Bash on the Bay Unveils Highly Anticipated Lineup
for Two-Day Country Music Festival
Island music fest features headliners Luke Bryan and Sam Hunt
Supporting Acts include Ashley McBryde, Russell Dickerson, and Bret Michaels
SHORES & ISLANDS OHIO (March 17, 2025) – The wait is finally over! Bash on the Bay 8, northern Ohio’s premier country music festival, is excited to announce its much-anticipated lineup for this year’s two-day event on August 13 and 14 at Put-in-Bay. Bringing together a mix of legendary country stars and rising talent, the festival promises unforgettable performances, heart-pumping excitement, and a celebration of everything music fans love, mixed with a little island magic.
614 Events Limited, owners of Bash on the Bay, are thrilled to announce that they are bringing back
multi-award-winning singer, songwriter, and television personality Luke Bryan, returning after a disappointing weather-related cancellation in 2023. Bryan will headline the show on Wednesday, August 13. He has been belting out country anthems since 2007 and has five times been named the country entertainer of the year. Known also for being a judge on American Idol, Bryan’s hits include “Crash My Party,” “Drink a Beer,” “Rain is a Good Thing,” “Country Girl (Shake it for Me),” and “Sunrise, Sunburn, Sunset,” among others.
Opening for Luke Bryan on Wednesday is Ashley McBryde. Ashley is a multi-award-winning country artist whose hits include “One Night Standards,” “Never Wanted to be That Girl,” and “Martha Divine,” among many more. Afternoon artists include Kin Faux and Alex Miller.
The Thursday, August 14 lineup features headliner Sam Hunt. Hunt has written and performed numerous number 1 songs since he burst into the country music scene. Well-known hits include “Body Like a Back Road,” “House Party,” “Break Up in a Small Town,” and “Kinfolks.”
Supporting Sam Hunt on Thursday are Russell Dickerson and Bret Michaels. Russell Dickerson is a country pop singer-songwriter known for such hits as “Yours,” “Blue Tacoma,” “Every Little Thing,” and “God Gave Me a Girl.” Bret Michaels is a mega star, with three generations of fans from both country and rock. After a summer 2022 stadium tour with his band Poison, he embarked on the two-year Parti-Gras Tour, making an appearance last summer in Sandusky at Ohio Bike Week. Now he’s bringing his big hits and legendary energy to Put-in-Bay. His smashes include “Every Rose Has Its Thorn,” “Go That Far,” and the iconic “Nothing But A Good Time.”
Joining these powerhouses are Austin Williams and Preston Cooper.
Bash on the Bay 8:
August 13 lineup: Luke Bryan, Ashley McBryde, Kin Faux, Alex Miller
August 14 lineup: Sam Hunt, Russell Dickerson, Bret Michaels, Austin Williams, Preston Cooper.
Bash on the Bay 8, owned by 614 Events, Inc., is an outdoor music festival at the Put-in-Bay Airport on South Bass Island, and will feature two full days of music. Tickets will go on sale on Friday, March 21, 2025, at 10 am through eTix.com.
Held Wednesday, August 13 and Thursday, August 14, the event regularly draws 35-40,000 people to the island over two days. Due to limited hotel availability on Put-in-Bay, it is recommended you book rooms as early as possible. Late night ferry service to the mainland is available both nights of the concert through the Jet Express and the Miller Ferry.
Hotel options and more information about Put-in-Bay can be found at VisitPutinBay.com. Extend your stay and explore the entire Shores & Islands Ohio region, home to Cedar Point Amusement Park, several water parks, historical attractions, and spectacular views – SHORESandISLANDS.com will give you plenty of ideas on how to enjoy your Bash on the Bay getaway. Get additional concert details at BashontheBay.com.
ABOUT LUKE BRYAN
During his career, Luke has amassed a total of 22.6 Billion global streams, 11.5 Million global album sales and 55.5M track sales worldwide. He is the most digital single RIAA certified country artist of all time with 96.5M digital single units and 18M album certified units for a total of 114.5M. In 2023, Luke was honored with the SoundExchange Hall of Fame Award in recognition of his standing as one of the most streamed artists in their 20-year history. Luke has garnered 31 #1 singles, 17 of those Luke co-wrote, and he’s accumulated 57 total weeks spent at #1 during his career.
