The Christmas gifts of a lifetime. Bailey Zimmerman went all out this year, to put it very lightly, when it came to what he got his mom, Kristi, for Christmas. He shared videos on social media of him showing his mom the new house he bought her, sharing the very sweet video with the caption saying she “deserves the world and more”: “Merry Christmas Momma… you deserve the world and more.” I’ll admit, I’m not really a fan of his music, but it’s an incredible thing to do for someone who has clearly done a lot for him and means the world to him. Bailey shared in the video that he had been keeping the secret for six months, and his mom was of course very confused when they pulled up to this random house and started walking in. When he told her it was her house, she was in disbelief, and she was also very excited to learn that it has a pool. When Bailey asked her if she loved her new house, Kristi had a beautiful response, telling him: “Do I love it? It’s like being in a movie.” Of course, his grandma was thrilled to have a very special new neighbor: “I think it’s awesome… and it’s right next door to me, that’s the best part.” It’s above and beyond what most people could every imagine, and it’s really sweet to get to see her reaction to such an incredible moment: @bailey.zimmermanMerry Christmas Momma… you deserve the world and more♬ Everybody Wants To Rule The World X Electric Love – darcy stokes But if you think it stopped there, he also got her a brand new Escalade to go with it, and of course, Kristi was “floored”: @bailey.zimmermanMomma got a NEW CADILLAC TRULY THE BEST CHRISTMAS EVER I LOVEEEE YOU MOM… MERRY CHRISTMAS YALL♬ original sound – Bailey Zimmerman Of course, Christmas isn’t about presents or material items, but to be able to do something like that for your mom is so special, and it’s obvious just how surprised and appreciative Kristi is. I’m sure it’s not something she ever could’ve imagined, and I have to think it was an amazing feeling for Bailey to be able to do that for his mom.The post Bailey Zimmerman Gave His Mom A House AND A Brand New Cadillac Escalade For Christmas first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Looks like Megan Moroney got a tan for Christmas. It looks like she spent Christmas with her family somewhere warm and tropical, and I certainly think that’s just the way to do it… who needs snow? Megan has had a very successful year, selling out shows all over the country on her Am I Okay? tour, and she was also tied with Lainey Wilson and Ella Langley as the most nominated artist at the CMA Awards this year. So a relaxing vacation was certainly in order, and by the looks of the photos she shared in a post on Instagram, that’s exactly how her Christmas vacation was. But it wasn’t exactly the family photos that had people’s attention… it was the bikini photo of her in a pink swimsuit laying on the beach that her fans were loving. As you can imagine, her comments section was full of both male and female fans noticing how great she looked: “Yes ur serving.” “Holy smokes!” “All I want for Christmas is you.” “Merry Slaymas.” “Gorgeous sexy goddess.” “She’s stunning omg.” “Ok abs.” “HOLYYY.” “Sad you weren’t under my tree. Maybe next year.” “Bangin body.” “Santa let me down once again.” “Please santa please !!!!!!!” “Marry me.” “I am once again admitting, I have feelings for you.” “Gorgeoussss.” And it it went on like that… you can see all of the photos from her topical trip here: View this post on Instagram Megan is also gearing up fro another busy year, as she will release her third studio album Cloud 9 in February, then hit the road on the supporting tour in May. ANNOUNCED DATES FOR MEGAN MORONEY’S THE CLOUD 9 TOUR: MAY 29 | Columbus, OH – Schottenstein Center 30 | Indianapolis, IN – Gainbridge Fieldhouse JUNE 2 | Chicago, IL – United Center 5 | Baltimore, MD – CFG Bank Arena 6 | Greensboro, NC – First Horizon Coliseum 8 | Atlanta, GA – State Farm Arena 12 | Louisville, KY – KFC Yum! Center 13 | St. Louis, MO – Enterprise Center 16 | Pittsburgh, PA – PPG Paints Arena 18 | Milwaukee, WI – Summerfest 19 | Grand Rapids, MI – Van Andel Arena 20 | Toronto, ON – Scotiabank Arena JULY 7 | Boston, MA – TD Garden 9 | Brooklyn, NY – Barclays Center 