CHEERS FOR A NEW JAM. The Eau Claire Event District, already home to the Country Jam (shown here in 2023) and Reverb festivals, will be home to a brand-new gather, Summer Jam, starting in 2025.

A new music festival promising backyard barbecue-style summer vibes will debut next summer at the Eau Claire Event District, home of Country Jam.

Summer Jam will run June 20-21, 2025, at the festival grounds north of Eau Claire, which are also home to Reverb, a festival now in its second year. Southern rock legends Lynyrd Skynyrd will be the first headliner, a media release said.

“Summer Jam isn’t just another music festival,” said Kathy Wright, festival director for Eau Claire Event District. “It’s the ultimate summer playlist brought to life. It’s the music you crank up with the windows down, out on the lake or at a backyard BBQ. Summer Jam isn’t a festival bound by a genre, but defined by the summer vibe we all love.”

Locals with long memories may recall a previous incarnation of Summer Jam that ran for two summers – 2002 and 2003 – at the former Country Jam grounds in the Town of Union. That short-lived fest featured Top 40 rock and pop, including Nickelback and 3 Doors Down.

Tickets and camping went on sale this morning (Thursday, July 11) at 8:15am. Further details on camping, ticket prices, and the complete lineup (when it’s announced) can be found at summerjamwi.com or @summerjamwi on social media.

Summer Jam is the second new music festival in the Chippewa Valley announced within a week: Just days earlier, the group behind Rock Fest and Country Fest (now known as Hoofbeat) unveiled Force Fields, an electronic dance music (EDM) festival that will debut next June on their festival grounds near Cadott.