City of Huntsville announces lineup for ‘Music Month,’ shares new South Star Music Festival details

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. ( WHNT ) — “Music Month” is back for a third year in Huntsville, and it’s sure to be a month no one will forget.

In addition to a new large-scale music festival, plenty of free concerts and events are scheduled through September.

On Tuesday, Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle and Music Officer Matt Mandrella announced the lineup of events for Music Month, which runs from August 31 through September 29.

“120 live music events in one month here in Huntsville,” Mandrella said. “It’s pretty awesome, right?”

Mandrella told News 19 that there will be no shortage of musical events.

Music Month starts August 31st with the VBC 5K Music Run at 8:00 a.m. in Downtown Huntsville. The 5K run celebrates the VBC’s 50th anniversary with live music and entertainment.

Another highlight of Music Month is the return of Jazz in the Park. The first concert will be on Sunday, September 1, with concerts also scheduled for the 2, 8, 15 and 22 in Big Spring Park East.

Music lovers can catch the Launchpad Music Festival at Big Spring Park East from September 6 through 8, the following weekend.

Other Music Month event highlights include the Summer Concert Series at Ditto Landing, Women in Music Week, the Rocket City Ramble at AMERICANAFEST, 805 after Five and so much more.

“The foundation of why we established Huntsville Music Month is to put a big spotlight on the talent that we have here,” Mandrella said about all of the events showcasing local artists.

Another major highlight of Music Month is the inaugural South Star Music Festival at John Hunt Park.

The two-day festival will bring major artists and bands, with Blink-182 and Gwen Stefani headlining.

Mandrella said he expects to see a big crowd on both days of the festival. He says they are expecting between 25,000 to 30,000 people at the park.

“We’re making a lot of improvements to the park as we speak,” Mandrella said. “We are 100% confident we’ll be ready to go and that people are going to have an amazing world-class festival experience.”

Mandrella said it’s an “all hands on deck” effort among the different City of Huntsville departments, including police and fire, to ensure a smooth event.

“All signs are pointing to a successful event that’s well-attended and a huge party,” Mandrella told News 19.

Both the City of Huntsville and Mandrella say they hope Music Month helps make it clear that Huntsville is on its way to becoming a music city.

“At the end of the day, music is a huge quality of life initiative in terms of like the more dynamic a music scene a city has. It’s just a cooler place to live and a more exciting place to live and also it’s a huge economic engine with the tourism it brings in,” Mandrella said.

You can read the full lineup of Music Month events by clicking here .

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