If you want to know how big Rock the South has become in just five short years, look no further than the main stage.

With the festival growing by thousands of attendees each year, organizers have now booked a stage that’s used at some of the largest festivals in the nation — and actually made its way to Cullman after the conclusion of last month’s Hangout Music Festival in Gulf Shores.

“We actually had to knock the sand off it once it got here, which was pretty cool,” Rock the South co-founder Shane Quick laughed.

As Rock the South kicks off once again today, the annual country concert is reaching a point where its mentioned in the same breath as events that were once a whole lot bigger —and have been around a whole lot longer — than Cullman’s up-start music festival.

Organizers are projecting around 22,000 attendees per day at the 2016 edition of Rock the South, up from approximately 18,000-19,000 per day last year. Presale tickets are moving faster than any previous year. Quick noted the festival has now attracted attendees from all 50 states, which can be tracked by looking at ticket purchase data. The growth has also brought a fair amount of buzz, and Quick said the home grown event is garnering its fair share of regional and national media attention.

“We already have people like Rolling Stone, CMT, and Southern Living talking about the festival, “ he said. “A lot of people have Rock the South on their top-five lists to attend this year. I think people are just blown away by the way its laid out. A lot of festivals are held on dirt surfaces, and there’s not a lot of thought into making it a comfortable environment. We try to think through every detail, so people feel they’re coming to a real country festival, and make it feel like home.”

Making it work for the long haul

On that note, Quick said they’ve doubled the size of the misting forest (designed to provide some relief from the heat), and added a massive, midfield LED screen to ensure even attendees in the back of the park can still have a good view of the action. As for the small touches, he added they’re stringing up Edison-style bulbs all over the park to provide light in the evenings, in an effort to give it that vintage touch. A few popular additions from previous years, such as the pool, will also return.

“I think fans will see a festival that has learned a lot over the past five years, and one that’s grown tremendously,” he said. “We have more vendors than ever this year, and we still have a few more surprises up our sleeve.”

Though Rock the South seems to be bursting at the seams of Heritage Park in downtown every year, Quick said they’ve been working closely with the city and parks department to ensure it doesn’t outgrow the city park anytime soon. With the festival now in the fourth year of a five-year deal with the city, Quick said he believes the festival will remain here for years to come.

“I believe Rock the South can stay in the City of Cullman until its not supposed to happen anymore. I think it can live here for the life of the festival. I do believe we can keep growing this festival right here in Cullman at this park. [Parks director] Nathan Anderson and his team are simply amazing,” he said. “We’d love to re-sign with the city. We’re seeing hundreds of thousands of dollars of economic impact and tax revenue brought back into the city, feel it’s an economic incentive, not even including the million dollar marketing package to promote the city and the area.”

Giving back

Though Rock the South has come a long way since its 2012 launch, Quick said he doesn’t want to forget the fact that it was birthed in the wake of the April 2011 tornadoes that devastated the south. To that end, the Hanceville native said the festival has always included a fundraising component for local charities, and this year’s event is looking to support The Link of Cullman County, the new handicap-accessible city park, Childhaven and Cullman Caring For Kids.

“Rock the South started because people helped people, and there’s people out there who help people every day. We love to find those people, who are working to improve the quality of life here for everyone,” he said. “It feels good to do this in your hometown, and there’s no question the city, from the officials to the residents, have supported us in such a way that it’s allowed us to go out and advertise this thing around the nation. You have to own home first, and if you can’t own home, you can’t own any other part of the nation. The hospitality blows people away every year, and they know they’re coming to a safe city, a nice city and a family-based city.”

* Trent Moore may be contacted at 256-734-2131, ext. 134.