The second annualVoices of America Country Music Fest starts Thursday.
The festival, returning for a second year, takes place at the Voice of America MetroPark in West Chester from Aug. 8-11.
"We listen to our fans," said Tyler Wogenstahl, the festival's founder and creator, when discussing what organizers learned from the inaugural event in 2023. "People loved the fact that we had two stages last year, so this year we are going to have three. Better entertainment, more entertainment. That's what we're going to do for our fans."
Headliners that include Jason Aldean, Keith Urban, Sam Hunt and Diplo close out each night, and other acts will perform throughout the day. Tickets are still availableonline at voacountrymusicfest.frontgatetickets.com.
Here's what to know if you plan on attending the country music festival.
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Voices of America Country Music Fest lineup
This year's festival features some of the biggest names in country music. In addition to the headliners, artists that include Lauren Alaina, Brett Young and Russell Dickerson will also perform.
"I look at the artist side of things the same as I look at the fan experience," Wogenstahl said. "The artists need to have a good experience, and for them to have a good experience, they have to have those fans. As long as the people of Cincinnati and the residents and those fans keep on supporting this event, we're going to make sure that we keep on bringing those artists that they want to see."
The daily schedule with performance times can be found on the festivalwebsite, voacountrymusicfest.com. Here are the performances by day:
Thursday:
- Blake Tyler.
- Thomas Mac.
- Larry Fleet.
- Ernest.
Friday:
- Ian Harrison.
- Logan Crosby.
- Tanner Adell.
- Chase McDaniel.
- Bryan Martin.
- Dee Jay Silver.
- Kylie Morgan.
- Cooper Alan.
- Chase Matthew.
- Lauren Alaina.
- Jason Aldean.
Saturday:
- Michelle Robinson.
- Jonathan Hutcherson.
- Emily Ann Roberts.
- Aidan Canfield.
- Jake Worthington.
- Shaylen.
- DJ Slim McGraw.
- Lily Rose.
- Michael Ray.
- Brian Kelley.
- Brett Young.
- Diplo.
- Keith Urban.
Sunday:
- Stephen Wilson Jr.
- Will Jones.
- The Castellows.
- Redferrin.
- DJ Slim McGraw.
- Drew Green.
- Maddie & Tae.
- Priscilla Block.
- Russell Dickerson.
- Sam Hunt.
When is Diplo's performance?
The festival added three-time Grammy winner Diploto its lineup back in May. The popular DJ released his latest country music venture, an EP titled "Thomas Wesley: The Mixtape," in April, which was on the heels of his recent country albums "Thomas Wesley: Chapter 2 – Swamp Savant," released in 2023, and "Thomas Wesley Chapter 1: Snake Oil," released in 2020.
"What I love about country music now is that it's such an expanding genre," Wogenstahl said.
"Diplo is a great DJ and he did some really cool collaborations with Lily Rose whose actually on the lineup this year. So I thought that was cool to be able to tie a really famous EDM DJ into this festival. But also the genre is expanding in other ways too, to where it's very mainstream compared to what it once was maybe 20-30 years ago. ... What we wanted to do is bring a mix of artists that would appeal to everybody."
Diplo will perform a late-night show, as he's slated to go on after Keith Urban at 11:30 p.m. Saturday.
How do I show my ticket for Voices of America Country Music Fest?
Festivalgoers who purchased tickets should have received a wristband in the mail. The wristband is the ticket, and fans should wear it for the duration of the event. Per the festival's FAQ page, wristbands are not transferable and cannot be given to someone else if the original person cannot attend.
What time does Voices of America Country Music Fest open and close each day?
Gates open at 5 p.m. Thursday and close at 10 p.m. Then they open at 1 p.m. Friday-Sunday and close at 10 p.m.
Parking at the festival
Single-day and four-day parking passes are available for purchase on the festivalwebsite.
Can you tailgate in the parking lot?
Tailgating or consuming alcohol in the festival parking lot is prohibited and will be strictly enforced.
What can I bring inside the Voices of America festival?
The following items are allowed inside:
- Clear bags.
- Phones.
- Sunscreen.
- Festival flags without metal or wooden poles.
- Squeezable, soft plastic water bottles that are empty.
- Soft, foldable, single-person lawn chairs.
These items are prohibited:
- Fireworks or explosives.
- Weapons or firearms.
- Drugs and drug paraphernalia.
- Outside food, drinks, water bottles and alcohol.
- Kites.
- Coolers.
- Umbrellas.
- Professional video or photography equipment.
- Audio recording devices.
- Tents.
- Framed backpacks, bladder-style backpacks and bota bags.
- Laser pointers.
- Pets.
What vendors will be at the Voices of America festival?
The following vendors will be on-site, according to the festivalwebsite:
- All Thai'd Up.
- Chicago Gyros.
- Cupzilla.
- Get Loaded.
- Kabobske.
- Kettle of Corn.
- Lil Cheezers.
- Chicken Mac Truck.
- Mazunte.
- Island Noodles.
- Ramiro's Cantina.
- The Cone.
- Tweedles Mini Donuts.
- Wagwan Jerki.
There will also be three stages, VIP seating, a merchandise area, bars and more.
For more information on the festival, visit voacountrymusicfest.com.
David Wysong contributed to this report.
