By Paul Bonnette
For over twelve years, despite stormy weather conditions, pandemics, and hurricanes, Gulf Coast Jam has been bringing “Country to the Coast.” This multi-day country music festival has seen its fair share of challenges, but has weathered them to become a staple event on the Emerald Coast. This year, thousands of fans from all 50 states packed into Frank Brown Park as headliners such as Sam Hunt, Blake Shelton, Tyler Childers and Lainey Wilson took to the stage for four nights of legendary country music. Whether it is shopping at the numerous vendors, enjoying food and fun or just coming to enjoy world-class country music, this event seems to offer something that brings out residents and visitors alike as tens of thousands of fans make this event a must-do.
However, it wasn’t always the massive music festival it is now. Gulf Coast Jam began in 2013 as headliners such as Toby Keith, The Charlie Daniel’s Band and Trace Adkins took to the stage and played to a crowd of 6,000. According to Executive Producer Rendy Lovelady, seeing the growth of the festival to what it is now is something he holds close to his heart.
“We’ve walked this path and seen it grow from the first year with 6,000 people being in October…the talent has grown, the crowd capacity has grown, the pull of the festival is in all fifty states now, just the overall texture of the festival has grown,” says Lovelady.
According to Lovelady, they are always looking at new ways to grow and provide extra experiences. As part of the ten-year anniversary, Gulf Coast Jam added a fourth night to the already stacked festival as well as unique experiences, including the now popular Ferris Wheel ride.
Gulf Coast Jam continues to grow and expand, and next year looks to be the biggest event in its history. For the first time in the event’s history, Lovelady took to the stage on the first night to announce the full lineup for Gulf Jam 2026, which features legendary performers such as Chris Stapleton, Riley Green, Keith Urban and Post Malone. In addition to the headliners, Gulf Coast Jam 2026 will also feature performances by Koe Wetzel, Muscadine Bloodline, Marcus King, Treaty Oak Revival and many others.
Tickets have already been selling out for many of the tiers as fans eagerly await next year’s festival.
For Rendy Lovelady, despite the challenges, Gulf Coast Jam is an event that he hopes and plans will be around for a long time to come.
“I think Gulf Coast Jam is always going to be a staple for Panama City Beach. We have a long-term agreement with the city and it’s in the top ten country events in the country. It draws from all fifty states, CMT covers it, so it has national television on it. It has become a real staple and I see it being very much a part of the future and hopefully it never goes away. I believe that Gulf Coast Jam is going to be here forever.”
