30,000 attend first day of sold-out Two Step Inn country music festival
GEORGETOWN, Texas (KXAN) — The first-ever Two Step Inn music festival brought in a sold-out crowd of 30,000 on its inaugural day Saturday. Attendees braved summer-like heat to listen to country crooners of past and present like Tanya Tucker and Tyler Childers.
The festival's gates opened Saturday morning after months of preparation by event organizers.
Festival attendees with lawn chairs, blankets, and wristbands in hand lined up to check in to one of the largest music festivals ever hosted in Georgetown.
Georgetown native Johnny Gantt said he was stunned when the festival's rhinestone-studded lineup was announced last year. As he entered the festival grounds, he said it was as if his hometown was transformed overnight.
"It's totally a different town, I think than what I grew up in. I mean, you can see the changes starting and all that but now - it's exploding," Gantt said.
City of Georgetown Parks and Recreation Executive Director Kimberley Garrett said her department began collecting data from neighbors close to host site San Gabriel Park back in January.
She said teams learned what those neighbors' biggest concerns were ahead of the event. Those being traffic and parking bleeding over into their neighborhoods.
In preparation for Two Step Inn, there were some road closures to mitigate traffic and signs in residential neighborhoods that forbode attendee parking.
"I'm excited. I'm a little tired. It's been a long leg the last couple of weeks. But I'm excited and so proud to be hosting this festival in Georgetown," Garrett said.
The festival continues Sunday, April 16 at San Gabriel Park.