Watershed Festival Taking a Break This Year

After more than a decade, Watershed Festival, one of the biggest country music events, won’t be happening in 2026. Taking place at The Gorge Amphitheatre in George, Washington, the usual three-day event will take a hiatus this year, after 13 years, joining the likes of other music festivals that announced their cancellation this year.  

Announced on social media, the organizers issued a statement: “After 13 incredible years of country music and community at The Gorge, we wanted to be the first to let you know that Watershed will be taking a hiatus in 2026. Any future plans will be announced accordingly. #SheddersForLife”  

For 13 years, rising country music artists and iconic legends stepped on the festival stage to perform, including Ashley Cooke, Bailey Zimmerman, Dierks Bentley, Jason Aldean, Kane Brown, Luke Brown, Miranda Lambert, Old Dominion, and more.  

Aside from the Watershed Festival, Country Jam Colorado also announced a pause this year to “re-evaluate and plan for the future.”  

Several other major country festivals have also scaled back or canceled plans in recent years. Faster Horses Festival announced last year that it would be taking time off, sharing in a statement, “We are taking the year to make plans for a bigger and better Faster Horses for our fans who deserve the absolute best.” As of now, the festival has not yet announced a return date.  

Elsewhere, the Iron Hills Country Music Festival was canceled even before it launched because of “rising costs and lower-than-expected ticket sales.” Meanwhile, the Field & Stream Music Fest, originally slated to debut in 2024, was also called off due to circumstances beyond the organizers’ control, according to Country Now.