MYRTLE BEACH – A companion event to the Carolina Country Music Fest could be coming to town, but this one is a lot more rock ‘n roll.
Southern Entertainment, the same group that hosted the 11th annual CCMF last week, presented its application to host Myrtle Beach Rock Fest to the city’s Special Events Committee on June 10. Although it’s still in the early stages, organizers are ready to get the project rolling in time to hold the event May 7-9, 2027.
“It’s still very much in the conceptual phase so we have no information as far as artists or any details, but we believe this would be something very conducive to our demographics and a great fit for our destination,” said Amie Lee, president of Palmetto Productions, which helps coordinate CCMF. “Visit Myrtle Beach and the city of Myrtle Beach want more events and festivals, and we think this would be something great we could bring to the table.”
The Myrtle Beach Boardwalk is filled with people during the Carolina Country Music Fest in Myrtle Beach on June 6, 2025.
New genre, new venue
Unlike CCMF, however, this event is being pitched for the 35-acre former Myrtle Square Mall site. Adjacent to the Myrtle Beach Convention Center, it’s a larger space than the 11-acre Burroughs & Chapin Pavilion Park where CCMF has always been held. The proposed location and timing of the three-day concert drew the biggest concerns from committee members.
Located between Kings Highway and Oak Street between 27th Avenue North and Myrtle Place, the site’s close proximity to schools, homes, businesses and churches presents potential problems pertaining to traffic, noise, public safety and alcohol sales. Committee members also expressed concerns about parking, drop-off locations, and attendees crossing major roads and hopping barricades.
“We have a strong history of working with the city on CCMF,” Lee told the committee. “There are a whole new host of issues to address, but nothing that can’t be resolved.”
The committee also inquired about why the new festival shouldn’t use the same proven downtown site as CCMF. Lee said the new location came up during the COVID-19 pandemic when it was looking for a social distancing alternative, and the mall site could become a backup plan for CCMF again if and when B&C decides to develop the Pavilion location.
“That’s all dependent on what the construction timeline comes for next year,” said Lee, referring to plans for an amphitheater and other development on the site. “That’s a city of Myrtle Beach and a Burroughs & Chapin decision. When that develops downtown that will definitely change anyway. But from an event perspective, if you’re going to start a brand new event, why would you start it downtown and move it the second year? We’d rather go ahead and have it at the old mall site, work out the issues the first year and them just get better and better.”
More music, more money
Stuart Butler, president of Visit Myrtle Beach, told Myrtle Beach City Council in April that CCMF gives an economic jolt to the city at a time of year when there had previously been a lull in tourism. The estimated economic impact is nearly $50 million annually.
“That second weekend in June, which was our weakest throughout the summer, is now our second highest behind July 4, if that hits on a weekend,” Butler said. “This was a deliberate strategy from the community where we invested dollars – and we continue to invest dollars and resources – to ensure that we have a healthy and prosperous economy. … We’d love to see more.”
The old mall site hosts several annual events, including the Run to the Sun Car Show and Myrtle Beach Jazz Fest, but nothing on the scale of the 35,000 nightly attendees drawn by CCMF and potentially Rock Fest.
Southern Entertainment operates music festivals throughout the country, including the Barefoot Music Fest in Wildwood, N.J., the Merry KISSmas showcase in Buffalo, N.Y., and the Gravedigger’s Ball in Charlotte, N.C.
Due to the diverse complexities associated with hosting a major concert event, the committee voted to defer the matter to the city manager.
