Thousands of country fans packed into Cal Expo on Friday for Country In The Park's sold-out opening night, sweating through rising temperatures to catch headliner Jon Pardi and a stacked undercard. Organizers said the two-day festival was expected to pull in nearly 50,000 people, and the fairgrounds turned into a mini city of food trucks, vendor booths and spur-of-the-moment line-dance circles. Long lines formed for the mechanical-bull rides and cooling stations, while others made a straight shot to the festival's suntan-lotion bar. "I'd rather have this weather than rain," one fan said as the sun hammered the Michelob Ultra Grandstand.
On-air hosts Joe Maumee and Big Mic from KNCI leaned into the heat, reminding the crowd to pile on sunscreen, drink water and take advantage of the festival rule that lets each ticket-holder bring in two sealed water bottles, festival organizers told ABC10. The Country In The Park website lays out cooling zones, a dedicated "Suntan Lotion Bar" and more than 30 food trucks among the on-site perks, and the festival's information page confirmed those extra heat-day resources for attendees, according to Country In The Park. Organizers still described the warm, dry conditions as "perfect" for live music even as the mercury climbed.
In the run-up to the weekend, local partners said tickets were moving fast, with some passes gone well before the gates opened, as KCRA reported. Cal Expo's event listing shows the festival taking over the Michelob Ultra Grandstand at 1600 Exposition Boulevard, with gates swinging open in the early afternoon both days, according to Cal Expo. Organizers and local coverage pegged overall turnout in the tens of thousands across the two-day run.
Lineup And On-Site Highlights
Friday's bill stacked Jon Pardi on top of a lineup that included Turnpike Troubadours, Dylan Scott and Shane Profitt, while Miranda Lambert and Chris Young were set to close out the action on Saturday. The full festival lineup and schedule are posted on the official site, per Country In The Park. Miranda Lambert's own tour plans also list the Sacramento stop on her schedule, according to Miranda Lambert. Between sets, fans drifted between stages, took turns on the mechanical bulls and hunted for shade in the vendor areas to cool off.
Cal Expo and festival organizers reminded guests to stick to venue rules, including the clear-bag policy, and to use only official ticketing channels if any problems cropped up with entry, according to the venue's event information. Details on parking, entrance times and the festival's Etix ticket retrieval link are laid out on the event listing for anyone who needs help at the gate, per Cal Expo. On-site staff and local radio hosts urged concertgoers to flag down first aid or festival personnel if the midday heat started to feel like too much.
