ACM Country Kickoff Features Free Fan Festival with Live Music, Food Trucks, a Beer Garden, Exclusive Merch, and Much More at The Star in Days Leading Up to the ACM Awards
NASHVILLE, TN — The Academy of Country Music (ACM) announced today its plans to take over The Star in Frisco, Texas, with three days of live music, can’t-miss Country Music events, and celebrations beginning Tuesday, May 9, leading up to the 58th ACM Awards. Co-hosted by global superstars Dolly Parton and Garth Brooks, the ACM Awards show will take place at 7 p.m. CT on Thursday, May 11 at Ford Center at The Star and will livestream exclusively on Prime Video. Dubbed “Country Music’s Party of the Year,” the 2023 edition will mark Parton’s second consecutive appearance as host, with Brooks taking the stage to host a major Awards show for the first time.
The events of ACM Awards Week include the ACM Country Kickoff at The Star, a two-day music and entertainment festival which is open to the public, free to all fans, and does not require tickets; ACM Songs & Stories Powered by The Bluebird Cafe + NSAI, a private industry celebration of the top songwriters of the past year; Topgolf Tee-Off & Rock On presented by VGT by Aristocrat Gaming followed by ACM Lifting Lives LIVE: Morgan Wallen & Friends, a live concert on the green at Topgolf The Colony, which is sold out; and the 58th Academy of Country Music Awards live from Ford Center at The Star and streaming live all over the globe exclusively on Prime Video. Limited tickets to the ACM Awards show are still available through SeatGeek.
“We couldn’t be more thrilled to partner with the Dallas Cowboys and the Jones family to bring the Academy of Country Music Awards back to Texas at their world headquarters,” said Academy of Country Music CEO Damon Whiteside. “This world-class venue, shopping and dining district, and luxury area hotels and resorts made the perfect canvas to build our ACM Awards week bigger and better than ever, on behalf of our artists and industry. Texas has some of the most passionate Country Music fans in the world, and we can’t wait to bring the party to Frisco!”
“Ford Center at The Star in Frisco is not only the perfect location to house the Academy of Country Music Awards, but our entire campus and The Star Entertainment District will be turned into the ultimate Country Music celebration that week, and we can’t wait to host all of the wonderful and exciting events that come with it,” said Dallas Cowboys Executive Vice President/Chief Operating Officer Stephen Jones.
“During this week in May, Frisco will become the Country Music capital of the world and welcome the Academy of Country Music,” said Mayor Jeff Cheney, City of Frisco. “Attracting this caliber of entertainment is why our city invests in public-private partnerships, which produce state-of-the-art venues like the Ford Center at The Star. Our partnership with the Dallas Cowboys continues to create amazing opportunities where all eyes focus on Frisco, benefitting our residents, businesses, and visitors.”
ACM Country Kickoff at The Star
The excitement around ACM Week in North Texas begins on Tuesday, May 9, with the ACM Country Kickoff at Tostitos Championship Plaza at The Star. The complex will host a free two-day festival for fans to get up close and personal with some of Country Music’s biggest stars and celebrate the ACM Awards’ return to North Texas. Some of today’s most exciting up-and-coming Country Music artists will perform on the main stage, including several ACM Award nominees. A beer garden presented by Coors Light will be on hand, in addition to a VIP space presented by Lucas Oil with a prime view of the stage. The ACM Country Kickoff will also feature food trucks, photo opportunities, ACM Awards show merchandise, and activations by a host of partners, including ACM Lifting Lives, Amazon Music, Ashley HomeStore, Kendra Scott, Lucchese, North Texas Ford, and Visit Frisco. The ACM Kickoff at The Star will be held from 3:00 – 10:00 p.m. CT on both Tuesday, May 9 and Wednesday, May 10. A detailed performance schedule for the performance stage, as well as a map of the full festival footprint, will be released in the coming weeks. For more information, visit ACMCountryKickoff.com.
ACM Songs & Stories Powered by The Bluebird Cafe + NSAI
The Academy will host a private industry celebration of this year’s ACM Songwriter and Artist-Songwriter of the Year nominees and the larger Country Music songwriter community on Wednesday, May 10 at the brand-new Omni PGA Frisco Resort, one week after its grand opening. The already-sold-out event will be powered by the Bluebird Cafe, one of the world’s preeminent listening rooms, and the Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI), the world’s largest nonprofit songwriters trade association.
Following brunch, some of the most celebrated artists and songwriters in Country Music will take the stage for intimate, acoustic performances of many of their biggest hits and share the stories behind their iconic songs.
Topgolf Tee-Off & Rock On presented by VGT by Aristocrat Gaming
On the eve of the 2023 ACM Awards, “Country Music’s Party of the Year” takes over Topgolf in The Colony for an unforgettable evening with some of the world’s biggest music stars. Beginning at 4:15 p.m. CT on May 10, Texas’ premier golf and entertainment destination will host a tee-off skills tournament. Then, at 7:30 p.m., VGT by Aristocrat Gaming presents an all-star concert with proceeds benefiting ACM Lifting Lives, the Academy of Country Music’s philanthropic arm. Headlined by ACM Entertainer of the Year nominee Morgan Wallen, and featuring the most-nominated artist at the 58th ACM Awards HARDY, the ACM Awards most-nominated female artist Lainey Wilson, ACM New Male Artist of the Year nominees ERNEST and Bailey Zimmerman, and DJ 13lackbeard, the show is set to begin on the golf green following the tee-off skills tournament. Both the golf tournament and concert on the golf green are sold out.
58th Academy of Country Music Awards
The world’s biggest Country Music show is set for Thursday, May 11, as legends Dolly Parton and Garth Brooks host the 58th Academy of Country Music Awards at the Ford Center at the Star in Frisco at 7 p.m. CT. Back in Texas for the first time since the record-breaking 50th anniversary celebration in 2015, “Country Music’s Party of the Year” will livestream in more than 240 countries and territories exclusively on Prime Video. Limited tickets remain available on SeatGeek, while the full rebroadcast will stream for free on Friday, May 12 on Freevee.
The ACM’s made history in 2022 as the first major awards ceremony to exclusively livestream, partnering with Prime Video. For the 2023 event, the show is again partnering with Prime Video on an exclusive global live stream.