Carolina Country Music Fest (CCMF 2026) returns to the Myrtle Beach oceanfront Thursday, June 4 through Sunday, June 7, with Riley Green, Luke Bryan, Blake Shelton, and Post Malone headlining four nights at Burroughs & Chapin Pavilion Place. The 2026 edition is the festival’s 11th annual run — founded in 2015, paused only by COVID in 2020 — and the lineup pushes further toward crossover than any year before it. According to the Post and Courier (Feb. 28, 2026), Shelton, Malone, and Green are all making their first CCMF appearances.
That mix is the headline. Post Malone’s appearance — a global pop and hip-hop artist now closing a country festival — signals where Southern Entertainment is steering the brand. From global superstars to artists on the rise, we’re bringing together an incredible mix of talent for four unforgettable days on the beach,” said Bob Durkin, co-founder of Southern Entertainment, in the Post and Courier. With 10 days to go, the official festival site is showing “Almost Gone” tags on the highest-volume tickets and a fresh single-day release posted May 24. If a Myrtle Beach trip is on the table, the decisions are now.
What to Expect at CCMF 2026
## The lineup by day
Thursday, June 4 opens with **Riley Green**, supported by Justin Moore and Lauren Alaina — a traditional-leaning kickoff. Friday, June 5 belongs to **Luke Bryan**, the festival’s most familiar arena name, with Cole Swindell and Flatland Cavalry in support. Saturday, June 6 brings **Blake Shelton** for his first CCMF set, joined by Chris Janson. Sunday, June 7 closes with **Post Malone**, with Tucker Wetmore and Tracy Lawrence opening. Don’t miss CCMF 2026!
In total, more than 40 artists perform across multiple stages over the four days. The full roster includes Dasha, Drew Baldridge, Drake White, Channing Wilson, Rodney Atkins, and Chris Lane, among others. Programming runs on a rolling schedule from gates open until the 11:30 p.m. close.
For repeat attendees, the Shelton-Malone-Green block is the news. For first-timers, the practical takeaway is simpler: each night is built around a different headliner with a different draw, and a 4-day pass is the only way to see all four.
## Tickets and what’s still available
The 4-Day General Admission pass is **$379** and carries an “Almost Gone” tag on carolinacountrymusicfest.com as of May 25. Early-bird passes started at $319 last year, so buyers waiting for a discount have already missed it. The official site posted a “General Admission Low Ticket Alert” on May 20 and a “Limited 2026 Single-Day Ticket Release” on May 24 — both concrete urgency signals from the festival itself, not marketing copy.
Single-Day GA is **$129** and is sold for **Friday, Saturday, and Sunday only**. There is no Thursday single-day ticket. A buyer who wants to see Riley Green needs the 4-Day pass.
Super VIP is **$1,999** and also flagged “Almost Gone.” The **4-Day Main Stage VIP tier is sold out**, per the Post and Courier (Feb. 28, 2026) and the official site, with resale routed through StubHub. Military and first responder discounts are available through Visit Myrtle Beach’s official event page; the discount terms are not published as a flat figure.
City officials, via the Post and Courier, project the festival draws “tens of thousands of concertgoers” annually and generates roughly **$50 million in economic impact** for the Myrtle Beach area. Those are city-attributed figures, not independently audited, but they explain why hotel rooms and short-term rentals tighten quickly this week.
## Getting in and getting around
Gates open at **3 p.m. Thursday** and **1 p.m. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday**, with the venue closing at **11:30 p.m. each night**. Wristbands are scanned daily at the gate and admit reentry. The same wristband doubles as cashless payment for food and beverage inside, so pre-event wristband registration is strongly recommended for general admission and required for Super VIP.
The festival parking lot is at **2400 N Oak Street** — the former Myrtle Beach Mall site in downtown Myrtle Beach — and a 4-Day Parking Pass is **$119** on the official site. From that lot, a free festival shuttle runs to the venue:
– **Thursday: 2 p.m. to midnight** (per the official CCMF 101 page; earlier guides citing a 5 p.m. start are out of date)
– **Friday, Saturday, Sunday: noon to midnight**
A designated rideshare zone operates near 9th Avenue North, a block off the venue. Expect surge pricing on Uber and Lyft during the gate-open and gate-close windows; the shuttle is the cheaper play if a buyer is already paying for parking elsewhere.
