Country Thunder music festival to kick off in Florence on Thursday

PHOENIX — An Arizona town best known perhaps for its state prison is the center of the country music universe this week.

Country Thunder opened its gates in Florence on Wednesday for campers a day before the music is set to begin.

The country music festival takes place annually in Arizona and four other states.

Tim McGraw, Brett Eldredge, Chris Stapleton and Arizona’s Dierks Bentley will headline the four-day event.

Last year’s festival saw a record-breaking attendance of 30,000 people.

For those making their way to the festival grounds, be prepared to hit some traffic on the way.

According to ADOT, traffic to Florence was already heavy Wednesday morning on the southbound State Route 79.

NOW: Traffic is extremely slow on SR 79 southbound before Florence as fans arrive for the Country Thunder music festival. #aztraffic pic.twitter.com/y7rzgOZB3P

— Arizona DOT (@ArizonaDOT) April 10, 2019

Single day and weekend tickets are still available for the festival, and four-day passes start at $190.

Country Thunder allows guests to camp on any of its multiple camp grounds, however all sites are booked for this year.

According to the festival’s website, festival passes are required to enter the campsite.

The festival grounds are located about 60 miles southeast of Phoenix, on Price Station Road and east of SR 79.

For more information or to find out about future festivals, check out Country Thunder’s website.