Burlington Steamboat Days are coming back to Burlington's riverfront this June, and it’s going (almost) all country.
The main stage of the three-day music festival will be dedicated entirely to national touring country acts, while the south stage will host smaller rock and throwback bands.
“Our planning team spent the past year and a half gathering community input and researching what makes our event special,” Burlington Steamboat Days President Doug Ervine said in a press release Friday, “We’re using that to re-imagine and reboot Burlington Steamboat Days.”
The three-day-long music festival will run from June 11 through 13.
“People vote with their feet and country music has always been a solid pick for us,” Ervine said. “Year-in and year-out, country music artists overwhelmingly outperform every other music genre.”
Those country artists will be announced in the coming weeks, Ervine said.
The festival will begin with an admission-free Thursday featuring local and regional acts. Tickets will only be required Saturday and Sunday nights, and Ervine is promising affordable ticket prices for the entire weekend.
“Our community is very sensitive to ticket pricing,” Ervine said. “By resizing our event to two paid nights and one free night, we think we’ve found a balance of providing quality musical acts for a fair price.”
More Than Music
Ervine also announced a new twist for the festival side of Steamboat Days.
Before each main stage show, Typhoon Tommy’s USA Freestyle Tour will perform watersports Friday and Saturday on the Mississippi River. The show also will feature professional USA Freestyle and athletes using water-powered jetpacks.
Family Fest, formerly known as Kids’ Day, will return, as will the Steamboat Days Parade.
Pricing and ticket information will be released in the following weeks.