When it was announced in 2016 that Bayou Country Superfest would be moving from Tiger Stadium to the Mercedes-Benz Superdome due to renovations at the stadium, it was unclear whether the festival would ever return to Baton Rouge.
Now that it’s been two years and renovations are complete, LSU officials are open to hosting the country music festival once again. However, they’re not commenting on rumors the festival—which has seen declining attendance in recent years—could return.
“I think our fans would love it and we’re certainly open to the festival returning,” says Robert Munson, senior associate athletic director.
Munson says the university is exploring options for music festivals and events. Bayou Country Superfest organizers, having just wrapped up the two-day event last weekend, are not commenting on the future of the festival at this time, says Matthew Goldman of Festival Productions Inc.
The festival was held in Baton Rouge over the Memorial Day weekend for seven years, bringing thousands of people to the city and generating an economic impact estimated to be worth millions.
Though the festival’s attendance numbers were shrinking during the years it was held in Baton Rouge, once it moved to New Orleans in 2017 it saw a dramatic 40,000 person drop.
The fest’s final year in Baton Rouge brought some 100,000 people in Tiger Stadium. In 2017, the Mercedes-Benz Superdome and Champion Square only saw a crowd of 60,000.
While this year’s official attendance numbers haven’t been released yet, The Times-Picayune reports 53,518 people were in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Sunday. It’s unclear how many people attended the free portion of the festival held in the Smoothie King Center on Saturday.
