More than 100,000 country music fans packed Voice of America MetroPark in West Chester Township Aug. 6-9. It was the VOA Country Music Festival's final run at the park before the township ended its agreement with organizers.

Brad Paisley, Rascal Flatts, Blake Shelton and Jordan Davis headlined the four nights. Attendee Luke Herrington, a Lakota East High School student, said crowds were packed shoulder to shoulder for the bigger acts, Spark reported.

Storms on Aug. 7 turned the grounds muddy. Fans ducked under tents as large puddles formed across the venue. Food vendor Emily Clayton said organizers spread mulch to manage the mess. Despite the weather, Clayton called the weekend a draw for all ages.

"It was amazing to see people from all walks of life, from teenagers up to an older crowd too," Clayton told Spark.

Why the festival left

West Chester Township notified Further Festivals in June that it would not renew the license agreement for the more than 430-acre park. Township Director of Public Information and Engagement Brianna Wooten told WVXU the event had outgrown the site.

The township later laid out sharper complaints. In an Aug. 21 statement reported by WCPO, officials alleged Further Festivals was late paying public-safety costs for the 2024 and 2025 events, forcing the township to hire legal counsel to collect. A March 19 breach notice from the township's law director demanded payment of an outstanding $19,274.21 balance from 2025.

The township said in an Aug. 21 statement that the festival created financial risk by missing payments, failing to meet contractual obligations and failing to restore public property in a timely manner.

Under the final 2026 agreement, Further Festivals covered the first $200,000 in public-safety costs and any amount above $275,000, with its total obligation capped at $247,002.10, WCPO reported. The township also received a $200,000 state grant in March to reimburse public-safety expenses from the 2025 event.

Hotel occupancy data reviewed by WCPO showed rooms across the West Chester, Liberty Township and Fairfield area filled at roughly 65-66% during the 2026 festival week. Each day ran more than 18 percentage points below the same period in 2025.

What comes next

Festival founder Tyler Wogenstahl announced Aug. 28 that the event will move to the Butler County Fairgrounds in Hamilton for 2027. He told WCPO organizers want to build the festival in Butler County for the next decade.

Wogenstahl said the privately financed festival has cost organizers $24 million over four years. The new venue will allow on-site camping for the first time and offer more space, according to organizers.

The festival debuted at VOA MetroPark in 2023, drawing about 80,000 fans. Past headliners included Megan Moroney, Jason Aldean and Carrie Underwood.

Upcoming

The fifth annual VOA Country Music Festival is scheduled for Aug. 5-7, 2027, at the Butler County Fairgrounds in Hamilton.