Rock the South, a country music festival, draws big stars and thousands of listeners to York Farms in Cullman, Alabama. This year’s edition, Aug. 5-6, featured acts such as Morgan Wallen, Alabama, Jamey Johnson, Jimmie Allen, Hardy, Koe Wetzel and Colt Ford.
For photos of this year’s event -- with fans, artists and a site overview -- see the gallery at the top of this post.
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Rock the South started off small in 2012, with a single-day lineup at Cullman’s Heritage Park that featured Dierks Bentley, Kellie Pickler, Brent Cobb and Jon Pardi.
The festival changed significantly in 2013, when the new team of organizers replaced the City of Cullman and its parks department. Sara Evans and Jay Barker were co-owners of the festival from 2013 to 2015, along with Cullman concert promoter Shane Quick of Premier Productions. The couple made a break with the festival in 2016, but Quick continued as an owner and key organizer, teaming with Nathan Baugh of 46 Entertainment.
Rock the South moved from Heritage Park to York Farms in 2019, expanding its footprint to about 140 acres. The festival experienced some growing pains in 2019, with the advent of a new site. Moving to the acreage off Cullman County 469 caused prolonged traffic snarls, delays and frustrations for fans on roads leading into the festival.
The new location was meant to accommodate the growing crowds -- more than 65,000 people were expected in 2019, organizers said -- and allow for camping, RV parking and more on-site parking. Organizers pledged to listen to complaints, improve the traffic flow and make things better for festivalgoers.
The festival was canceled in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, but returned in 2021 for its ninth year. Rock the South presented its 10th festival in 2022.
Despite its name, the festival leans to bro-country and country pop, mixed with some traditional country and Southern rock.
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Previous acts at Rock the South have included Eric Church, Kid Rock, Miranda Lambert, Little Big Town, Florida Georgia Line, Thomas Rhett, Hank Williams Jr., Luke Bryan, Sam Hunt, Maren Morris, Alan Jackson, The Band Perry, Sara Evans, Lynyrd Skynyrd and more.
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Rock the South has raised more than $600,000 for area charities during its tenure, the festival website says. Beneficiaries have included Cullman City Parks and Recreation, Children’s Hospital of Alabama, The Link of Cullman County, Alabama Forever and Cullman Caring for Kids.