Luke has hosted the ACM Awards five times and the CMA Awards four times and has won 50+ major music awards including five wins as Entertainer of the Year. Additional awards include six recognitions as a CMT Artist of the Year, NSAI Artist/Songwriter of the Year, the first-ever recipient of the ACM Album of the Decade Award for Crash My Party, seven CMT Music Awards, five Billboard Music Awards, and four American Music Awards—as well as being named Billboard’s Top Country Artist of the 2010s, the Most Heard Artist of the Decade by Country Aircheck, Artist Humanitarian Recipient by the Country Radio Broadcasters and the ACM Lifting Lives Award honor because of his devotion to improving lives through the power of music.
ABOUT ASHLEY MCBRYDE
GRAMMY, CMA and ACM award winner Ashley McBryde cut her teeth playing country songs in biker bars – and it shows. The Grand Ole Opry member’s 2018 major label debut Girl Going Nowhere (Warner Music Nashville) charmed The New York Times, NPR, Rolling Stone, Paste, The Washington Post and more, all en route to landing a GRAMMY nomination for Best Country Album. McBryde closed out 2019 with ACM New Female Artist, CMT Breakout Artist, a New Artist of the Year win at the 53rd Annual CMA Awards and two nominations for the 2020 GRAMMYs for Best Country Song and Best Country Solo Performance for “Girl Goin’ Nowhere.” Follow-up Never Will was tagged by Rolling Stone as one of the most anticipated of the year alongside NPR, who also ranked her Top 10 RIAA Platinum-Certified single “One Night Standards” as one of the best songs of 2019. The album earned McBryde a 2021 GRAMMY nomination for Best Country Album, making Never Will the only album nominated for Country Album of the Year by the ACMs, CMAs and the Recording Academy in the same award season. Her GRAMMY-winning duet with Carly Pearce, “Never Wanted To Be That Girl,” went all the way to No. 1 and earned McBryde and Pearce the ACM and CMA award for Musical Event of the Year. McBryde was honored with the 2022 CMA International Artist Achievement Award for the most significant creative growth, development and promotion of the country music industry outside of the United States. Her collaborative project Ashley McBryde Presents: Lindeville earned McBryde her third consecutive GRAMMY nomination for Best Country Album, making her a six-time nominee. Her latest album The Devil I Know was released to critical acclaim, earning a title as one of the best country albums of the year from Rolling Stone, Billboard, Slate, PASTE, Holler and more. McBryde offers poetic nostalgia with her latest release, “Ain’t Enough Cowboy Songs,” with Billboard observing, “her voice, as always, rings with an earthy authenticity and earnestness,” while Stereogum asserts “she’s one of the best we’ve got.” The Arkansas native joins Cody Johnson’s Leather Deluxe Tour through spring 2025 among festival performances at Country Thunder Arizona, Stagecoach and WE Fest. For more information, visit Ashley McBryde.com or follow her Facebook, Instagram, X, TikTok and YouTube.
ABOUT SAM HUNT
Sam Hunt is a five-time GRAMMY-nominated, Diamond-selling, award-winning hitmaker. He scored his 10th No. 1 with two-week chart-topping, Platinum-selling hit, “Outskirts,” featured on his 2024 four-track EP, LOCKED UP. LOCKED UP is the follow-up to Hunt’s sophomore album SOUTHSIDE, which debuted to critical acclaim landing at No. 1 on the Billboard Country Albums chart. Named one of the Best Albums of the Year by The New York Times and US Weekly, the Platinum-selling project features 12 songs all written by Hunt including his No. 1 hits “Kinfolks,” “Breaking Up Was Easy in the 90’s,” one of NPR’s Best Songs of 2020 “Hard To Forget,” and his three-week No. 1, Diamond-selling, GRAMMY-nominated smash, “Body Like A Back Road.”
SOUTHSIDE follows Hunt’s GRAMMY-nominated, Triple-Platinum-selling debut album, MONTEVALLO, which also topped the Billboard Country Albums chart and produced four No. 1 singles. All ten tracks on MONTEVALLO are RIAA certified with seven achieving Platinum or Multi-Platinum status including “Leave the Night On,” “House Party,” “Take Your Time,” “Break Up In A Small Town,” “Speakers,” and “Make You Miss Me.”
