Following the launch of Country To Country’s fifth outing last week, festival organisers have confirmed that Reba McEntire will be the festivals third headliner for 2017.
McEntire will be performing alongside fellow headliners Brad Paisley and The Zac Brown Band.
Country to Country is The UK and Ireland’s largest country music festival, showcasing emerging talent from Nashville, UK and Europe, as well as staging existing country stars.
The festival runs from March 10-12 2017 at The O2 London, 3Arena Dublin and The Clyde Auditorium, Glasgow.
“I am thrilled to be coming back over to Europe to perform for the folks there,” said McEntire. “You have always been so hospitable to my group and me. C2C is something I've wanted to do for a while so thanks so much for having me."
Chris Young, Darius Rucker, Jennifer Nettles, Hunter Hayes, Maren Morris, Cam, Dan + Shay, Brothers Osborne and five-time Grammy winning Marty Stuart are also billed alongside the headliners.
BBC Radio 2 broadcaster, Bob Harris, said: “It’s amazing to think that C2C is five years old already and also how quickly it has grown. I am personally thrilled to be at the centre of it all and can’t wait for next March to welcome back old friends from Nashville and to introduce some new ones.”
Milly Olykan C2C festival director for The O2 said: We are thrilled to be going into our fifth year of Country to Country – it’s been incredible to have established an event that is so hugely anticipated by country fans and artists alike. For us to be presenting many new artists for their first time in the UK and Ireland as well as welcoming some back to C2C is fantastic. The growth of C2C owes so much to BBC Radio 2 and the Country Music Association of America – who are great partners on this festival with us."
“CMA values C2C as an important vehicle for reaching and developing Country Music fans in the UK, especially as we enter the fifth year of our partnership,” said Sarah Trahern, CMA CEO. “We have seen significant growth in the U.K. market and have capitalized on the success of C2C to develop business relationships that have benefited the music industry, which is an important part of our mission. CMA is looking forward to bringing the CMA Songwriters Series back to C2C and sharing the artistry of the songwriters with their fans in London.”
Additional programming is still to be announced, including the Yamaha Music Stage, the BBC Radio 2 Stage and the official C2C Aftershows. Free to watch stages will also be making a return at the O2.
Tickets go on general sale at 10am on Friday, November 4.
By Ewan Wilkie
