Music News

McGraw, Nelson, Lovett, and more kickoff first Big State Festival

By M&C News Jun 7, 2007, 16:34 GMT

Tim McGraw, Willie Nelson, Lyle Lovett, Trace Adkins, Miranda Lambert, Dierks Bentley, Gary Allan, and Jack Ingram are among the more than 50 country artists announced to take the stage at the inaugural Big State Festival to be held at Texas World Speedway in Bryan-College Station. The festival will be held October 13-14th and is being organized by C3 Presents – the firm responsible for the Austin City Limits Music Festival and Lollapalooza.The festival will also feature a showcase sponsored by BMI featuring up-and-coming artists; stock car racing by the Richard Petty Driving Experience; a pit petting zoo, where fan's can get an up-close look at the cars; a barbecue showdown with one of the biggest prize purses in the country; barbecue demonstrations and tastings by celebrity chefs and artists; a dedicated kids area with performances by children's artists, music and square and line dancing workshops; demonstrations by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation, the event's beneficiary; and RV camping.C3's Charlie Walker said that the goal of organizers was an all-round entertainment experience."Our goal is to deliver an experience that is loaded with music talent," Walker said. "But we also want to give fans lots to do, see, hear, drink, and eat - at a great price."Earlybird tickets for Big State, which are $75 for a two-pay pass, go on sale June 5 through the festival's web site, www.bigstatefestival.com.