Holly Ridge Live Outgrew Surf City. On November 7, Kraft Street Takes the Crowd.
The country concert that spent four years at Soundside Park in Surf City comes to Holly Ridge on Saturday, November 7. It will be held at Holly Ridge Municipal Park, 417 Kraft Street, the same lawn the town uses for Movie in the Park. Gates open at noon and the music starts at 2 p.m. Scotty McCreery and Lonestar are the headliners.
There are two reasons the concert is now in town. The event outgrew the beach. And Holly Ridge has spent this fall building toward exactly this kind of day, from a town park that already hosts the community's calendar to a $4.5 million building on Sound Road that could someday hold much more of it.
WWAY reported in July that Shoreline Events owner Jeremy Shugarts said the festival had outgrown Soundside Park. Recent concerts there drew about 3,000 people and sold out. According to that same WWAY report, organizers expect the Holly Ridge site to hold more than 5,000. Shugarts also named traffic and other logistics as reasons for the move, and he thanked Surf City officials for their support over the years.
A sold-out show of about 3,000 at Soundside was already big enough to push the organizers to move. The new home is a municipal park a few blocks into a small town, with room for well over half again as many people.
The event has drawn a crowd before. WWAY lists past performers including The Beach Boys, Josh Turner, Craig Morgan, Clint Black and Easton Corbin. Shoreline Events has placed the 2026 show on Veterans Day weekend, and organizers say it honors members of the military community with a full day of music, vendors, food and family activities.
The lineup has stayed the same since summer. Shoreline Events' artist page lists Scotty McCreery, Lonestar, Cooper Greer and Harper Grace, and says more artists will be announced. The Etix listing still says two opening acts are "to be announced," so the two pages don't match yet. The ticket listing on Etix shows these prices as of mid-October 2026:
| Ticket type | Listed price | Seating |
|---|---|---|
| Reserved | $49.24, $70.03, $90.82, $111.61 or $142.80 | Sections AA, A, B and C include a chair |
| General admission | $49.24 | Bring your own chair or blanket |
Etix says those prices include ticket fees but not taxes, which are added at checkout. Seats within each section go first come, first served. The show happens rain or shine, tickets are nonrefundable, and every attendee needs a ticket regardless of age.
The Etix listing for the Holly Ridge show rules out outside food, outside drinks, coolers and large bags. Shoreline Events' general FAQ goes into more detail. Parts of that page were written for the old Surf City venue, so check it again before the show. As of mid-October, it lists:
The FAQ also says there is no re-entry once you leave and no saving seats. Food, water, beer and wine are sold inside, with alcohol limited to guests 21 and older.
The parking section of the Shoreline Events FAQ was written for the old venue. It says not to park on Roland Ave or inside Soundside Park and sends concertgoers to Surf City's public lots. None of that applies to Kraft Street. The Etix listing for the Holly Ridge show gives the address and schedule but no parking or traffic instructions.
Traffic was one of the reasons the concert left Surf City, so parking details will shape the day for anyone who lives near the park or plans to drive through town that Saturday. In his September 28 Mayor's Message, Mayor Pete Parnian told residents who had seen the signs to visit Shorelineeventsnc.com for event information. Between now and November 7, the organizer's site and the Town of Holly Ridge website and Facebook page are the places to look for parking guidance. Neighbors on the streets around Kraft Street will want to check both during the week before the show.
The concert is coming to a park that already has a busy fall schedule. The town calendar shows a run of community dates around the concert:
Holly Ridge's Veterans Day observances run from Saturday, November 7 through Wednesday, November 11. The ticketed festival comes first, built around honoring the military community. The town's own ceremony at Liberty Fountain Park follows at 11 a.m. on the holiday.
While the concert plans moved forward, the town made a bigger bet a few blocks away. On October 9, Holly Ridge announced it had bought the former J&J Snack Foods property at 312 Sound Road for $4.5 million after about eight months of negotiations. According to the town's press release, the purchase was paid for with a $900,000 down payment and $3.6 million in financing, and the town did not propose a property tax rate increase specifically to cover the payments.
The town is studying whether the building could become a civic center. It could bring municipal departments under one roof and add indoor recreation, meeting space, and room for community programs and events. Other options include emergency operations and partnerships with other government agencies. The release also connects the site to Holly Ridge's long-term downtown plans. It says future development could bring restaurants and shops nearby.
None of that is decided. The town has not settled on renovations, a design or final uses. Engineering studies, financial planning and community input will come first. Work may happen in phases, and any major renovation or additional financing needs another vote by the Town Council. The town held a public hearing on the financing on September 22. In the same September 28 message, Mayor Parnian wrote that several citizens questioned the price, timing, affordability and upfit costs, and that the meeting video is on the town's YouTube page. He described the project as part of the town's five-year strategic plan to centralize services and build up downtown.
Taken together with the concert, the Sound Road purchase shows a town putting money and calendar dates behind being a place where people gather. Holly Ridge Live came to Kraft Street because it needed more room than the beach could give. The building on Sound Road could someday give Holly Ridge's own events an indoor home for the rest of the year. The town's own timeline for that runs through future council votes, so Kraft Street's November weekend is the first big test.
If your fall plans include Kraft Street on November 7 and you're curious how Holly Ridge is changing as it grows, I'm always glad to talk through what's happening around town, from event weekends to the Sound Road project. You can find me at Holman Home and Design. Let's Connect.
Savannah Holman is a dedicated real estate professional who brings both personal insight and professional expertise to every client relationship. After experiencing the challenges of relocating with her own family through military orders, she developed a passion for making the home-buying and relocation process easier for others. With degrees in psychology and business, a background in corporate sales, and over eight years of real estate success with 500+ transactions, Savannah combines knowledge, compassion, and advocacy to deliver a seamless and positive experience. She is committed to treating every client like her first, ensuring their journey to a new home is both memorable and rewarding.
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