Country Thunder Florida Canceled: Festival Featured Luke Combs, Jon Pardi, and More

Wanting to share their love for country music, Luke Combs, Bailey Zimmerman, and Jon Pardi prepared to head to Florida for the Country Thunder Florida festival. Looking to take over Heritage Park in Kissimmee, Florida, the festival was originally scheduled to take place from October 18-20. But after the devastation left when Hurrincan Milton ripped through the state, the festival decided to cancel, leaving some fans heartbroken.

With countless people still without power, Florida continues to assess the damage left by Hurricane Milton. For some families, they watched as the hurricane destroyed their homes. While communities gather together to rebuild, Country Thunder Florida decided to cancel the festival due to safety concerns.

Releasing a statement on Instagram, the festival wrote, “We have worked closely alongside Osceola County Emergency Management and Osceola Heritage Park to assess the venue. It has been determined that we are unable to safely hold this year’s Country Thunder and must inform everyone that this year’s event has been regrettably canceled due to factors outside of our control.”

Although heartbroken having to cancel the festival, Country Thunder Florida added, “We sincerely wish the best to the people of Florida as they begin the process to clean up and repair their lives after the destruction caused by Hurricane Milton, and especially our CT Nation fans who have been so supportive of our festival over the years.”

[RELATED: Luke Combs, Eric Church, Billy Strings, and James Taylor to Headline Benefit Concert for Relief Efforts in North Carolina]

Some Fans Unhappy About Country Thunder Florida Canceling

Gaining thousands of likes, fans thanked the festival for putting their safety first. “As much as it sucks, I appreciate you taking my safety into consideration Country Thunder!!! Looking forward to Country thunder next year!”

Not every fan was so understanding though as many looked forward to attending the festival and forgetting about the devastation for a few hours. “A lot of us here in fl actually were looking forward to this to provide some positivity after what’s been a challenging few weeks. It is a week and a half away. canceling seems a bit excessive and ridiculous. Unreal.”

While receiving both backlash and praise, Country Thunder will travel to Arizona for its next festival kicking off on April 10, 2025. Country Thunder Florida also announced they would reach out to ticket holders with instructions on how to get a refund.

(Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images for the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum)