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NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Some of the biggest names in country music will headline the 2017 Bayou Country Superfest, which moves from Louisiana's capital to the Superdome in New Orleans for its eighth year.
Organizers on Thursday unveiled the lineup, which features Miranda Lambert, Brooks & Dunn, Rascal Flatts, Brett Eldredge, Jon Pardi and Chris Lane on Saturday, May 27, and Blake Shelton, Thomas Rhett, Hank Williams Jr., Old Dominion, Dan + Shay and Maddie & Tae on Sunday, May 28.
The three-day festival, held over the Memorial Day holiday, includes a free, kick-off celebration on Friday, May 26 to be held at Champions Square, outside the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. It features Easton Corbin, Eric Paslay and Dylan Scott.
Quint Davis, the festival's producer, said they're looking to reinvent the festival since it's moved from LSU's outdoor Tiger Stadium to inside the air-conditioned Superdome.
"We wanted to make it bigger, make it new, make it more special," Davis said. "In air-conditioned comfort, with no possibility of rain, the Bayou Country Superfest party will rock harder than ever."
As a result, there are three headliners on each night of the festival and a total of six acts each night, he said.
"This lineup is a great example of having a bigger, broader roster of talent that appeals to everyone," he said. "We've got everything a fan can hope for, from the young, hot stars to the great country music icons."
New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu, in a statement, said the city was "thrilled" to welcome the festival. "This event adds yet another thread in the festival and music-filled fabric that New Orleans is so well-known for. We pride ourselves on our ability to host a wide range of large-scale events and look forward to inviting country music fans to our great city."
Davis said he hoped the event would continue to draw fans from around the state who annually trekked to Baton Rouge to see some of the genre's top stars.
"Hopefully, there will be a whole new population of people spending a holiday weekend in New Orleans," he said. "Those who attended for years, from Lafayette and Houma, hopefully they'll still come down. Think of it like we're hosting the country music equivalent of LSU in the Sugar Bowl."
Tickets and VIP Packages go on sale Thursday, Dec. 8.
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