The bag policy per the festival’s own CCMF 101 page allows three options: a clear bag, a one-gallon freezer bag, or a small non-clear bag no larger than 4.5 by 6.5 inches. This is broader than the “clear bag only” rule some other festivals enforce, but oversized bags and backpacks will still be turned away at the gate.
Kids 10 and under enter free with a paid parent or guardian. Anyone 11 or older needs their own wristband, and adult supervision is still required. The festival is built family-friendly during daytime hours; the late-night headline sets skew adult.
## Where to stay
Myrtle Beach’s Boardwalk hotel cluster sits within walking distance of the venue at 812 N Ocean Boulevard, between 8th and 9th Avenues North. For tourists buying tickets this week, walkable lodging is the highest-value choice — no shuttle, no rideshare surge, and a five-minute walk back to the room after the headline set.
Visit Myrtle Beach maintains an official **Hotel Deals** page tied to the festival on its event listing, with package rates from properties along the Boardwalk and the adjacent oceanfront blocks. Inventory tightens fast in the final week before the festival; the more specific the date filter, the better the price visibility. Travelers who want more space — multi-room condos, kitchens, balconies — should price short-term rentals on the same Boardwalk corridor against the hotel deals before committing.
The CCMF weekend overlaps the front end of summer high season, so the booking math is straightforward: prices do not drop between now and June 4. The cheaper room is the one booked today.
## What to do during the day
CCMF gates do not open until mid-afternoon Thursday and early afternoon the rest of the weekend, which leaves the entire morning for the rest of the Grand Strand. The most direct option is the asset the festival is built on: the beach itself, oceanfront and free, with the Pavilion Place venue and the **1.2-mile Myrtle Beach Boardwalk** running directly adjacent. The Boardwalk’s restaurants, shops, and the Pier are all within a five-minute walk of the festival gate.
**Broadway at the Beach** — Myrtle Beach’s main dining and attractions complex — sits a short rideshare from the venue and runs a full slate of restaurants, family attractions, and bars. The greater Myrtle Beach area hosts more than **25,000 live music shows annually**, per Visit Myrtle Beach, which means the festival is not the only music in town that week. Downtown breweries, the recent wave of new restaurant openings along Kings Highway, and the long-running attractions corridor at U.S. 17 all run their normal hours through the festival window.
The practical sequence for a 4-day trip: beach and Boardwalk in the morning, lunch on Ocean Boulevard, festival gate at 1 p.m. (or 3 p.m. Thursday), headline set after dark, walk back. Repeat with a Broadway at the Beach detour for a midweek dinner.
## Plan around the gates
CCMF 2026 is 10 days out. Tickets that are not flagged “Almost Gone” today will be by next week, and the festival has already moved through its early-bird and mid-tier pricing. The 4-Day GA pass at $379, a $119 parking pass, and a Boardwalk-walkable room are the three line items that drive the budget; everything else — food, drink, rideshare — happens onsite. Book what’s left now, plan the days around the 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. gate times, and the rest of the trip is built into the city.
## Further Reading
CCMF 2026 – [Carolina Country Music Fest — official site](https://carolinacountrymusicfest.com) (tickets, CCMF 101, FAQs, full lineup)
CCMF 2026 – [Post and Courier — “The Carolina Country Music Fest has released its full 2026 lineup. Here’s what fans should know.”](https://www.postandcourier.com) (Feb. 28, 2026)
CCMF 2026 – [WPDE — CCMF 2026: Star-studded lineup and daily schedule](https://wpde.com)
CCMF 2026 – [WIS-TV — “Carolina Country Music Fest releases full 2026 daily line-up”](https://www.wistv.com) (March 3, 2026)
CCMF 2026 – [WBTW — “Carolina Country Music Fest brings $50 million economic impact to Myrtle Beach”](https://www.wbtw.com)
CCMF 2026 – [Visit Myrtle Beach — official CCMF event listing and Hotel Deals](https://www.visitmyrtlebeach.com)
CCMF 2026- [The Country Note — “Bob Durkin on CCMF’s 11th Year”](https://www.thecountrynote.com)
CCMF 2026- [Coyote Country — Riley Green Thursday kickoff announcement](https://coyotecountry.com) (Feb. 10, 2026)
CCMF 2026 – [Holiday Pavilion Resort — CCMF Myrtle Beach guide](https://www.holidaypavilionresort.com)
CCMF 2026 – [Whiskey Riff — Durkin quote corroboration](https://www.whiskeyriff.com)
