Carolina Country Music Fest 2026 (CCMF): Myrtle Beach Guide

One of the biggest country music festivals on the East Coast is back. Carolina Country Music Fest (CCMF) 2026 runs June 4–7, 2026 in Myrtle Beach, bringing tens of thousands of fans to the Grand Strand for four days of live music, beach vibes, and Southern hospitality.

Whether you're a first-timer or a CCMF veteran, here's everything you need to know to make the most of it.

Festival Basics

Detail	Info
Dates	June 4–7, 2026
Location	Myrtle Beach, SC (Oceanfront venue)
Tickets	Available at carolinacountrymusicfest.com
Theme Nights	Check the official site for 2026 themes

Getting Tickets

Tickets sell out — if you haven't grabbed yours yet, head to the official CCMF site immediately. Single-day passes and multi-day passes are both available, and the official site also has VIP upgrade options.

Transportation Tips

CCMF weekend is one of the busiest traffic weekends of the year in Myrtle Beach. Here's how to survive it:

• Arrive early or late — traffic on US-17 and Kings Highway peaks between 3–7 PM on festival days
• Use rideshare — Uber and Lyft surge during CCMF but it beats parking headaches
• Shuttle services — Several local hotels and vendors run shuttle services to the venue; check with your accommodation
• Park-and-walk — The Myrtle Beach Convention Center area has large parking lots within walking distance

Where to Stay

Hotels along the oceanfront book up months in advance for CCMF weekend. If you haven't booked yet, look at properties in North Myrtle Beach or the Surfside Beach area — they're a short drive and typically have more availability closer to the event.

The Festival Map & App

CCMF releases an updated festival map and app each year. The 2026 map and "Eat, Drink, Play" guide are already live on the official site. Download the app before you arrive — it has the full set times, stage locations, and real-time updates.

Local Insider Tips

The boardwalk and Ocean Boulevard come alive during CCMF week even outside the festival grounds. Expect packed restaurants, street performers, and a generally electric atmosphere all along the Grand Strand.

MyrtleBeachUnlocked tip: Book dinner reservations in advance for any oceanfront restaurant during CCMF week — walk-in waits can exceed 90 minutes on Friday and Saturday nights.

*Source: Carolina Country Music Fest*of they didn't want their favorite spot getting ruined. Can't say I blame them.

Here's what the talkative ones kept naming. No rankings, no scores — just the places locals couldn't help but mention.

The name that kept coming up: Socastee Station

If there was a consensus pick, this was it. Socastee Station came up more than any other spot in the whole thread — it was simply the default answer, the place that came to mind first. Nobody named a specific dish; they didn't have to. When that many different people land on the same place unprompted, that's the headline. If you only try one place off this list, make it this one.

Local favorites

These are the names that kept surfacing again and again:

Victoria's Country Kitchen — Down on 3rd Ave S in Myrtle Beach, serving country cooking that one commenter called "the absolute best." This is meat-and-three territory, done right.

Judy Boone's — Over in Murrells Inlet. "Excellent — we are there often," said one local, which is about as strong an endorsement as it gets. Regulars don't lie"="article-image-credit">Photo: exploregrandstrandsc.com

Bistro 90 — An upscale pick that locals clearly don't think of as a tourist spot, which is exactly why it belongs here.

Bimini's Oyster Bar & Seafood Market — Oysters and seafood with a market attached. When locals want seafood without the strip-mall markup, this is where they go.