10 | Newark, NJ – Prudential Center 11 | Philadelphia, PA – Xfinity Mobile Arena 14 | Charlotte, NC – Spectrum Center 16 | Orlando, FL – Kia Center 17 | Tampa, FL – Benchmark International Arena 18 | Sunrise, FL – Amerant Bank Arena 24 | Monticello, IA – Great Jones County Fair 25 | Minneapolis, MN – Target Center 26 | Lincoln, NE – Pinnacle Bank Arena 28 | Denver, CO – Ball Arena AUGUST 1 | Portland, OR – Moda Center 2 | Seattle, WA – Climate Pledge Arena 5 | Sacramento, CA – Golden 1 Center 7 | Los Angeles, CA – Crypto.com Arena 11 | Glendale, AZ – Desert Diamond Arena 14 | Dallas, TX – American Airlines Center 15 | Tulsa, OK – BOK Center 16 | Kansas City, MO – T-Mobile Center 18 | Detroit, MI – Little Caesars Arena 21 | Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena SEPTEMBER 13 | Oslo, NO – Sentrum Scene 15 | Stockholm, SE – Annexet 18 | Cologne, DE – Carlswerk Victoria 19 | Tilburg, NL – 013 Poppodium 21 | Paris, FR – Le Trianon 23 | London, UK – Eventim Apollo 26 | Manchester, UK – O2 Apollo 27 | Glasgow, UK – O2 Academy OCTOBER 1 | Belfast, UK – SSE ArenaThe post Megan Moroney Had The Internet In A Frenzy With Bikini Picture From Tropical Christmas Vacation first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

A huge Christmas surprise. It looks like Riley Green’s parents will be joining him on the road in 2026, but this time, not in his tour bus… in a camper of their own. Riley’s mom, Karen, shared photos from the reveal, where she and Riley’s dad were dressed as the parents from A Christmas Story, at his Christmas costume party. They won the “grand prize” according to her post on Instagram, where you can see them in their new ride, as well as some photos of them with Riley, or should I say Santa, giving them their big present. She joked that it was “one way to get them off of your bus,” and now they’re ready to hit the road: “We won the GRAND PRIZE at the 2nd annual RG Christmas costume party! Thank you Riley for the generous and thoughtful surprise! This is definitely one way to get us off of your bus! We are ready to hit the road!” I don’t know how he’s going to top this… View this post on Instagram Last year, Riley’s mom dressed up as the pigeon lady from Home Alone 2, and of course, she won, because she absolutely nailed it… but the grand prize for her that year was a brand new Ford Bronco: View this post on Instagram I have a feeling his parents might keep winning every year, but even without the extravagant grand prize presents, they would deserve to win, because their costumes are epic… and it’s a win-win for Riley, because he got to give his parents an incredible gift, and also have them on the road with him whenever they want. And you can catch Riley out on the road for most of 2026, and the full list of tour dates is available below. Cowboy As It Gets 2026 Tour Dates: April 16th, 2026 – Southaven, MS – Landers Center#~$ April 17th, 2026 – Louisville, KY – KFC Yum! Center#~$ *ON SALE 10/3 April 18th, 2026 – Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena#~$ May 7th, 2026 – Charlotte, NC – PNC Music Pavilion#~• May 8th, 2026 – Alpharetta, GA – Ameris Bank Amphitheatre#~• June 18th, 2026 – Holmdel, NJ – PNC Bank Arts Center#~• June 19th, 2026 – Saratoga Springs, NY – Saratoga Performing Arts Center#~• June 20th, 2026 – Wantagh, NY – Northwell at Jones Beach Theater#~• June 25th, 2026 – Noblesville, IN – Ruoff Music Center#$* June 26th, 2026 – Burgettstown, PA – The Pavilion at Star Lake#$* July 16th, 2026 – Green Bay, WI – Resch Center#~• July 23rd, 2026 – Salt Lake City, UT – Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre#~• August 6th, 2026 – Darien Center, NY – Darien Lake Amphitheater#/• August 7th, 2026 – Cuyahoga Falls, OH – Blossom Music Center#/• August 8th, 2026 – Bristow, VA – Jiffy Lube Live#/• August 13th, 2026 – Camden, NJ – Freedom Mortgage Pavilion#/• August 14th, 2026 – Hartford, CT – The XFINITY Theatre#/• August 15th, 2026 – Bangor, ME – Maine Savings Amphitheatre#/• August 21st, 2026 – Sioux Falls, SD – Denny Sanford#$*^ August 22nd, 2026 – Grand Forks, ND – Ralph Engelstad Arena#$*^ #Justin Moore ~Drake White $Mackenzie Carpenter •Hannah McFarland *Adam Hood /Zach John KingThe post “Definitely One Way To Get Us Off Of Your Bus” — Riley Green Gifted His Parents A New Camper For Christmas first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

