Country Fan Fests Going Cruising

The Marshall Tucker Band participates in Q&A with fans aboard the Southern Rock Cruise in 2018. (Photo by Don Grubbs)

When the decline of CD sales forced artists to re-evaluate their business structure more than a decade ago, many doubled down on touring as the surest way to stabilize cash flow. That, combined with America’s deepening love of music festivals, sparked a new cross-genre trend — music festivals at sea.

"Music festivals have experienced such amazing growth in the U.S.," said Anthony Diaz, chief executive officer of Sixthman, a company that specializes in themed cruise experiences. "If people open their mind to the idea of a music festival at sea, it’s just a far more comfortable way to experience music.”

According to The Tennessean, companies including StarVista Live and Sixthman built their businesses on the concept of creating luxury, intimate festival experiences aboard cruise ships. Depending on the cruise company, there are genre-centric, themed multi-artist festivals, including the Country Music Cruise, the Flower Power Cruise, the Southern Rock Cruise, the Malt Shop Memories Cruise and the Soul Train Cruise, which are among those presented by StarVista. Sixthman often builds its themed vacations around personalities, with offerings including cruises with Kesha, Brantley Gilbert, Melissa Etheridge and 311.

The cruising experience varies by theme. StarVista’s Country Music Cruise is described as a floating Fan Fair — with nicer bathrooms, better food and seriously upgraded accommodations. Country music’s beloved Fan Fair moved from Nashville’s fairgrounds to downtown in 2001 and started its transition to CMA Music Festival. Over time, the festival shifted its focus from its famous autograph sessions to a more performance-driven event. Fans mourned the loss of the personal artist interaction they had come to treasure. Now that artist-fan connection can be found on the Country Music Cruise, which is packed with performances and interactive events with classic and traditional country singers.

"You’re running into the artists at the gym and buffet lines and all that stuff that is going to break the wall down between the artists and the guests,” said Mike Jason, a senior vice president at StarVista LIVE/Time Life. “It’s very different from a normal cruise that’s kind of leisurely, a slower pace. This is filled with activities. You wouldn’t want to go on the cruise if you didn’t like the music.”

Country cruises

StarVista’s Country Music Cruise sails Jan. 27- Feb. 3. Remaining cabins start at $2,499.
StarVista’s Southern Rock Cruise sails Jan. 6-12. Remaining cabins start at $1,449.

For more information on StarVista's themed cruises, visit countrymusiccruise.com or call 866-476-2879.

For more information on Sixthman's cruises, including the Kiss Kruise and Kesha's Weird and Wonderful Rainbow Ride, visit www.sixthman.net or call 877-749-8462.