Called “stylistically provocative” by The New York Times and “deceptively phenomenal” by The Washington Post, Hunt has received accolades from Associated Press, Billboard, Esquire, Entertainment Weekly, Los Angeles Times, NPR, Rolling Stone, SPIN Magazine, Village Voice, The New York Times, The Washington Post and more. Since MONTEVALLO’s 2014 release, Hunt has accumulated over 15.5 billion global streams and has earned 52 million RIAA certified units.
For information on Sam Hunt, visit www.SamHunt.com.
ABOUT RUSSELL DICKERSON
Russell Dickerson is known for his electrifying performances and "unstoppable energy fans can’t get enough of” (E! News). After bursting onto the scene, the Tennessee native quickly stood out from the pack as he released four consecutive career-starting singles that reached No. One on the Billboard Country Airplay chart. Since then, Dickerson has earned platinum or better status on singles including “Yours" (3X Platinum), "Blue Tacoma” (2X Platinum), "Every Little Thing" (Platinum), "Love You Like I Used To" (Platinum), and “She Likes It” ft. Jake Scott (2X Platinum). Just last year, he clocked his fifth No. One with “God Gave Me A Girl.” This year, he released "Good Day To Have A Great Day,” followed by his latest single “Bones,” which was the biggest radio debut of his career. For more information, visit www.russelldickerson.com.
ABOUT BRET MICHAELS
With over three generations of fans, Bret Michaels is revered as a megastar in the entertainment industry. One of music’s most iconic singer/songwriters, Michaels has sold over 100 million records, digital downloads and streams worldwide and had numerous hit singles including Every Rose Has Its Thorn, Go That Far and Nothing But A Good Time. His record-breaking television shows include Rock of Love with Bret Michaels, Life As I know It, and the Travel Channel’s Bret Michaels ’Rock My RV as well as the audience fan-favorite Banana in the Fox hit show The Masked Singer. In addition to his music and television successes, Michaels is well-known as a creative entrepreneur. After winning The Celebrity Apprentice, Michaels went on to create the only product to have lived on past the show - his famous Snapple Trop-A-Rocka Iced Tea. Michaels, a lifelong diabetic and the son of a veteran, has always made giving back a priority throughout his career. Having been twice named Humanitarian of the Year by the world-famous Hollywood Christmas Parade, the musician’s Life Rocks Foundation continues to provide support to a myriad of charities and causes around the globe. Find all the latest tour dates, news and more, visit www.BretMichaels.com or on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and TikTok.
ABOUT PUT-IN-BAY
Since the early days of steamship travel Put-in-Bay has been a top Lake Erie destination. A year-round community and summer resort, Put-in-Bay is located in Ohio on South Bass Island in the western basin of Lake Erie. It is a welcoming, family-friendly place that is one of the most visited vacation spots on the Great Lakes. Ferry boats transport people to the island where most tour by golf cart or bicycle. The main village area is also easily travelled on foot. Visitors will find an abundance of family attractions, restaurants, pubs, nature areas, history, shopping and more. The island is also home to Perry’s Victory and International Peace Memorial, a National Park Service site that commemorates the U.S. victory over the British fleet in the War of 1812 and the lasting peace between our countries since. A 352-foot-tall column with an observation deck is open to the public during the summer.
More information at VisitPutinBay.com
ABOUT SHORES & ISLANDS OHIO
Shores & Islands Ohio is the Midwest’s favorite getaway. This coastal destination boasts 152 miles of Lake Erie shoreline, the best fishing on the Great Lakes, welcoming communities, rich history, a wine trail, and an abundance of family-friendly attractions. World-famous Cedar Point Amusement Park calls it home, along with Kalahari Resorts & Conventions, other indoor and outdoor water parks, animal parks, sports venues, and more. Visitors enjoy ferries and cruises to Put-in-Bay, Middle Bass, and Kelleys Island. One of the country’s best areas for spring and fall bird migration, the area is overflowing with natural beauty and opportunities for outdoor recreation.
More at SHORESandISLANDS.com
