16 Southern Events & Happenings: June 2026
Road trip season has arrived! These Southern happenings bring all the live music, good food, and summer fun worth planning a weekend around. Image: Facebook / Visit Bardstown
Pack a bag because weβve got your summer travel itinerary handled! Bourbon weekends, concerts, local festivals, and small-town traditions make it easy to justify hitting the road this month. Here are some of the best June events happening across the South!
June 1 β 21 & June 26 β July 24, 2026: Art In Bloom β Black Mountain, NC
Celebrating 20 years, Art in Bloom returns as the Black Mountain Center for the Artsβ signature fundraiser, blending gallery exhibits, floral installations, and local garden tours into one vibrant celebration of art and nature. The beloved event supports community arts programming while giving visitors a beautiful excuse to spend a weekend in the mountains. blackmountainarts.org
June 3 β 6, 2026: Tupelo Elvis Festival β Tupelo, MS
For one long weekend, Tupelo Elvis Festival turns this north Mississippi city (and Elvisβs birthplace) into a full-blown rock βnβ roll pilgrimage, with Elvis tribute artists, live music, and enough rhinestones to make The King proud. Visit tupeloelvisfestival.com for more information.
June 4 β 7, 2026: CMA Fest β Nashville, TN
CMA Fest takes over downtown Nashville in early June with massive stadium shows, surprise collaborations, and enough star power to justify buying a brand-new fringe jacket. This yearβs ticketed lineup brings everyone from Keith Urban and Tim McGraw to Ella Langley and Shaboozey, plus free daytime stages that turn the entire city into one big honky-tonk. cmafest.com
June 4 β 7, 2026: South Carolina Festival of Flowers β Greenwood, SC
There are flower festivals, and then thereβs the South Carolina Festival of Flowers: an explosion of giant topiaries, garden tours, outdoor concerts, wine walks, and small-town charm that turns Greenwood into a living postcard. For additional details, visit scfestivalofflowers.org.
June 5 & 6, 2026: Hank Williams Festival β Georgiana, AL
Country music gets a full-circle homecoming during the annual Hank Williams Festival, where fans gather at Hank Williams Sr.βs boyhood home for two days of live music, food vendors, and classic country storytelling. This yearβs lineup includes Joe Nichols and Easton Corbin, with tickets starting at $44.52. hankfestival.com
June 5 β 7, 2026: Blanco Lavender Festival β Blanco, TX
Texas Hill Country goes full purple haze during the annual Blanco Lavender Festival, where fields of blooming lavender set the scene for artisan markets, farm tours, culinary demos, live music, and every lavender-infused treat imaginable. blancolavenderfest.com
June 5 β 7, 2026: Taste of Charlotte β Charlotte, NC
The cityβs biggest foodie weekend, Taste of Charlotte transforms Uptown into a sprawling, six-block tasting party packed with hundreds of restaurant samples, live music, cocktails, and street performers. It feels like a greatest-hits tour of the cityβs dining scene! To see a full list of events, visit tasteofcharlotte.com.
June 6, 2026: Louisiana Peach Festival β Ruston, LA
The Louisiana Peach Festival brings Southern summer energy to downtown Ruston with a full day of live music, kidsβ activities, peach-packed treats, arts vendors, parades, rodeos, and cobbler galore. lapeachfest.com
June 11 β 14, 2026: Bonnaroo βΒ Manchester, TN
Bonnaroo returns to The Farm with its signature genre-hopping lineup. This yearβs headlining acts include The Strokes, Teddy Swims, Noah Kahan, Alabama Shakes, and many more. Make sure to pack your SPF and tie-dye! bonnaroo.com
June 12 β 14, 2026: Potomac River Festival β Colonial Beach, VA
Colonial Beachβs 75th Potomac River Festival is peak Americana with cardboard boat races, waterfront fireworks, live music, parades, and delicious crab cakes and festival food all along Virginiaβs Northern Neck. colonialbeach.org
June 14 β 21, 2026: National Bourbon Week Celebrations β Bardstown, KY
National Bourbon Week brings eight straight days of rare pours, distillery dinners, live music, cocktail events, and behind-the-scenes tastings to Kentuckyβs Bourbon Capital of the World. Consider it the ultimate Fatherβs Day getaway for the bourbon aficionado in your life. nationalbourbonweek.com
June 19 β 21 & 26 β 28, 2026: St. Augustine Music Festival β St. Augustine, FL
The St. Augustine Music Festival returns for its 20th season with six free classical performances inside the stunning Cathedral Basilica of St. Augustine, blending world-class music with one of the Southβs most beautiful concert settings. staugustinemusicfestival.org
June 24 β 27, 2026: ROMP Music Festival β Owensboro, KY
Bluegrass fans, this oneβs for you: ROMP Festival is four days of banjos, bourbon, camping, and roots music from some of the biggest names in Americana and bluegrass, including Iβm With Her, the Punch Brothers, Marty Stuart, and Ricky Skaggs. rompfest.com
June 26 β 28, 2026: AthFest Music & Arts Festival β Athens, GA
AthFest turns downtown Athens into one giant indie-rock block party, blending free outdoor concerts, club crawls, local art, and the kind of effortlessly cool college-town energy the city has built its reputation on for decades. athfest.com
June 27, 2026: Love Well 5K & Festival β Memphis, TN
The Love Well 5K & Festival proves charity runs can actually be fun, pairing a scenic Memphis race with live music, food vendors, shopping, and a genuinely feel-good mission supporting local recovery organizations. raceroster.com
June 27, 2026: Kentucky Craft Bash βΒ Louisville, KY
Kentucky Craft Bash is basically a summer camp for beer lovers, bringing together more than 50 independent breweries for unlimited pours, food trucks, live music, and plenty of small-batch discoveries along Louisvilleβs waterfront. General admission starts at $63.23. kycraftbash.com
Have a fun-filled June!
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To see more great Southern events, check out ourΒ Happenings calendar.
Anne Marie Hanna
An Ole Miss alum residing in Nashville, Anne Marie is passionate about telling the stories shaping the South. Outside of work, youβll likely find her on a porch with a coffee and a good book, gardening, listening to music, or enjoying time with friends and family.