improve the site for the 2022 festival, including more parking, additional restrooms and RV upgrades. This year, they’ve touted improvements to the campsites, an air-conditioned Nashville Broadway Experience with an acoustic stage, line-dancing lessons and more.