ACM Award Nominees MacKenzie Porter, Dylan Scott, Caitlyn Smith,
Nate Smith, and Hailey Whitters to Perform Live
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 announced today the lineup for the ACM Country Kickoff at The Star, including numerous ACM Award nominees. Artists performing live include ACM New Male Artist of the Year nominees Dylan Scott and Nate Smith; ACM New Female Artist of the Year nominees Caitlyn Smith and Hailey Whitters; ACM Music Event of the Year nominee MacKenzie Porter; as well as exciting up-and-coming artists Chayce Beckham, Chapel Hart, Hannah Ellis, Tiera Kennedy, Corey Kent, Randall King, Erin Kinsey, Chase Matthew, Neon Union, Catie Offerman, Frank Ray, Josh Ross, and MaRynn Taylor. There will also be special performances on Tuesday night starting at 8:00 p.m. CT for Live From the ACMs: ACM New Artist Winners Celebration, where the New Female and Male Artist of the Year winners for the 58th ACM Awards will be revealed and celebrated. Country Heat Weekly Podcast hosts Kelly Sutton and Amber Anderson will kick off that celebration show, which will air live on the Amazon Music channel on Twitch.
The ACM Country Kickoff at The Star is a free, open-to-the-public, two-day festival for fans to get up close and personal with some of their favorite Country Music acts and celebrate the ACM Awards’ return to North Texas. 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. For more information, visit ACMCountryKickoff.com.
It all leads up to the 58th ACM Awards, co-hosted by global superstars Dolly Parton and Garth Brooks, which will take place at 7 p.m. CT on Thursday, May 11 at Ford Center at The Star and will be free to stream live for a global audience across 240+ countries and territories exclusively on Prime Video and the Amazon Music channel on Twitch. The full rebroadcast will stream the next day for free on Amazon Freevee. 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, 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 have just been released and are available through SeatGeek.
In addition to the events throughout the week of the ACM Awards, Dolly Parton will have an exclusive, limited-run pop-up store, Dolly! All Access, during ACM Awards Week (May 9-14, 2023) at The Star in Frisco, Texas. For the first time, global superstar Dolly Parton is bringing her brand partners together for a custom, curated shopping experience. Parton joins Garth Brooks as they host the 58th Academy of Country Music Awards streaming around the world LIVE on Prime Video May 11th at 7pm CT from The Ford Center in Frisco, TX.
Dolly! All Access will feature the following partners & products:
- Dolly Parton Rockstar album pre-order opportunity featuring red carpet step & repeat entry, never-before-seen photos from the Rockstar album photoshoot, exclusive merchandise, and custom display items from the shoot
- Dolly Parton Behind The Seams: My Life In Rhinestones (Ten Speed Press/Penguin Random House) book pre-order opportunity, photo experience & costume exhibit
- Dolly: Scent From Above, Dolly: Smoky Mountain and Dolly’s Front Porch Collection portfolio of fragrances by Scent Beauty, with debut of new commercial running in-store and fragrance testing opportunities
- Doggy Parton dog clothes, toys & accessories by SportPet and Dolly Parton’s Billy The Kid Makes It Big (Penguin Random House) children’s book
- American Greetings Dolly Parton SmashUp virtual card experience & free limited-window subscription
- Duncan Hines spotlights its Dolly Parton Baking Collection of cakes, cornbread, muffins & brownies
- A live DJ spinning all-Dolly, all-the-time courtesy of Vinyl Me, Please as their first-ever artist specific album of the month program Vinyl Me, Parton launches with subscription opportunities
- Dolly Parton Funko Pop! Rocks dolls
- Celebrate With Dolly, by Creative Converting, premieres their line of Dolly-inspired and Dolly-branded eco-friendly disposable party supplies
- Dolly Parton classic merchandise
The address for Dolly! All Access is 3620 The Star Boulevard, Suite 1205, Frisco, Texas 75034. The operating dates and hours are as follows:
- Tuesday, May 9: 3pm-10pm CT
- Wednesday, May 10: 3pm-10pm CT
- Thursday, May 11: 3pm-10pm CT
- Friday, May 12: 12pm-8pm CT
- Saturday, May 13: 12pm-8pm CT
- Sunday, May 14: 12pm-6pm CT
Dolly Parton merchandise will also be available during ACM Awards Week on Tuesday May 9th and Wednesday, May 10th via a merchandise trailer on The Star complex and on Thursday, May 11th inside The Ford Center during the 58th Academy of Country Music Awards.