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Country 2 Country Rotterdam and Berlin: A Testament to Country Music's Growing Global Reach
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January 1st 2025
The Country 2 Country (C2C) festival has become a cornerstone for the UK and European country music scene, showcasing the genre's evolution from a niche interest into a mainstream sensation. Since its 2013 inception in London, C2C has grown into an international celebration of country music, drawing some of the genre’s biggest artists as well as showcasing emerging talents and future headliners. This growth has continued to take even bigger leaps with the festival expanding its European leg to include Rotterdam’s Ahoy Arena and Berlin’s Uber Eats Music Hall for the fourth edition this year, reflecting the country's burgeoning popularity across the continent. Lainey Wilson hit the nail on the head: ‘Country’s Cool Again.’ Though, we respectfully disagree with that statement; country was always cool: it just took some people a little longer to catch up.
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Notable names for the 2024 iteration of the festival included headliners Brad Paisley and Old Dominion alongside emerging superstars like Alana Springsteen, Alexandra Kay, Drake Milligan and Jackson Dean to name just a few.
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Big Names, Big Talent: The Rotterdam / Berlin 2025 Lineup
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The 2025 C2C festival lineup continues to impress, boasting a roster that reflects the incredible diversity and depth of modern country music. This year’s Rotterdam headliners will be reigning CMA Entertainer of the Year, Lainey Wilson on Saturday, March 8th and Texas-born trio, Midland, will close out the festival the next night (with each playing the alternate night in Berlin). Berlin will also feature a third day of music, opening on Friday, March 6th with Dylan Gossett headlining.
But C2C has never just been about the regularly headlining artists — it’s also a vital platform for rising talent. Artists like chart-topping sensation Nate Smith, whose songs ‘World on Fire’ and ‘Whiskey on You’ became global hits. Sophia Scott is also set to captivate audiences with her raw authenticity and undeniable charisma. Scott, who last month sold out her very first headlining show in London, has steadily built a loyal fanbase with her blend of country, pop, and soul influences. Dasha, Shaboozey, Tucker Wetmore, 49 Winchester, The Castellows and Wyatt Flores are just a few of the other insanely talented artists on the lineup that have had an incredible 2024 and will be bringing all that energy and talent to Rotterdam and Berlin this March.
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The Bluebird Cafe: Across the Pond
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The Bluebird Café, renowned for its intimate acoustic performances, has become a cherished feature of Country to Country (C2C) Festival. I had the immense pleasure of attending the beautiful Passionskirche venue in Berlin last year to see an incredible and intimate writers round featuring Alana Springsteen, Rita Wilson and Stephen Wilson Jr before heading to Rotterdam.
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This year, Berlin will open their festival on Thursday, March 6th with The Bluebird Cafe at Passionskirche with a round featuring Dasha, Isaac Gibson and Max McNown,
The Bluebird Cafe show will also be launching in Rotterdam for 2025, which is not only incredibly exciting, but another indicator of how strong the demand for country music has become across Europe. While the lineup is yet to be announced for the Sunday, March 9th show at the Oude Luxor Theater, tickets will be on sale from Thursday, January 9th.
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Country Music's European Moment
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The decision to expand C2C to Rotterdam and Berlin has been a natural progression for a genre that has seen a rapid and consistent growth across Europe. Countries like the Netherlands and Germany have developed thriving country music communities, fueled by streaming platforms, radio stations, and local festivals that bring the Nashville sound closer to home. This European leg of C2C is a testament to the festival's role as a cultural bridge; by bringing country music's biggest stars across the pond, C2C is not only satisfying the growing demand from European fans to see their favourite artists up close, but also introducing international artists to an extremely passionate, loyal and dedicated fanbase.