A complete guide. If you thought that there were more country festivals now more than ever, you would be correct. With new festivals seemingly popping up each and every week, you’d be hard-pressed not to find one near you at some point throughout the year. Of course, you have your mainstay events every year, such as Stagecoach, Two Step Inn and the nationwide Country Thunder series, all of which are returning in 2026 along with some killer lineups. With that being said, there are a plethora of other festivals slated throughout the year that are undoubtedly worth your time and attention. With more and more festivals under the wide country, folk and Americana umbrella popping up seemingly by the week, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to not only keep track of just which is which but also to weed out which festival is worth the cost of admission and traveling expenses. It should go without saying that everything is more expensive nowadays, especially when talking about concert and festival prices. And if you’re looking to schedule your spring and summer music schedule while simultaneously trying to find which events best fit your music taste, look no further than this list of over 25 of the biggest country music festivals slated for 2026, complete with dates, locations, headliners and notable supporting acts. Mile 0 Fest Dates: January 27-31 Location: Key West, Florida Headliners: Cross Canadian Ragweed, Stephen Wilson Jr., Randy Rogers Band, Paul Cauthen, Shane Smith & the Saints Notable Supporting Acts: Kaitlin Butts, American Aquarium, Casey Donahew, Tanner Usrey, Stoney LaRue, Sunny Sweeney View this post on Instagram Crash My Playa Dates: January 15-18 Location: Cancún, Mexico Headliners: Luke Bryan, Dierks Bentley, Riley Green, Parker McCollum Notable Supporting Acts: Kameron Marlowe, The Castellows, Lauren Watkins, Tucker Wetmore View this post on Instagram Extra Innings Festival Dates: February 27-28 Location: Tempe, Arizona Headliners: Dierks Bentley, Luke Bryan, Kane Brown, HARDY Notable Supporting Acts: Colby Acuff, Noeline Hofmann, 49 Winchester, Muscadine Bloodline and Cole Phillips View this post on Instagram Troubadour Festival Dates: March 28 Location: Bryan, Texas Headliners: Robert Earl Keen, Flatland Cavalry Notable Supporting Acts: Waylon Wyatt, Jason Boland & the Stragglers, Taylor Hunnicutt View this post on Instagram Country Thunder Arizona Dates: April 9-12 Location: Florence, Arizona Headliners: Zach Top, Brooks & Dunn, Lainey Wilson, Gavin Adcock Notable Supporting Acts: Waylon Wtarr, Ian Munsick, Lonestar, Scotty McCreery View this post on Instagram Hogs For The Cause Dates: April 10-11 Location: New Orleans, Louisiana Headliners: Charles Wesley Godwin, Stephen Wilson Jr. Notable Supporting Acts: The Castellows, Buffalo Traffic Jam, Jason Scott & the High Heat, Lance Roark, The Band Loula View this post on Instagram Cattle Country Festival Dates: April 10-12 Location: Gonzalez, Texas Headliners: Koe Wetzel, Treaty Oak Revival, Randy Houser, Robert Earl Keen Notable Supporting Acts: Josh Abbott Band, Corey Kent, Casey Donahew, Jason Boland & the Stragglers View this post on Instagram Tortuga Music Festival Dates: April 10-12 Location: Lauderdale, Florida Headliners: Kenny Chesney, Riley Green, Post Malone Notable Supporting Acts: Dwight Yoakam, Clay Walker, Flatland Cavalry, Lukas Nelson, Shane Smith & the Saints, Buffalo Traffic Jam, Cole Goodwin, The Band Loula, The Jack Wharff Band View this post on Instagram Hondo Rodeo Fest Dates: April 10-12 Location: New Orleans, Louisiana Headliners: Cody Johnson, Jason Aldean, Creed Notable Supporting Acts: Lynyrd Skynyrd, Old Dominion, Bailey Zimmerman View this post on Instagram Two Step Inn Dates: April 18-19 Location: Georgetown, Texas Headliners: Chris Stapleton, Brooks & Dunn Notable Supporting Acts: Tracy Lawrence, Shenandoah, Clay Walker, The Red Clay Strays, Wyatt Flores, Muscadine Bloodline, Brent Cobb, Evan Honer, Wade Bowen, Randy Rogers Band View this post on Instagram Stagecoach Dates: April 24-26 Location: Indio, California Headliners: Cody