After months of waiting for Boots and Hearts Music Festival to unveil its full list of 2026 headliners, those interested on social media have expressed mixed reactions to the event's latest addition.
On Wednesday, the Jonas Brothers, the American pop band, was announced by event officials as the Aug. 7 headliner for what will be the group's first time performing at a country music festival.
A morning contest post on Instagram following the announcement prompting followers to tag a friend in hopes of winning free passes mostly became a hub for either praise or scrutiny of the artist choice.
Negative comments ranged from "so much for a country festival, eh," to "so disappointed." One longtime festival-goer commented "this will be my eighth Boots and Hearts… from your die-hard local fans, this is not it!"
Similar sentiment was shared on a post from the previous evening teasing the announcement. Some have even speculated the announcement was made so late after the other headliners as to not deter longtime attendees from skipping out on buying tickets.
However, some reaction is positive regarding the Jonas Brothers. Such comments include "thank god we didn’t have to wait till the year 3000 for this lineup," and "lowkey sweet." Others state that while they love the Jonas Brothers, their inclusion isn't right for a country music festival like Boots and Hearts.
“Country music continues to grow by reaching new audiences, and many of the artists on this lineup helped lead that growth by creating music that connects across generations and genres," said Brooke Dunford, the director of talent buying and business development for Republic Live, the Ontario-based entertainment company that organizes the festival.
"The Jonas Brothers have embraced cross-genre collaboration in the country space, while artists like The Chicks and Rascal Flatts helped open the door for the genre’s mainstream and crossover success. Bringing them together reflects how fans are consuming music today and we're proud to follow that creative momentum at Boots and Hearts ."
The company says that the Grammy-nominated group's appearance at the event's 15th running marks a "milestone moment," considering country music continued openness to experimenting with other genres, but also noting the Jonas Brothers' recent collaborations with country artists that will also be performing at the festival.
In October, they were featured on Russell Dickerson's single, "Happen to Me," and will follow Dickerson's performance on the Friday night lineup at the festival.
The Jonas Brothers have also collaborated with other country artists they'll be sharing the bill with at Boots and Hearts, including with Sunday headliner Rascal Flatts on the 2025 single "I Dare You," and Joe Jonas' duet with Ashley Cooke on "All I Forgot."
The Chicks will headline performances on the second day of the festival, Aug. 8, while other marquee acts that will appear throughout the weekend include Juno winners Brett Kissel and James Barker Band.
In 2025, the Jonas Brothers took the stage seven times in Canada, with six performances on the Jonas 20: Greetings From Your Hometown tour, and another at Game 2 of the World Series. They also appeared as the halftime performers at the 111th Grey Cup in Vancouver in 2024.
