MARION COUNTY, FL (352today.com) – The Marion County Board of County Commissioners voted during their regular meeting on Tuesday, June 2, 2026, to approve a grant not to exceed $49,995 to be given by the Tourist Development Council to the organizers of this summer’s upcoming Rock The Country music festival.
The funding, under the aegis of the TDC’s Room Night Generating Event Funding Program, will reimburse Peachtree Entertainment, the festival’s promoter, for eligible expenses such as hotel rooms booked for Rock the Night performers and other workers.
“The Tourist Development Council (TDC) seeks funding approval for organizations that have festivals, events, or programs which support the TDC’s mission of growing the economy and accelerating prosperity in Marion County through effective destination sales and marketing,” read the agenda item for Tuesday’s meeting. “The Room Night Generating Event Funding Program is intended to position Marion County as a must-experience destination in Florida through bringing quality events and initiatives to Marion County. The following funding contract was recommended for approval by the TDC.”
The Marion County Board of County Commissioners unanimously approved the request–minus Kathy Bryand (Dist. 2), who was out sick–without comment along with a spate of other approval requests within the meeting’s Consent Agenda, which was approved as a whole.
This will be Rock The Country’s third Marion County appearance, and second at Ocala’s Florida Horse Park; last year’s tour was awarded the same grant, for the same amount.
Rock The Country is a multi-day, multi-genre music festival positioned as a touring patriotic event that stops in smaller markets often skipped by concerts of its size. Performers expected to appear at this year’s country music-heavy Ocala stop, scheduled for Aug. 28 & 29, include Brooks & Dunn, Miranda Lambert, Blake Shelton, Jon Pardi, and Shenandoah, among others.
Co-founded and originally headlined by rapper turned southern rocker Kid Rock and mainstream country icon Jason Aldean, the 2026 edition of Rock The Country has been plagued by reports of low ticket sales, cancelled tour stops and the withdrawal of artists like Shinedown, Morgan Wade, Ludacris and others from the lineup.