The music festival scene has gotten ugly in years past, and as you’ll see in the list below, 10 separate events have called off their plans – or postponed – in 2026 and beyond.
Festival pauses and cancellations have become commonplace in the past couple of years. Many festivals that fans would have never thought would shutter have all made the tough decision to waive the white flag in the past year or so, with most citing “softer than expected demand” as the main reason for closing up shop – or “pausing.”
We’re entering into a time where more and more festivals are struggling, postponing to future dates, and even shuttering altogether. It’s truly become a crowded landscape, and despite many bigger festivals faltering, it seems like a new festival pops up every single year (though even that trend is slowing down).
There’s also the issue of cost. Festivals need to charge fans a certain amount to justify putting on the whole kit and caboodle, and that price can sometimes be too steep for even the most passionate music lovers. Tack on the fact that festivals often require fans to travel, book lodging, and pay for food and drinks… and you’ve got yourself an economic activity that not everyone can pull off during these times.
Which brings us to this sprawling list of country and country-adjacent festivals that have all pulled the plug or pressed the pause button. Some are saying they are done for good, while others are promising a return in the near future. And I’m sure there are other festivals that aren’t listed, as well as other genre festivals that have been axed as well. Overall, the festival scene is in rough shape.
Gordy’s HWY 30 Music Fest
Gordy’s HWY 30 Music Fest Texas was initially canceled back in 2024 after announcing a bizarre lineup including Nelly, Vanilla Ice, Color Me Badd and Hinder, and then in 2025, Gordy’s also canceled the 2025 edition of their flagship Idaho festival, citing “circumstances out of our control, economic uncertainty and Gordy’s continued decline in health.” This came after concerns from artists about still being owed money from previous festivals, and ticket buyers who were still owed refunds from canceled festivals, and Gordy’s announcing that the future of the festival is still uncertain.
Faster Horses Music Festival
After a “pause” in 2025, Faster Horses Music Festival announced early this year that they wouldn’t be returning in 2026. The music festival, which started in 2013 and was one of largest country festivals in the nation during its heyday, consistently brought around 40,000 fans to the Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan annually. In years past, the three-day festival always took place in July.
It was back in March that the shared this message, and this still stands as their last social media post:
“Faster Horses Music Festival will not return in 2026. While the festival will not take place this year, we are proud of the memories created and the impact it has had on live music in Michigan. We remain grateful to the fans, artists, partners and the Michigan International Speedway community who have supported Faster Horses over the years.”
GoldenSky Country Music Festival
GoldenSky, which started its run in 2022 and would normally take place in Sacremento, California in October, took to social media back in February to make the announcement that they will not be putting on their festival in 2026. Like many other festivals before them, they’ve decided to describe their decision as in the best interest of fans and artists:
“We’ve made the decision to take one additional year to ensure that GoldenSky returns at the right time and at the level our fans, artists and partners expect. Our goal is to return in 2027, and we appreciate your continued support.”
Based on their latest post, it does appear that the festival will be returning in 2027 after taking a year off:
Iron Hills Country Music Festival
Back in 2025, country music radio station 102.5 The Bull in Birmingham and iHeart Country announced they were teaming up to bring a brand new music festival to the Iron City called Iron Hills Country Music Festival. They had gathered a stacked lineup for their inaugural event (Turnpike Troubadours, Ryan Bingham, Travis Tritt, Midland and Chase Rice were scheduled, among others).
However, organizers eventually announced that the festival was canceled, citing economic conditions and “softer-than-expected demand.”
“It is with a heavy heart that we announce Iron Hills Music Festival, originally scheduled for October 11–12, has been canceled due to rising economic and logistical challenges.
This difficult decision comes after it became clear that we would be unable to deliver the quality experience our fans deserve. Increased production costs combined with softer-than-expected demand made moving forward financially and operationally impossible this year.”
The social media page that was created to promote the Iron Hills Country Music Festival no longer exists.
