The Academy of Country Music has named Country Thunder Bristol 2022 the Music Festival of the Year, officials from the Nashville-based organization announced this week. To see a full list of the ACM awards, please click here. Click here to read the full ACM news release.
The award, which is a part of the ACM Industry Awards category, will officially be presented at the 2023 ACM Honors, live from the historic Ryman Auditorium on Wednesday, August 23. The event is frequently described as “the Country Music industry’s favorite night.”
The award recognizes the 2022 Country Thunder Bristol festival, which took place in October 2022, with headliners Morgan Wallen and Jason Aldean.
“We are thrilled to share in this prestigious honor with our great partners at Country Thunder,” said Jerry Caldwell, president and general manager of Bristol Motor Speedway. “We are proud to be named ‘Country Music Festival of the Year’ and add this award to the long list of country music accolades for our hometown, long known as the ‘Birthplace of Country Music.’”
Country Thunder Bristol took the award over six other stout nominees, including Country to Country in the United Kingdom; Carolina Country Music Fest in Myrtle Beach, S.C.; Country Concert in Fort Loramie, Ohio; Country Fest in Cadott, Wis.; Stagecoach Festival in Indio, Calif.; and the Tortuga Music Festival in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
"We are honored and humbled to share this ACM Award with our outstanding partners at Bristol Motor Speedway,” said Troy Vollhoffer, the executive producer of Country Thunder, who also received a separate award from ACM by being named the Don Romeo Talent Buyer of the Year.
“Our festival in eastern Tennessee was an instant success which began in 2021,” Vollhoffer continued. “The Country Thunder family was welcomed with open arms by the Speedway, the Tri-Cites community and the people we now refer to, simply, as the best country music fans in the world. We cannot wait to celebrate with you all in October!”
This October (Oct. 6-7) BMS will host the third edition of Country Thunder Bristol with headliners Eric Church, Brooks & Dunn, Jelly Roll and more. Two-day passes, Platinum Experience, Gold Circle, camping and all the extras are available now at CountryThunder.com or by phone at (866) 388-0007.
For more information, visit countrythunder.com and follow on Facebook at Country Thunder Bristol, Instagram at @countrythunderbristol and Twitter at @countrythunder.
