THE ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC ANNOUNCES ADDITIONAL EVENTS FOR ACM AWARDS WEEK IN FRISCO, TEXAS

Frisco, TX (May 2, 2024) — The Academy of Country Music (ACM) announced today additional events for ACM Awards Week in advance of the 59th ACM Awards, Country Music’s Party of the Year, which is set for May 16 at Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, TX. Highlights include the return of the ACM Country Kickoff fan festival for its second year, featuring two days of live performances from ACM Award-nominated artists and exciting, emerging talent on the outdoor Carhartt Stage, alongside artist meet-and-greets, food trucks and partner activations beginning Tuesday, May 14; and the coveted ACM Songs & Stories brunch, powered by The Bluebird Cafe and Nashville Songwriters Association International, which celebrates the ACM Songwriter of the Year and Artist-Songwriter of the Year nominees with a traditional Nashville songwriter round and is, for the first time, offering tickets to fans to purchase.

These events are in addition to the previously announced Parker McCollum and Friends: ACM Lifting Lives LIVE, Presented by Choctaw Casinos & Resorts, the tentpole philanthropic event of the week, which is set to take place at Topgolf The Colony on Wednesday, May 15, and feature 59th ACM Award-nominated artists Old Dominion, Jordan Davis, Ashley Cooke, and Kameron Marlowe taking the stage to perform live alongside McCollum.  (Limited tickets available HERE)

The excitement around ACM Awards Week in North Texas begins on Tuesday, May 14, with the ACM Country Kickoff at Tostitos Championship Plaza at The Star. In its second year, the free two-day festival will take over the plaza, allowing fans to get up close and personal with some of Country Music’s biggest stars and celebrate the ACM Awards’ return to Frisco, TX. Some of today’s most exciting, up-and-coming artists in Country Music will perform on the outdoor Carhartt Stage, including several ACM Award nominees.

A beer garden and dance floor presented by Coors Light will be on hand, and for the first time, fans will be able to interact with their favorite artists in meet-and-greet sessions in the ACM Red Barrel Lounge presented by Princess Cruise Lines. In addition, food trucks, photo opportunities, ACM Awards show merchandise, and activations by a host of partners will be on-site, including ACM Lifting Lives, Ashley, Choctaw Casinos & Resorts, Coors Light, Debbie’s Dream Foundation, North Texas Ford, Fritos, Kendra Scott, Korbel, Lucas Oil, and Princess Cruise Lines. The ACM Kickoff at The Star will be held from 3:00 – 10:00 p.m. CT on both Tuesday, May 14 and Wednesday, May 15. A detailed performance schedule, as well as a map of the full festival footprint, will be released in the coming weeks.

Newly announced for 2024 is the Country Kickoff VIP ticket, which goes on-sale this Friday (5.3) on SeatGeek, with pre-sale beginning today (5.2). Each ticket includes premium viewing access of the outdoor stage from the Lucas Oil VIP Area, allowing fans to get closer than ever before to some of their favorite new and emerging artists; a meal voucher redeemable at any of the on-site food trucks; two drink tickets; dedicated bar service; a Jack Daniel’s whiskey tasting, and more. For more information, visit ACMCountryKickoff.com.

The Academy will host an intimate celebration of this year’s ACM Songwriter and Artist-Songwriter of the Year nominees and the larger Country Music songwriter community on Wednesday, May 15 at Verona Villa from 11am – 1:30pm CST. The event will be hosted by Charles Esten and powered by the Bluebird Cafe, one of the world’s preeminent listening rooms, and the Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI), the world’s largest nonprofit songwriters trade association.

Following brunch, some of the most celebrated artists and songwriters in Country Music will take the stage for intimate, acoustic performances of many of their biggest hits and share the stories behind their iconic songs. Open to the public for the first time this year, tickets to this coveted event will go on-sale on SeatGeek this Friday (5.3) with pre-sale beginning today (5.2). Each ticket includes a buffet brunch and open bar.

ABOUT THE ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC

Founded in Southern California in 1964 as a regional trade organization, the ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC (ACM) has grown in the almost-60 years since into a leading association for the Country Music industry. Now headquartered in Nashville, TN and boasting record-high membership of more than 5,000 worldwide, the Academy serves as a powerhouse advocate for Country fans, artists, and all facets of the business, as well as a supporter of philanthropic work through charitable partner ACM LIFTING LIVES, dedicated to improving lives through the power of music and providing aid in times of need, with a focus on health initiatives. 2023 was another monumental year for the Academy, with the 58th ACM Awards, hosted by global superstars Dolly Parton and Garth Brooks, ranking as one of the most-watched awards shows of the year. 2024 will see the ACM Awards return in May to the world headquarters of the Dallas Cowboys in Texas for a second consecutive year and stream live for a global audience on Prime Video. The Academy also remains relentlessly committed to creating a more inclusive environment for underrepresented groups in Country Music, from the boardroom to the stage, and proudly presents both ACM LEVel Up, a two-year professional development and enrichment curriculum for rising leaders, and OnRamp, a guaranteed income program for Black members of the Nashville music community, in partnership with the Black Music Action Coalition. For more information, visit ACMcountry.com or ACMLiftingLives.org.  

ABOUT THE STAR

The Star is the 91-acre campus of the Dallas Cowboys World Headquarters and training facility in Frisco, Texas. Developed as a first-of-its-kind partnership between the City of Frisco, Frisco ISD and the Dallas Cowboys, The Star features Ford Center, a 12,000-seat stadium that hosts Frisco ISD football games, concerts and other events; Cowboys Fit, a 60,000 square-foot gym developed in partnership with leading fitness developer, Mark Mastrov; Cowboys Club, a members-only club where the country club meets the NFL; the Omni Frisco Hotel, a 16-floor, 300-room luxury hotel; Baylor Scott & White Sports Therapy & Research at The Star, a 300,000 square-foot center of excellence for sports medicine; Twelve Cowboys Way, a 17-story, luxury residential tower in partnership between Pro Football Hall-of-Fame Quarterback #12 Roger Staubach, and Dallas-based developer and former Dallas Cowboys center, Robert Shaw; Formation, a dynamic coworking experience offering a collaborative work environment of open workspace, dedicated desks and private offices; as well as a variety of shopping, dining and nightlife options throughout The Star District. For more information on The Star, visit www.TheStarInFrisco.com.