Johnson, Lainey Wilson, Post Malone Notable Supporting Acts: The Red Clay Strays, Ella Langley, Riley Green, Journey, Brooks & Dunn, Hootie & the Blowfish, Treaty Oak Revival, Charles Wesley Godwin, Billy Bob Thornton & The Boxmasters, Gavin Adcock, Wynonna Judd, Ole 60, Wyatt Flores, Braxton Keith, Ty Myers, Jake Worthington View this post on Instagram Lone Star Smokeout Dates: April 24-26 Location: Arlington, Texas Headliners: Riley Green, Koe Wetzel, Shaboozey Notable Supporting Acts: Sam Barber, Casey Donahew, Max McNown, TBA View this post on Instagram Country Thunder Florida Dates: May 8-10 Location: St. Petersburg, Florida Headliners: Gavin Adcock, Zach Top, Kane Brown Notable Supporting Acts: Randy Houser, Shaboozey, Braxton Keith, Gretchen Wilson View this post on Instagram Boots in the Park (Albuquerque) Dates: May 15-16 Location: Albuquerque, New Mexico Headliners: Post Malone, Jelly Roll Notable Supporting Acts: Koe Wetzel, Cody Jinks, Clay Walker, Randy Rogers Band, Wade Bowen, Josh Abbott Band View this post on Instagram Gulf Coast Jam Dates: May 28-31 Location: Panama City Beach, Florida Headliners: Post Malone, Riley Green, Chris Stapleton, Keith Urban Notable Supporting Acts: 49 Winchester, Koe Wetzel, Treaty Oak Revival, Wyatt Flores, Muscadine Bloodline, Ole 60, Marcus King, Brent Cobb View this post on Instagram Carolina Country Music Fest Dates: June 4-7 Location: Myrtle Beach, South Carolina Headliners: Post Malone, Riley Green, Luke Bryan, Blake Shelton Notable Supporting Acts: Flatland Cavalry, Justin Moore, Tracy Lawrence, Tucker Wetmore View this post on Instagram Railbird Music Festival Dates: June 6-7 Location: Lexington, Kentucky Headliners: The Lumineers, Tyler Childers Notable Supporting Acts: Zach Top, Ella Langley, Caamp, Mt. Joy, Sam Barber, Muscadine Bloodline, Stephen Wilson Jr., Robert Earl Keen, Shane Smith & The Saints View this post on Instagram Rock the South Dates: June 11-13 Location: Decatur, Alabama Headliner: Zach Top, Riley Green, Jason Aldean Notable Supporting Acts: Travis Tritt, Tracy Lawrence, The Castellows, Jake Worthington, Austin Snell, Cole Goodwin, Brantley Gilbert View this post on Instagram Buckeye Country Superfest Dates: June 13 Location: Columbus, Ohio Headliner: Tyler Childers Notable Supporting Acts: The Red Clay Strays, Lord Huron, Sierra Ferrell, Flatland Cavalry, Kaitlin Butts View this post on Instagram Tailgate N’ Tallboys (Bloomington, IL) Dates: June 18-20 Location: Bloomington, Illinois Headliners: Zach Top, Treaty Oak Revival, Jessie Murph Notable Supporting Acts: Gavin Adcock, Braxton Keith, Wyatt Flores, Kaitlin Butts, Waylon Wyatt View this post on Instagram Barefoot Country Music Fest Dates: June 18-21 Location: Wildwood, New Jersey Headliners: Eric Church, Miranda Lambert, Post Malone, Kelsea Ballerini Notable Supporting Acts: Shaboozey, Ty Myers, Tracy Lawrence, Chase Rice, Tucker Wetmore, View this post on Instagram Jackalope Jamboree Dates: June 25-27 Location: Pendleton, Oregon Headliners: Turnpike Troubadours, Kaitlin Butts, Shane Smith & the Saints Notable Supporting Acts: Rattlesnake Milk, Taylor Hunnicutt, Shelby Stone, Summer Dean, Josh Weathers, Lizzie No View this post on Instagram Country Stampede Dates: June 25-27 Location: Bonner Springs, Kansas Headliners: Treaty Oak Revival, Zach Top, Rascal Flatts Notable Supporting Acts: Wyatt Flores, Tracy Lawrence, Diamond Rio, Scotty McCreery View this post on Instagram Windy City Smokeout Dates: July 8-12 Location: Chicago, Illinois Headliners: Treaty Oak Revival, Hootie & the Blowfish, Lainey Wilson, Jordan Davis, Blake Shelton Notable Supporting Acts: TBA View this post on Instagram Country Thunder Wisconsin Dates: July 16-19 Location: Twin Lakes, Wisconsin Headliners: The Red Clay Strays, Riley Green, Gavin Adcock, Keith Urban Notable Supporting Acts: Ian Munsick, Gretchen Wilson, Shaboozey, Corey Kent, Lonestar, Mark Chesnutt View this post on Instagram Cheyenne Frontier Days Dates: July 17-26 Location: Cheyenne, Wyoming Headliners: Treaty Oak Revival, Alex Warren, The Red Clay Strays, Riley Green, Blake Shelton, Hardy, Zach Top Notable Supporting Acts: Jessie Murph, Wyatt Flores, Trace Adkins, Cameron Whitcomb, Jo Dee Messina View this