Who's playing Country Fest 2024? Lainey Wilson and Thomas Rhett among headliners

LAWRENCE TWP. − Lainey Wilson, Thomas Rhett and Cody Johnson will headline next summer's Country Fest in Stark County.

And there's the added bonus of a father-son combo − Rhett's father is fellow country music star Rhett Akins. Dad opens the final day of the festival at 4 p.m. June 15, with his son closing it out at 10 p.m.

However, the musical acts for several time slots have not been announced yet, including Wednesday's headliner to kick off the country music festival at Clay's Resort Jellystone Park, which will run June 12-15.

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Other performers include Nate Smith and Priscilla Block. The rest of the lineup will be announced in late October or early November, said Aaron Green, co-founder of The Country Fest with Joel Beichler.

Tickets are on sale at https://www.thecountryfest.com/.

Four-day commuter tickets ($199) and single-day tickets ($129) are available. Tickets include access to the Clay's Resort water park. Pit passes (an extra cost on top of regular admission) are $129.99 per day, or a total of $269.99 for the entire festival.

Reaction to the lineup was upbeat on Facebook, including: "Definitely seeing Thomas Rhett!"; "I would go just to see Lainey!!"; "Oh, this is a good lineup!"; and "Ah-mazing lineup!"

The Country Fest has grown into a major festival since it was launched in 2010, drawing more than 20,000 music fans per day for some star performers. Neon Nights is a second annual country music festival in August at Clay's Resort. Neon Nights generally skews toward an older crowd and features popular country music artists from the '80s and '90s.

Both Country Fest and Neon Nights are operated under Project Live, an entertainment consulting and production company established in 2009 by Green and Beichler.

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Wilson and Rhett give Country Fest star power

Debuting in 2016, Wilson is known for mixing traditional country with a modern retro sound, resulting in numerous hit songs, including "Smell Like Smoke," "Things A Man Oughta Know," "Heart Like a Truck" and "wait in the truck," a 2022 collaboration with HARDY.

Her 2022 album "Bell Bottom Country" also includes the hit song, "Watermelon Moonshine."

Rhett is a Georgia native who earlier in his career wrote songs for country music stars such as Jason Aldean and Florida Georgia Line.

Debuting in 2013, Rhett's own career took off with the platinum album, "It Goes Like This." Climbing the charts were "Make Me Wanna" and the title track. Blending modern pop, R&B and hip-hop with country leanings, Rhett, 33, is the son of Atkins, who began his career in the '90s.

Rhett's digital album, "20 Number Ones" will be available Friday. Songs include "Life Changes" and "Die a Happy Man."

Johnson, meanwhile, released his first major label album, "Ain't Nothin' to It" in 2019, and it reached No. 1 both on the Billboard Top Country Albums and All-Genre Digital Sales charts. The Texas native's 12-song new album, "Leather" is scheduled for release in early November.

Reach Ed at ebalint@gannett.com and on X (formerly Twitter) @ebalintREP.

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Country Fest 2024 in Ohio: Lainey Wilson, Thomas Rhett, Cody Johnson