Plans for this year's Boots & Hearts Music Festival are coming together quickly, and organizers keep adding to the 4-day celebration.
The camping festival at Burls Creek in Oro-Medonte is jam-packed with A-list performers, including Tim McGraw, Keith Urban, Hardy and Dallas Smith.
Brooke Dunford, with Republic Live, who puts on the festival, says they are thrilled to welcome new acts who have made a name for themselves in the last few years.
"There's a lot of artists that never played at the festival, who came into the industry in the last couple of years during the pandemic. Over half of our lineup is brand new such as Tyler Joe Miller, Tim and the Glory Boys, Travis Denning and Riley Green."
One of the other performers announced is Orillia's own Parker Graye.
The Ontario native was surprised when told she would be part of this year's event.
She released her first country song, "Do Over," in September 2020, and has made waves in the scene ever since.
Dunford says having new artists like Graye is a thrill.
"We're excited for these artists to be a part of our Boots fam and see the energy of Boots & Hearts, Dunford says.
This year the festival takes a slight detour from the purely country genre and crosses over to some rock, with Nickelback making an appearance.
The Canadian rockers were announced as part of the lineup last fall, with fans and the band excited about the crossover.
The band posted to festival's Instagram saying "We're new here.. but we're excited! #bootsbound"
Dunford says the timing to bring them in was perfect because of their new album, and many artists are embracing the crossover genre.
"We just took a risk and supported the cross-genre movement happening. It's never happened before, and for some artists in rock or country, this mix will be fun." Dunford explains.
Meanwhile, organizers and the community are thrilled to see the festival continue to grow every year and its recovery after the pandemic.
"We're so proud of our fans and everyone that's been able to support us to put this on," Dunford says.
"It takes a village, and certainly here in Barrie, Orillia and Oro Medonte, it's something we're proud to have in our backyard.
The four-day festival is at Burls Creek in Oro-Medonte from August 10-August 13.
Tickets for the Boots & Hearts Music Festival are on sale now. You can follow them on Instagram or Facebook
