BLUE RIDGE ROCK FESTIVAL To Return To Virginia International Raceway For Second Consecutive Year

Blue Ridge Rock Festival has announced it will return to Virginia International Raceway (VIR) for a second consecutive year and for numerous years to come. The wildly popular rock and metal music festival will head back to VIR September 7-10 after a successful first showing at the venue in 2022. Music fans can look forward to future festivals at the racetrack as the two have partnered for a multi-year agreement for VIR to serve as Blue Ridge Rock Festival's home.

The announcement comes after a 91 percent approval rating from 2022 attendees of VIR as the venue. Given that it was not only the first time the festival had been held at VIR, but the first time VIR had ever held a music festival, receiving this high of feedback sets the stage for fan expectations to be exceeded moving forward.

"Our inaugural partnership with VIR in 2022 was a great success and one we knew we wanted to continue. Being able to hold the festival at the same location for several years is a huge advantage for Blue Ridge Rock Festival and its fans," said a festival spokesperson. "In the past we've consistently outgrown our host venues, which has caused us to have to start over each year from scratch. Partnering with VIR for the foreseeable future allows all parties involved to create improved systems and invest in infrastructure, creating the best possible fan experience."

"Bringing a variety of offerings and events to VIR has always been a priority of ours," said Connie Nyholm, co-owner and CEO of VIR. "The partnership with Blue Ridge Rock Festival makes perfect sense — we're two independent, Virginia born-and-bred groups looking to provide outstanding entertainment for our fans."

Acknowledging the recent increase in event ticket prices across the country, Blue Ridge Rock Festival has taken several steps to make the festival more accessible than ever before. Despite the highly acclaimed lineup scheduled to play at this year's festival, general ticket prices as well as tent camping prices have been reduced from last year's rates. In addition, following fan feedback, Blue Ridge Rock Festival has implemented a payment plan option available at no additional cost. There is currently a four-month payment plan available to fans and 77 percent of ticket buyers to date have purchased via payment plan. Sales for 2023 have moved at a record pace, making Blue Ridge Rock Festival officially America's largest rock and camping festival.

Blue Ridge Rock Festival has revealed over 100 artists performing at this year's festival so far, but will release several headliners with the full lineup announcement soon. Tickets and campsites are still available now at blueridgerockfest.com.

Founded in 2017 by a handful of rock fans, Blue Ridge Rock Festival was created to bring major rock names to a community of passionate, but starved rock and metal fans in small town Virginia. In an increasingly corporate rock landscape, Blue Ridge is known as "the festival created by the fans" due to uniquely placing the fan at the controls of the festival. There is no greater representation of this fact than the record 2.1 million votes on social media that fans have cast towards booking the 2023 artist lineup. Blue Ridge has not only become a force in the rock festival landscape globally, but has been recognized as one of the largest non-corporate-owned music festivals in America. Tickets for 2023 have already been sold in all fifty states, and more than two dozen countries. The annual event generates more than $25 million in economic impact.