South Carolina has a new summertime destination on the coast! In June, the beaches of Myrtle Beach come alive as Carolina Country Music Festival (CCMF) takes over this popular beach town. For four days, country music fans from all over the United States flock to the Atlantic Coast for live music, zip lining, good food and strong drinks!

As festival junkies, we are always searching for new country music festivals to visit. We love to meet new people while exploring our great country, and country festivals are a great excuse to do both! So, we decided to pack our bags, book flights and head East to experience this new country music festival (2017 marks CCMF’s third year).

Located just minutes from the Myrtle Beach Airport, Carolina Country Fest sits along the boardwalk that’s lined with beach bars, beachwear and gift shops, arcades, and other tourist attractions.

Considering attending CCMF in the future? We’ve compiled a list of our favorite festival highlights and Festival Tips to help you plan for your trip to Carolina Country Music Festival! As experienced festival-goers, and first timers to CCMF, it’s safe to say this was absolutely a festival to remember! We might even say we are officially CCMF’ers!


– CAROLINA COUNTRY MUSIC FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS –

  • Southern Hospitality | WOW! Talk about a friendly group of people! From the festival volunteers to the country music fans and the Police Force, everyone was so friendly. We met and chatted with a ton of people during our time in Myrtle Beach, and we are still raving about how friendly everyone was. Sure, we’ve been to festivals in the South, but this level of friendliness was top-notch!
  • Darius Rucker | Playing in Myrtle Beach was like a home coming for this South Carolina Native. He belted out his chart-topping hits, some classic Hootie & the Blowfish 90’s jams, and a couple other Top 40 tunes to get the Friday night crowd pumped.
  • Billy Currington | Playing barefoot, while dripping in sweat (the Southern summer humidity is no joke), Billy Currington put on a heck of a show. He had the crowd singing along with his relatable, heartfelt lyrics. We wouldn’t be surprised if Billy becomes a festival headliner in the near future. He was definitely one of our favorites!
  • Luke Combs | It’s safe to say the smaller stage was not big enough for the crowd that Luke Combs brought to his afternoon performance. Thousands of people were standing as far as you could see, trying to catch a glimpse of the ‘Hurricane’ singer! Luke and his band performed songs from his critically acclaimed, new album, “This One’s For You,” and other classic rock favorites.
  • Lee Brice | Another South Carolina Native, this country rocker celebrated his birthday while playing CCMF. His family and friends even surprised him on stage with a birthday cake as the crowd sang Happy Birthday to Lee. He also won the crowd over by inviting a close friend onstage during his performance to propose to his girlfriend.

– CAROLINA COUNTRY MUSIC FESTIVAL TIPS –

  • Ride sharing | Uber and Left are EXPENSIVE after the festival ends! Seriously. Our ride was $150 to go 15 miles to North Myrtle Beach. Save money on your ride home by leaving the festival a little early, or grabbing a post-show libation in a nearby bar on the boardwalk. Take a ride on the nearby ferris wheel or play a few round of ski ball in the arcade if you’ve already had enough to drink.
  • Parking | If you’ve got a designated sober driver, and are driving to the festival, there are plenty of parking options. A parking garage is located next to the festival grounds and some local businesses are willing to sell you a parking spot, so keep your eyes peeled for good deals.
  • Food + Drinks | From Bojangles to fresh blended smoothies, CCMF had it all! You could even purchase an alcoholic-infused popsicle from SnoBar! These sweet treats for adults were the perfect way to cool off in the humid, summer heat! Be sure to try the mojito and cosmopolitan flavors – those were our favorites! Best of all, the vendor prices weren’t astronomically high! After attending a couple of festivals already this year, we were expecting outrageous prices on food and drinks. While they weren’t cheap, festival goers weren’t gasping at the prices. You could also save money on beer if you purchased a bundle – $6 beers for $40.
  • Wristband | Don’t forget to register your wristband, and add link your credit card! It is the easiest way to purchase food, drinks, and merchandise while at the festival.
  • Photo Opps | CCMF has a variety of great spots to snap a photo. So make sure you plan to explore the festival grounds before you head home.
  • Lodging | Being that Myrtle Beach is a tourist town, there is no shortage of ocean front condos and resorts to stay at – you can literally take your pick. There are plenty within walking distance of the festival grounds too
  • Pre-Festival Activities | There’s plenty of time to grab breakfast at the local Waffle House and hit the beach before the festival. One of the great things about this festival is that you can make this a beach vacation as well! Plan ahead and download the app to help you develop a plan.
  • Zipline | This was one of our FAVORITE things to do in-between artists at Carolina Country Music Fest! For only $20 you can fly across above the festival grounds and get a bird’s eye view.
  • Meet and Greets | Download the festival app and keep an eye out for meet and greet opportunities on the daily schedule. These are great way to meet lesser-known country artists like Jordan Rager and festival DJ, DeeJay Silver!

Make sure you have your beauty products packed before you hit the road to CCMF!

A special THANK YOU to everyone at CCMF and Whirlwind Creative for treating a couple of Country Clones from San Diego to true Southern Hospitality an unforgettable experience!! We can’t wait to come back!

– PHOTOS FROM CCMF 2017 –

CCMF
SNOBAR POPSICLES
CHRIS YOUNG
ZIP LINING AT CCMF
COUNTRY CLONES
KENNY CHESNEY
LANCO
LANCO
COUNTRY CLONES
LUKE COMBS
COUNTRY CLONES
LUKE COMBS
KIP MOORE
ZIP LINING AT CCMF
LUKE COMBS
COUNTRY CLONES
ZIP LINING AT CCMF
LEE BRICE
CCMF 2017
GRANGER SMITH