The Pepsi Gulf Coast Jam is a party on the beach, literally. The festival takes place on realistically the last weekend of summer, September 1st-3rd, with a stellar lineup to kick off Labor Day weekend right. 2017 is the fifth year for this festival, but major storms have hindered the Pepsi Gulf Coast Jam from happening previous years – Hurricane Hermine cancelled the festival in 2016 and a 2015 storm closed in halfway through the opening set, which delayed the lineup. Each year the festival increases its fan attendance by 27%, with fans traveling from all over the world to experience this weekend long, beachfront concert.
Frank Brown Park in Panama City Beach, Florida is the home to this concert, where the weather is hot, the oceans are blue and the beaches are perfect. With Rendy Lovelady as the mastermind behind it, the festival is sure to be nothing less than amazing. The first festival came out of the gates strong with well-known artists Toby Keith, Brantley Gilbert and Trace Adkins performing. Every year after the lineups have included chart topping artists and popular names in country music. This year the lineup includes three huge artists with immense talent – Little Big Town, Luke Bryan and Jason Aldean, with openers Tyler Farr and Luke Combs. Tyler Farr has been set to perform on the festival bill four times since the first one in 2013, where he owned the stage. However, every year after that he has yet to take the stage due to unexpected circumstances that the festival endured. This year, he’s ready to take to it full force – rain or shine! Along with these five artists, Brett Eldredge, Lee Brice, Kip Moore, Dan + Shay, Granger Smith, Kane Brown, William Michael Morgan, Diamond Rio and more are scheduled to entertain the crowd over the three-day span.
A little twist that the festival does is include a winner from the Pepsi Southern Original competition to perform as a final spot in their lineup. The top five 2017 finalists will compete against the top five 2016 finalists for the title! This is a great idea that the festival incorporates because it not only exposes new music and sounds, but allows fans to interact with the festival even more and bring in more media attention and fan attendance to the festival.
Music begins at 2:00pm each day. Beforehand, fans can enjoy the beautiful scenery in the morning, grab lunch at one of the many great restaurants in the area in the afternoon, or visit one of the attractions that Panama City Beach has to offer. It’s safe to say that there is so much to do during your stay for the festival and it will be a weekend full of fun and exciting events.
So how much are tickets?
-VIP Side Stage and Skybox tickets are sold out and only a limited amount of VIP Golden Circle and VIP Pit Experience packages are left at $699 and $439, respectively.
-General Admission tickets are $129.
– Preferred Lodging packages are available exclusively by purchasing a lodging package from one of the official Pepsi Gulf Coast Jam lodging partners. The package includes a condo or hotel, access to a special viewing area between general admission and VIP sections and exclusive entry line to festival grounds. The prices will vary based on accommodations.
-Military tickets are available for $109 and will not increase. This ticket includes all general admission benefits. In order to obtain a military ticket, the ticket holders must have a current or former military ID and must present it at gate entry. Active and separated military may purchase tickets for immediate family and the entire party must be present and escorted by the ID holder upon entry.
-Special Early Entry Passes are available for $40 for one day or $75 for all three days. The early entry gates will open at 1:30pm. This pass is not a ticket, but allows ticket holders to enter 30-minutes early to get a good seat within their designated ticket section. There is a maximum of two chairs per pass.
And for every ticket sold, $2.00 will be donated to the St. Jude’s Children Research Hospital to support the life saving work being done there everyday. This is a continued commitment that the Pepsi Gulf Coast Jam is up-keeping with St. Jude’s. Executive Producer, Rendy Lovelady, says this partnership with St. Jude’s brings awareness to what the hospital does and helps raise funds to continue the work necessary to make lives better. There will be an onsite presence at the festival this year. The attendees come out to support the mission and make sure that families and patients never have to pay a medical bill during their difficult times, because the main concern should be about enjoying life and having it continue for years to come. A text-to-donate campaign will be running throughout the weekend, as well.
Fans are encouraged to follow the Pepsi Gulf Coast Jam on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for exclusive pop-up offers and more. The current offer features the opportunity for a free three-night stay (based on availability) at the Hidden Dunes Resort in Panama City Beach. For additional information about the festival, including tickets, artist lineup, directions, parking, lodging and more, visit www.GulfCoastJam.com.