The 2020 Hometown Rising Festival and two other music festivals scheduled for September in Louisville, Kentucky, have all been canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, which has halted any large gatherings for an unknown number of months. The country music-based Hometown Rising was to be the first of the three festivals, followed by the hard-rock Louder Than Life Festival and Bourbon & Beyond, which combines music and bourbon. Last year’s Hometown Rising was the festival’s inaugural outing.
“In our heart of hearts we hoped and prayed that COVID-19 would not prevent us from having the 2020 Louisville Trifesta,” festival producer Danny Wimmer Presents said in a statement on the festival’s website. “In what feels like a repetitive bad dream, we now have to announce that Hometown Rising, Louder Than Life and Bourbon & Beyond festivals, held at Highland Festival Grounds at Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville, KY, are being cancelled for 2020. We are working really hard to bring as much of our 2020 lineups back to 2021.”
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“Even though the festivals are not until September, the advanced planning realities of producing three back-to-back-to-back events have necessitated that a decision be made sooner than later. Our decision also conforms with the advice of health officials,” the message continued. “We are truly heartbroken it has come to this. We want to thank you for your patience, support and loyalty. We hope you are staying safe as well as physically and mentally well. We are blessed to have such an amazing Festival Family, and together, as a community, we will get through this.”
This year’s Hometown Rising Festival was scheduled for Sept. 12-13 and was to feature headliners Carrie Underwood, Dierks Bentley, Blake Shelton and Old Dominion. Other performers included Jon Pardi, Chris Janson, Russell Dickerson, Mitchell Tenpenny, Billy Ray Cyrus, Riley Green, Cam, Matt Stell, Jessie James Decker and more. Full refunds for the festivals will be available and details on refunds will be given to purchasers.
The three festivals join numerous country music concerts and festivals that have either been postponed or outright canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. CMA Fest in Nashville was canceled and Stagecoach in Indio, California was moved to October. During the weekend of April 25, which was the weekend Stagecoach was originally scheduled for, a broadcast dubbed Stagecouch Weekend aired on SiriusXM The Highway with performances from a number of artists on the Stagecoach lineup including headliners Underwood, Eric Church and Thomas Rhett.
