This fall, the hallowed grounds of Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark in downtown Birmingham, Alabama will host the 1st annual Iron Hills Country Music Festival. The weekend of October 11th & 12th 2025, rising country stars and modern chart toppers will intersect with legacy country artists on two stages over two days for an unforgettable weekend of country music and more. As Birmingham’s first ever country music festival, Iron Hills aims to deliver the most hospitable concert and event experience in the south!
Saturday, October 11th
- Turnpike Troubadours (headliner)
- Travis Tritt
- Midland
- TBA
- Mountain Grass Unit
- Drew Baldridge
- TBA
- Maggie Rose
- Matt Stell
- Dan Spencer
- Smokeshow Rodeo
Sunday, October 12th
- Ryan Bingham & The Texas Gentlemen (headliner)
- Chase Rice
- Jo Dee Messina
- Dylan Marlowe
- Eli Young Band
- Conner Smith
- Chayce Beckham
- Kashus Culpepper
- American Aquarium
- Channing Wilson
- Tiera Kennedy
On producing a music festival in 2025, Iron Hills Co-founders Johnny Grimes and Chad Johnson state, jointly:
“The current climate of the music festival experience tells us that the fans expectations are at the highest level. Fans want what they pay for. Every principal involved in this event started out as a music fan long before we were the ones producing the events. We trust that we have the collective experience of being fans first to ask ourselves — what kind of event would we want to attend? How do we push Iron Hills to be something that stands on its own among a sea of other epic concert events out there today? You can book great talent. You can hire in great food and great drink vendors. How do we extend beyond what money can buy and produce, not just a concert or a festival, but a world-class experience that will provide memories that last a lifetime? We welcomed the idea of such a challenge.”
In choosing Sloss Furnaces Historic Landmark as the site for Iron Hills Country Music Festival:
“This location was a no-brainer. Sloss Furnace is as synonymous to Birmingham as the Gateway Arch is to St. Louis. Regardless of which direction you enter the city, from I-65 up from Mobile and Montgomery, or south from Nashville, from I-20 coming in from Atlanta, 59 from New Orleans, or even Hwy 280, the very moment you set your eyes on Birmingham, Sloss Furnace is hovering over the city. Its presence in the skyline towers above everything else. In the last 5 years since we began producing music events here, we have seen artist after artist — instead of being held up in some bus or hotel room, arriving mid-day, demanding just to get lost in the endless tunnels, the engine rooms, or just aimlessly walking the giant perimeter to take in the magnitude of the very place that built Birmingham. Nowhere else on earth can you stage a concert at an abandoned iron mill. From the viewpoint of not only ourselves but many artists, vendors, and especially fans, Sloss Furnace is one of only a handful of venues in the world where the site itself plays as much of a role as the event taking place there.”
Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark is a 15-acre retired iron plant first founded in 1887. Birmingham, Alabama, also proudly referred to as “The Steel City”, was once an iron ore mecca, noteworthy for being one of the only geological sites on earth where the four central elements in iron can all be found. From 1887 until its formal decommission in 1971, Sloss Furnaces produced more than 15,000,000,000 pounds of iron, which would ultimately be utilized in structures throughout numerous countries and the entire continuous United States, including Birmingham’s iconic and internationally recognized Vulcan statue. At its peak, Sloss Furnaces were the largest producer of iron in the world. Twelve years after its decommission, Sloss Furnaces would earn federal historic designation and the distinction of being the only retired iron blast furnace in the world to be preserved entirely intact.
In 1986, the property was formally converted to a 2,000,000 square-foot museum site. In addition to an extensive indoor and outdoor walking tour, portions of the site have hosted an array of events, including several award-winning food & beverage expos and concerts by music acts including No Doubt, The Ramones, Weezer, Rage Against The Machine, Danzig, and many others.
From 1998 – 2021, every October, the site played host to the award-winning Sloss Fright Furnace, recognized by USA Today, Fox News, Ghost Hunters, and many others as being one of the premier haunted attractions in the world, and noted for having verifiably recorded paranormal activity in several key areas of the site.
In 2022, the site hosted a large portion of the World Games. Today, Sloss Furnace Historic Landmark sees more than 50,000 visitors annually. In homage to the site’s original purpose, ironsmiths in residency at Sloss Metal Arts will be on hand at Iron Hills Country Music Festival to demonstrate cast iron pouring.
Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark historian Ty Malugani adds:
“Throughout its history, Sloss has been a mirror to the soul of Birmingham. It reflects both the positive and negative aspects of the city’s history. At its core, Sloss showcases why Birmingham was built and the strength of the workers who made it all happen. The story of Sloss is pivotal to understanding Birmingham’s past and present. While we should never lose sight of the history of Sloss and its story, today Sloss also represents a place where the community can come together and celebrate events, enjoy good music, and build a sense of place in their city. As a retired worker of Sloss once said: “More than iron flowed from those furnaces, our whole culture did”. So as it was then, Sloss Furnaces continues to be a source of culture through the events held on the site.”
Early Bird Tickest Go On Sale This Friday, March 7th at the Below Price Levels:
Weekend General Admission passes start at $179.95
Weekend VIP admission passes start at $499.95
Gate times and set times TBA
Purchase tickets at www.ironhillscountry.com and follow Iron Hills Country Music Festival on Instagram for updates at @ironhillscountry.
