Over the weekend, Country Thunder — the largest Country music festival brand in North America — kicked festival season into high gear with the 2026 edition of Country Thunder Florida. From last Friday to Sunday, Country Thunder Florida turned Clearwater’s Coachman Park into an oceanside Country paradise, delivering three days of live music, gorgeous Gulf Coast views, and nonstop celebration from the jam-packed crowds.

Marking the festival’s first-ever waterfront edition, the move to Coachman Park elevated Country Thunder Florida into one of the festival season’s premier destinations, drawing thousands of fans from all over the country for a truly one-of-a-kind weekend.

Across three nights, Country Thunder Florida’s headliners powered through knockout performances that kept the party going at maximum tilt. On Friday, Gavin Adcock tore into the stage with his trademark firebrand energy, closing out with his rowdy Country radio hit “Never Call Again.” Saturday headliner Zach Top brought classic Country charisma and timeless honky-tonk spirit, treating the crowd to sing-along-ready fan favorites like “Guitar.” And on Sunday, Kane Brown capped off the weekend with a stadium-sized performance, bringing his wife Katelyn Brown onstage for a heart-melting Mother’s Day duet of their MULTI-PLATINUM smash “Thank God.” Watch the video here.

Country Thunder Florida’s powerhouse lineup also featured breakout stars like Shaboozey, who stuck around after his crowd-igniting Sunday-night set to sign autographs for fans. Over the course of the weekend, festival-goers also took in unforgettable performances from legends like Gretchen Wilson and Randy Houser as well as in-demand new voices like Dasha, Solon Holt, Max McNown, and Elizabeth Nichols (who made her much-anticipated Country Thunder debut).

 

PICTURED: ELIZABETH NICHOLS
PHOTO CREDIT: DALE MACMILLAN @DALEMPHOTO

 

In addition, Country Thunder Florida’s Shoreline Stage spotlighted Country music’s next wave of talent with sets from rising artists like Noah Hicks, Crossfire Creek, Nate Venturelli, and Tailgate Revival. Meanwhile, the Songwriters Showcase presented by American Songwriter gave fans a behind-the-scenes look at some of Country’s biggest hits, with special in-the-round performances from acclaimed Nashville songwriters like Brent Anderson, Joey Hyde, and Brooke Lee.

Throughout the weekend, Country Thunder Florida attendees immersed themselves in a full-scale festival experience complete with a vast array of food and drink vendors, ranging from local favorites like Peanut Patch Boiled Peanuts to all-American classics like Coors. This year’s festival also introduced a new partnership with Hurricane Help Florida, allowing festival-goers to directly support communities across the state as they prepare for, respond to, and recover from devastating storms — adding a meaningful community-driven component to the Country Thunder atmosphere. As part of the partnership, Country Thunder hosted an online auction for an exclusive Country Thunder Florida guitar signed by artists from the 2026 lineup. The guitar sold for $3,000 and every dollar went to benefit Hurricane Help Florida and its ongoing relief efforts.

As festival season picks up steam, Country Thunder Alberta is set to kick things off June 26 to 28 in Calgary, followed by Country Thunder Saskatchewan July 9 to 12 in Craven, before Country Thunder Wisconsin takes over Shadow Hill Ranch in Twin Lakes, WI, from July 16 to 19. Headlined by Gavin Adcock, The Red Clay Strays, Riley Green, and Keith Urban, the four-day Wisconsin blowout will also feature performances from Gretchen Wilson, Ian Munsick, Nate Smith, Shaboozey, and more. Tickets and premium packages are available here.

ABOUT COUNTRY THUNDER MUSIC FESTIVALS:
Country Thunder Music Festivals thrives as the world’s preeminent Country music festival brand. Led by President and C.E.O. Troy Vollhoffer since 2005, it continues to set the tone for Country music and culture. This global powerhouse encompasses annual multi-day events in six major markets across two countries, earning “Festival of the Year” at the ACM Awards three times and entertaining millions of fans to date. Its stages have welcomed GRAMMY® Award-winning generational superstars, genre-busting trailblazers, and rising talent alike. Beyond boasting a reputation for once-in-a-lifetime collaborations, it has perennially provided a launchpad for breaking acts. Between those powerhouse performances, each location features an immersive concourse consisting of numerous cuisine and beverage options, local vendors, and various attractions. Dubbed “a pillar of country festival culture” by Holler., American Songwriter has hailed it as “a country music lover’s dream,” while The Tennessean summed it up best, “For three decades, the Country Thunder brand has succeeded in offering fans top-tier performances.” The brand’s festivals include Saskatchewan, Arizona, Wisconsin, Alberta, and Florida. As always, Country Thunder Music Festivals embodies the past, present, and future of Country music and so much more.

ABOUT COUNTRY THUNDER FLORIDA:
Country Thunder Florida brings all the action of your favorite Country music experience to the water. Following its 2019 introduction, it has emerged as a fan favorite and the perfect kickoff to summer in the Sunshine State. Finding a home at Coachman Park in 2026, the festival will be set against a 19-acre park that boasts wide green spaces and beautiful waterfront views. The Florida edition has spotlighted the likes of Luke Combs, Morgan Wallen, Toby Keith, Luke Bryan, Dierks Bentley, Eric Church, Jason Aldean, Keith Urban, Cody Johnson, HARDY, and more. Hailed by Country Now as “an epic weekend,” it’s an unrivaled and unparalleled destination for sun, fun, and Country music and culture.

ABOUT TROY VOLLHOFFER:
Between running the world’s preeminent Country music festival brand, hosting a popular podcast, and giving back at every turn as a philanthropist, Country Thunder President and C.E.O. Troy Vollhoffer has quietly distinguished himself as a music industry renaissance man. Raised in Regina, Saskatchewan, he went from working in his father’s local theater to spending more than a decade playing minor and junior professional hockey before using a Pittsburgh Penguins signing bonus to launch Premier Global Production, which supported major tours for Rod Stewart, Def Leppard, Metallica and more. In 2005, he took ownership of the longest-running music festival event in North America, leading it as the Craven Country Jamboree for twelve years before bringing it into the Country Thunder family in 2017. During that time, he expanded the brand by acquiring Country Thunder Arizona and Wisconsin in 2009 and launching Country Thunder Alberta in 2016 and Country Thunder Florida in 2019. His leadership has earned multiple ACM “Festival of the Year” honors, prestigious awards from the ACM and CCMA, and recognition on Billboard’s “Touring Power Players” list. A dedicated philanthropist and host of “On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer,” he continues to shape the future of live music with the same passion that launched his career.

 

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