Watershed Festival
Watershed Festival, the largest country music festival in Washington and one of the largest in the Pacific Northwest, announced that they wouldn’t be returning in 2026 in January of this year. The festival released a statement announcing the cancelation on social media:
“After 13 incredible years of Country Music and Community at The Gorge, we wanted to be the first to let you know that Watershed will be taking a hiatus in 2026. Any future plans will be announced accordingly.”
There are no updates on a potential return for Watershed Festival at this time.
Fairwell Festival
As soon as the calendar turned over to 2026, one of the newest and most promising country music festivals in the nation – Oregon’s FairWell Festival – announced that it wouldn’t be returning in 2026, and floated the idea of not ever returning. The update on their website read like this:
“Festival Update: FairWell Festival will not be returning in 2026. We’re incredibly grateful for the memories, the community, and everyone who made these past three years at Deschutes County Fairgrounds so special!”
FairWell has since deactivated or deleted all of their social media pages, including Instagram, Facebook and X (formerly Twitter). Not a great sign for any sort of revival…
Sand In My Boots Festival
Morgan Wallen’s Sand In My Boots Festival originally took over Gulf Shores, Alabama for Hangout Festival in 2025. It was a huge success… which made the event’s cancellation in 2026 that much more shocking. Late in 2025, it was confirmed that Sand In My Boots Festival wouldn’t be returning to Gulf Shores in 2026, after the city announced on that Hangout Festival was cancelled altogether.
Sand In My Boots Festival has previously said they would return, but there’s still no update. This is still the last social media post from the festival’s official social media account:
Country Jam Colorado
Country Jam had been operating for 33 years, which made it one of the genre’s longest running festivals. And most assumed with the growth in popularity that country music has experienced recently, Country Jam would have gone on without a hitch for years to come.
However, after three decades of operation, festival organizers for Colorado Jam announced late in 2025 that the long-running festival that had historically drawn in some of the best country music acts (thus the most die-hard country music fans) would be taking a pause in 2026. That remains the last update that Country Jam ever provided:
“Country Jam Colorado will be pausing in 2026 as we take time to re-evaluate and plan for the future. We’re grateful to all the fans, artists, partners, and the entire Colorado community & beyond who have supported the festival and made it such a special event year after year.”
Pilgrimage Music & Cultural Festival
The Nashville-area music festival that got started in 2015 (and typically took place in late September) was known to be more family-friendly than most other festivals. They also prided themselves in being a healthy blend of rock, Americana and country-focused throughout the years. Their past headliners have included names like Zach Bryan, Chris Stapleton, Jack White, Foo Fighters, Kacey Musgraves, and the Lumineers.
After 11 years of “memories, magic and music,” Pilgrimage Music & Cultural Festival made an announcement in March of this year that they’d be pausing in 2026 to focus on bringing the best festival experience to fans in 2027. When the festival that would regularly bring in 20,000 fans per day shared the bad news, they kind of disguised it as good news:
“BIG NEWS! The next Pilgrimage Festival will be happening in 2027 – New sights, new sounds, new surprises! This move will allow us to bring you the best festival experience. We can’t wait to see you next year!”
The social media accounts for Pilgrimage Festival have remained active after announcing the pause, so it seems like a 2027 return for the festival could really happen.
Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival
Finally, the most shocking festival to call it quits in recent months is undoubtedly the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival. The Manchester, Tennessee staple did all they could to overcome bad weather and damage to the grounds of the event, but The Farm just couldn’t keep up.
They announced that they’d be taking a pause in 2027, and want to come back better than ever in 2028 and beyond:
“With limited time to recuperate from back to back years of storms, including the heavy rainstorm on Sunday this year, The Farm, particularly the main venue, needs a break to rest and recover. So, here’s what we’ve decided: Bonnaroo will be taking a much-needed year off in 2027.
This wasn’t an easy decision, and not one we take lightly, but in our hearts, we know this break will only make Bonnaroo better. We hope you’ll continue radiating positivity in your community throughout the year and thank you for loving this festival as much as we do.”
