MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. — One of South Carolina's more popular summer music events has been postponed until 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the local economy may be looking at a huge financial loss.
Carolina Country Music Fest (CCMF), a 3-day series of live concerts, was initially scheduled for the first weekend in June, then rescheduled for September. The new dates for CCMF are June 10-13, 2021.
Headliners Luke Combs, Eric Church, Darius Rucker and Jake Owen are still on the bill for 2021. Joe Diffie, who was also scheduled to perform, passed away on March 29 from the coronavirus.
CCMF started out in 2015. The first year, the 3-day series of outdoor country music concerts drew around 20,000 attendees. In 2019, attendance to the festival held at Myrtle Beach Boardwalk was 30,000. According to myrtlebeach.com, a general admission pass to the festival plus opening night events start at $229. VIP and Super VIP options -- costing $479 and $1,699 per ticket -- are sold out.
With hotel reservations and restaurant and bar sales, the festival brings in an estimated $20 million every year.
On July 29, Governor Henry McMaster eased some restrictions on concert venues but kept some restrictions on attendance and required attendees to wear face masks.