City of Huntsville provides update on South Star music festival

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) — The City of Huntsville held a news conference on Wednesday to provide updates on preparations for the South Star music festival.

The initial plans for South Star were announced in October of 2023, when the Huntsville City Council voted unanimously to allow Mayor Tommy Battle to enter into a three-year partnership agreement with C3 Presents LLC to produce a music festival.

City Administrator John Hamilton said the mayor’s team had been making an effort to go after the music industry in Huntsville.

He described South Star as “a very significant event for our community, for our entire region, but most importantly those that are traveling into Huntsville for this.”

Hamilton added that, while the intention isn’t to replace the now defunct Big Spring Jam, the festival brings a landscape for high profile artists to perform.

However, some News 19 viewers have shared their concerns about parking and traffic leading up to the event. Captain Steve Anderson with Huntsville Police Department said they are working to navigate the traffic situation for the festival.

Anderson said there are several options for those wanting to park at the festival. Pre-paid parking, offered by C3, will be located on the north end of John Hunt Park at Joe Davis Stadium. Public parking will be offered at Milton Frank Stadium on the south end of the park.

Hamilton mentioned that those attending the festival should be aware that John Hunt is surrounded by private property, and it is within the property owners’ rights to charge festivalgoers to park on their property.

John Autry, the Huntsville transit manager, said buses will be running both days until about midnight. They will be making pick-ups and drop-offs at two locations: the Hardees bus stop on the eastbound side of Drake Avenue and the Academy Sports bus stop on the westbound side of Drake Avenue.

The two-day festival on September 28 and 29 will be unlike any other music event in Huntsville. Hamilton said he feels like there has been a lot of positive feedback as far as the excitement level for the festival goes.

Hamilton also mentioned that while C3 will be adding temporary infrastructure to accommodate the festival, the ever-growing John Hunt Park provides festival planners with a good starting place.

“Every single year, John Hunt looks a little bit different than the year before as we continue to add venues and infrastructure…,” Hamilton said.

The Director of Urban and Economic Development Shane Davis said that the initial contract with C3 slated the festival for 2025. He said that the scale of the festival is something North Alabama has never seen before.

Officials say that they will average between 20,000 and 22,000 people per day for the event.

South Star Music Festival will take place at the John Hunt Park Festival Grounds on September 28 and 29.

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