post on Instagram Under The Big Sky Dates: July 17-19 Location: Whitefish, Montana Headliners: Chris Stapleton, Zach Top, Cody Jinks Notable Supporting Acts: Ryan Bingham and the Texas Gentlemen, Of Monsters and Men, Stephen Wilson Jr., Charles Wesley Godwin, Marcus King Band View this post on Instagram WE Fest Dates: August 5-8 Location: Detroit Lakes, Minnesota Headliners: Brooks & Dunn, Lainey Wilson, Thomas Rhett Notable Supporting Acts: Flatland Cavalry, Jamey Johnson, Randy Houser, Shenandoah, Diamon Rio, Brent Cobb, Noeline Hofmann View this post on Instagram    The post The Biggest Country Music Festivals Set For 2026 first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Billy Strings is getting real about how having a son has changed the way he views music. Last year, Billy Strings and his wife welcomed a baby boy into the world. After a long labor, Strings was happy to share that mom and baby were both healthy and happy. Hilariously, Billy Strings activated full-on dad mode before leaving the hospital. Sharing a video to social media, Strings is sporting all-white New Balance sneakers, cargo shorts with a white polo shirt tucked in,  a black leather phone case (because he has class, duh), and some Costa sunglasses. “First day of the rest of my life.” Talk about a quintessential dad outfit. View this post on Instagram Yeah, I think it’s safe to say that Billy Strings was meant to be a father. Now that Strings has a one-year-old, his life has changed for the better. Earlier this month, Strings had the honor of playing the famed Tiny Desk concert series hosted by NPR. Billy says it was a very special moment in his career to be able to do his own Tiny Desk show: “We’ve been lucky to play a lot of cool venues. But this one’s different. It has that same soul to it because — I’ve seen so many amazing performances that happened right here and I kind of believe that love and spirit kind of soaks into this environment, so just standing here feels like a special thing.” Outside of his performance, he also sat down with Tiny Desk Director & Producer Kara Frame to talk about touring, his creative process, and more. One of the questions that Frame posed to Strings surrounding how his son has changed the way he tours, and how having his son on the road with him is rewarding. Strings shared a very candid answer, noting that having his son on tour has completely shifted his priorities on the road: “The most rewarding thing is just, you know, getting done with work and heading up to the hotel room and them being there. Playing with my dog, watching ‘Bluey’, and doing bathtime, and having breakfast, and all of that.  And it takes me away from all this focus about the gig and the anxiety about the shows. That stuff doesn’t really matter now. It frees me up to sing from a place of joy in my belly because I’m not so worried about if I sound good or not. My priorities have shifted.  Music used to be the most important thing for me to the point where I strangled the life out of it. So worried about it. When I’m singing and playing, it’s like taking the kids to the park and not letting them go down the slide because you’re scared they are going to get hurt. Am I singing the right note? Am I in pitch? So cautious about, ‘Oh man, what if I sound bad?’ Now, I think, yeah, what I’m worried about is, ‘Is everybody okay?’ And my family. Is my son, and dog, and wife okay? And if they are, then I’m free to go sing, and I don’t care if I sound bad.” Billy Strings has been performing mind-blowing shows all winter long, so it’s clear that his ability to unplug fully from music is helping his mind and stage presence. I am sure that being able to play music in the moment and having other things to focus your mind on when you’re not in the studio or on stage is critical to longevity as an artist. Billy Strings’ son is one lucky little guy to have a father who is this present, and Strings is fortunate to have his child on the road with him. It’s a win-win for all family members. Check out the interview below: View this post on Instagram And while you’re here, check out his Tiny Desk concert: The post Why Having His Young Son On Tour Makes Billy Strings A Better Performer first appeared on Whiskey Riff.