Country Summer Music Festival Comes to Northern California Friday Through Sunday, June 16-18

In its fourth year, Country Summer, Northern California’s biggest country music festival and Sonoma County’s biggest party, is June 16-18 at Sonoma County Event Center at the Fairgrounds, 1350 Bennett Valley Road.

Headliners on the Chevy Silverado main stage are megastar country music hit makers — Thomas Rhett on June 16, Darius Rucker on June 17 and Justin Moore and Randy Houser on June 18.

Rhett, who has racked up a collection of country music’s biggest awards including Academy of Country Music Awards 2017 Male Vocalist of the Year and winner of Song of the Year for “Die A Happy Man,” is a dominate contemporary country music force bringing his sizzling, one-of-a-kind style to Country Summer.

Rucker, who gained notoriety as lead singer with Hootie & the Blowfish, has thrived as a solo country music artist. Southern Style, his fourth country album, debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums. His three previous albums also topped the Billboard Country Album charts, spinning off six No. 1 singles.

Moore and Houser both have top billing on June 18. Moore, “a little bit rowdy, a little bit sentimental and a whole lotta roughneck,” is a platinum-selling entertainer with six No. 1 singles and three No. 1 albums. Houser, described by Rolling Stone Country as “one of country music’s biggest voices,” has had three consecutive hits – “How Country Feels,” “Runnin’ Outta Moonlight,” and “Goodnight Kiss,” his first No. 1 as a songwriter.

In addition to Rhett, the June 16, lineup includes Maddie & Tae, Michael Ray, William Michael Morgan and Ned LeDoux. In addition to Rucker, the June 17 lineup includes Montgomery Gentry, A Thousand Horses, Aaron Watson and Clare Dunn. In addition to Moore and Houser, Cam, a bold, new contemporary country artist, performs June 18. Canaan Smith opens the show.

In between main acts on Chevy Silverado stage, hometown favorites perform on the Santa Rosa Stage, moved to the main lawn this year. The lineup includes American Honey on June 16; Ryan Scripps on June 17; and The Scotty Mac Band on June 18.

In the heart of scenic Wine Country, Country Summer has become a destination country music festival, a country music celebration with top artists, attractions, food and libations to please every palette – from Bud Light for beer drinkers to wine and spirits at the Kendall-Jackson Wine Garden, Jack Daniel’s Saloon and Tito’s Handmade Vodka Bar.

The Marketplace, an indoor shopping extravaganza featuring Western Wear, high-end jewelry, unique food products and other merchandise, is a new attraction in 2017. The Country Summer Country Club, a members-only, indoor VIP destination, is another new attraction this year. It will feature a complimentary buffet style meal, a honky-tonk cash bar, games and activities, private restrooms and a break from the California sun. Membership is limited to 350 guests each day. Membership, open to ticketholders, is $79 per day or $225 for all three days.

Country Summer gates open at noon, and music begins at 1:30 p.m. each day of the festival. Tickets are on sale now. General admission tickets are $79 per day; three-day admission passes are $209. Single-day reserved seat tickets start from $109.

The Pit, which was a huge success in its inaugural year, offers a limited number of standing room only tickets up close to the stage. Single-day pit passes are $119. To purchase tickets, go www.countrysummer.com, visit the fairgrounds box office or call 800-514-3849 to order by phone.