CMC Rocks Changes Dates For Dixie Chicks

Dixie Chicks return to Australia after 10 years to headline the 2017 instalment of country and roots festival CMC Rocks. To accommodate the act’s schedule, organisers Rob Potts Entertainment Edge and Chugg Entertainment pushed the advertised festival dates back to March 24-26 at Willowbank Speedway in Ipswich, Queensland.

Photo: Getty Images for PMK

Rob Potts explained, “Securing Dixie Chicks is a major coup, and we’re thrilled. Because 2017 is the 10th anniversary of the festival, we want to deliver the best possible line-up for the CMC Rocks audience, we made the tough decision to move the festival dates back by two weeks to make it happen. We are all about the country music fans, and we want to make sure that 2017 exceeds expectations and is the biggest celebration to date!”

Branding itself as the largest festival of its kind in the southern hemisphere, CMC Rocks announces its full lineup Oct. 7. Since its inception in 2008, CMC Rocks introduced major U.S. country acts to Australia and reflected a huge fan base for the music. These included Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Alan Jackson, Taylor Swift, Lady Antebellum, Toby Keith, Jason Aldean and Florida Georgia Line.

First staged in the Snowy Mountains, it moved to Hunter Valley’s Hope Estate, Townsville’s Reid Park and invited to Willowbank Raceway with promises of financial support from the Queensland government and tourism associations. In 2016, CMC Rocks sold out for the first time, drawing 45,000 fans from around the world.

It was, says Potts, the only Australian country music festival to reach capacity.

In anticipation, the 2017 event will have 350 additional camping spots, catering to 7,500 and demonstrating a 15 percent increase.