The Voices of America Country Music Festival will move to the Butler County Fairgrounds, officials announced in a press conference on Aug. 28
The Voices of America Country Music Festival took place every August since 2023 at West Chester's Voice of America MetroPark.
West Chester officials announced July 30it would not bring the festival back to the township after 2026. Later, officials said the event's organizers, Further Festivals LLC, failed to pay its bills on time, missed public safety planning deadlines and breached their license agreement with the township.
Records obtained by The Enquirer showed that organizers clashed with West Chester and Butler County officials for months leading up to this year's event, which took place Aug. 6-9. West Chester threatened
to take legal action and cancel the festival entirely this year over almost $20,000 in missed payments. Organizers were also almost two months late to pay a $168,500 for the township's public safety resources.
The records also showed organizers were late to pay MetroParks of Butler County over $56,000 over two years, which caused the Butler County Prosecutor's Office to also threaten legal action in September 2025.
Township officials also said the festival had "detrimental impacts" on surrounding businesses, citing declining hotel occupancy during the festival. Data included in the records showed businesses at the nearby shopping center, the Voice of America Center, saw fewer visitors during the 2023 and 2024 festival weekends.
In an Aug. 21 statement, township officials also said Further Festivals failed to repair the park property "wholly and in a timely manner." The Enquirer visited the festival grounds six days after the last day of performances and saw parts of grounds flooded, covered in mud, trash and debris.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Voices of America country music fest announces new location
