Pepsi Gulf Coast Jam Pushed to June 2022

Fans hoping to see Chris Stapleton, Brooks & Dunn and Old Dominion in Panama City Beach, Fla., next month will need to wait. The 2021 Pepsi Gulf Coast Jam has been bumped to June 2022 because of the current growth rate of COVID-19 cases in Bay County and all across America.

The new dates are June 3-5, 2022, and those who bought passes for this year can either retain them for next year or request a refund at the Gulf Coast Jam website. Information on when and how to make that request will be made available seven days from Tuesday's (Aug. 10) announcement, per the website. It's not clear how much of the lineup will change between now and then.

The 2020 version of the Gulf Coast Jam took place last June, after being delayed twice. The event typically takes place in September — 2021 was set to be the ninth time organizers have scheduled the festival, although previous versions have been canceled, as well. In 2016, Hurricane Hermine forced the cancelation.

The postponement of Gulf Coast Jam comes as other festivals are installing strict requirements for entry. Both Bonnaroo in Manchester, Tenn., and Summerfest in Milwaukee announced this week that attendees will need to either show proof of being vaccinated, or a negative COVID-19 test. Data provided by the New York Times indicates that nationwide cases of COVID-19 are at levels only topped by the peaks of Dec. 2020 and Jan. 2021. The rolling average of 7-day cases (124,000) is equal to levels seen in early February 2021. In July, the 7-day average was 20,000 cases.