Opry Entertainment Group (OEG), a division of Ryman Hospitality Properties, has acquired a majority stake in Southern Entertainment, a live events, hospitality and production company headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Southern Entertainment’s portfolio includes several owned or promoted festivals, such as the Carolina Country Music Fest, Barefoot Country Music Fest, Lovin’ Life Music Fest, Greenville Country Music Fest, and the upcoming Field & Stream Outdoor Music Fest, set to debut in 2025.
“In just 10 years, the Southern Entertainment team has grown their business into one of the strongest independent festival businesses in the United States,” shares Patrick Moore, OEG CEO. “With this investment, we are entering a dynamic and growing sector of the events business with seasoned operators who share our passion for creating unforgettable experiences for artists and fans. This investment will allow us to expand our reach to a large and loyal fan base that is complementary to our current audience.”
Bob Durkin and Rob Pedlow, who co-founded Southern Entertainment in 2015, will remain at the helm of the company.
“Joining forces with OEG will add immediate value to our existing events and allow us to accelerate our plans to bring festivals to new markets,” add Durkin and Pedlow. “We are confident our fans, the artists who play our stages and the cities where we operate will benefit from our alliance with such an iconic name in country music.”
Southern Entertainment will incorporate OEG’s artist development initiatives into its country music festivals, which have featured numerous Opry members and Opry NextStage artists in recent years. The two teams also plan to create additional artist-focused experiences in the coming years.
“We view festivals as a tremendous opportunity to deepen our commitment to artists at all phases of their careers,” Moore continues. “And we especially look forward to joining forces with Southern Entertainment to bring even more of the up-and-coming artists who play our stages to their large-scale events.”
