Buckle Up Festival to Feature Willie Nelson, Alabama and More, 7/18-20

Thousands of country music fans are expected to gather in Cincinnati to see more than 80 country, bluegrass and Americana artists perform at the inaugural Buckle Up Festival, July 18-20.

What promises to be the city's largest-ever country music festival will feature some of the industry's best known performers along with emerging artists. The Friday lineup includes Sturgill Simpson, Eli Young Band, Marty Stuart, Alabama and many more. The Saturday lineup features Emmylou Harris, The Lone Bellow, Drive-By Truckers, Natalie Stovall and the Drive, Old Crow Medicine Show, Willie Nelson and others. On Sunday, performers will include The Band Perry, Logan Brill, Thompson Square, Sam Hunt and more.

Also performing will be several local and regional artists with national followings: Bobby Mackey, The Tillers, Kentucky Timbre, Pistol Holler, the Dan Varner Band, Jetset Getset and more. Jetset Getset, a teenage band from near nearby Indiana, was named by the Country Music Association among "Who New to Watch" in 2013, and has been steadily gaining new fans since the release of their album "Saturday Night" (Playback Records).

"It's an honor to be performing at the Buckle-Up Festival," said Kelli Jette, manager of Jetset Getset. "Country music has always been huge around Cincinnati, and a lot of major country artists come through here on tour, but it's nice to see an event that brings so much talent together in the same place, at the same time."

The Buckle Up Festival is produced by Nederlander Entertainment, which was responsible for Cincinnati's recent Bunbury Music Festival, a rock music festival that attracted an estimated 50,000 music fans.

The Buckle Up Festival will take place Friday-Sunday, July 18-20, from 1:00-10:30 p.m. at Sawyer Point along the banks of the Ohio River in downtown Cincinnati. Ticket prices range from $69 for a regular one-day pass to $325 for a three-day VIP pass. For details, visit www.buckleupfestival.com.