Country Fest 2019 (Photo by Branden Nall)

In the first such move by one of the Chippewa Valley’s big summer music festivals, the organizers of County Fest announced Friday that they would be moving their annual three-day event from June 25-27 to Aug. 13-15 as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

Acknowledging that health authorities have said that a late June event “is on the cusp of being at risk” because of the spread of COVID-19, organizers said in an announcement that they were protecting the health of fans by rescheduling the festival.

While the full line of the rescheduled festival is still being finalized, organizers said that the three big headliners – Thomas Rhett, Dierks Bentley, and Kane Brown – will still be coming to the fest grounds outside Cadott in August.

Ticket holders should be hearing from Country Fest in the coming weeks about their transfer and refund options.

Here’s the full statement posted by Country Fest on Friday, April 3:

Country Fest 2020 Statement on COVID-19

CADOTT, Wis. April 3, 2020 -- In guidance with local and state health authorities, we have just been told that hosting Country Fest in the month of June is on the cusp of being at risk, due to COVID-19 concerns. It is with a heavy heart that we’ve been forced to postpone the originally scheduled date of June 25-27, 2020 to August 13-15, 2020 in Cadott, Wisconsin. We know many of you were looking forward to our annual June festival dates, having already made your travel arrangements and plans with friends. However, this is an unprecedented situation that we do not take lightly. The health and safety of our fans and community is and always will be our #1 priority!

The good news is that we have been able to retain ALL THREE of our 2020 headliners (Thomas Rhett, Dierks Bentley and Kane Brown) for the August 2020 dates! We are finalizing the rest of the lineup, and will have more information in the coming weeks. To be honest, it would be easier for us to postpone Country Fest 2020 to summer 2021. But we know how big of an economic impact Country Fest has on local businesses, partners, vendors, artists, and the Chippewa Valley community with all the employees we hire. The amazing support from our Fest family (you included!) is the reason we're able to pull this off. We thank each and every one of you for your continued support!

For more than three decades, Country Fest has showcased the best in country music with the most amazing fans in the world! Like so many people right now, we just want to get back to doing what we do. So, we ask you to continue to do your part in social distancing and taking care of your health. We look forward to celebrating our 34th year with you on August 13-15, 2020. With everything that’s happening in the world right now, the one thing we know you all need is “Your Happy Place”. We look forward to bringing it to you in August!

TICKET DETAILS

To all Country Fest 2020 ticket holders, you will have options! The tickets/campsites you purchased for Country Fest 2020 will automatically roll over to the August 2020 dates. Or, you will have the option to transfer your 2020 tickets/campsites to next year’s Country Fest in June 2021 instead. If you are unable to attend the postponed August 2020 or June 2021 dates, you may receive a refund.

Our goal is to get you these new August 2020 festival dates now, so you have plenty of time to update or change your plans. The Country Fest staff is following Wisconsin’s ‘Safer at Home’ order, so we need additional time to get measures in place to transfer/refund tickets correctly. We want to make this process as seamless as possible. PLEASE be patient with us! Within the next few weeks, every person that placed an order will receive an email from Country Fest (support@countryfest.com) with further instructions about the transfer/refund process.

Thank you for your understanding, support and patience as we work through this together!

STAY CONNECTED

Facebook: @countryfest

Twitter: @countryfestwi

Instagram: @countryfestwi

Snapchat: countryfest