Awards News

Academy of Country Music Awards show will return to Frisco in 2024

Actress and aAwards show regular Kristin Cavallari at the 2022 ACMs.

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Dallas has landed the next Academy of Country Music Awards ceremony: According to a release, the 59th ACM Awards is set for May 16, 2024, and will take place at the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco.

Additional details, including award submissions and voting timeline, hosts, nominees, performers, and ticket on-sale details, will be confirmed in the months ahead.

UPDATE 3-4-2024: ACM Awards pre-sale tickets available starting on Wednesday, March 6; pre-sale tickets are available by signing up for a membership newsletter at ACM A-List. General on-sale starts Friday, March 8 at 10 am at SeatGeek.
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It follows the 2023 edition, a smash success that marked its return to Texas for the first time since 2015, when the ceremony took place at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.

In collaboration with the Academy of Country Music and producer Dick Clark Productions, Prime Video will again offer an exclusive livestream not only of the 2024 ceremony but also its milestone 60th anniversary in 2025. The 57th annual awards in 2022 was the first major awards show to stream live for a global audience.

Hosted by Dolly Parton and Garth Brooks, the 2023 show garnered more than 7.7 million viewers on Prime Video plus additional viewership across Amazon Music, the Amazon Music channel on Twitch, and Amazon Live, making it one of the most-watched awards shows of the year.

The night featured an all-star lineup of memorable moments, including 18 show-stopping performances from 25 artists, along with exclusive collaborations and unexpected moments that captivated fans worldwide.

The 2023 ACM Awards is still available on demand on Prime Video, Amazon Freevee, and Amazon Music.

“When Prime Video first streamed the ACM Awards in 2022, we were overwhelmed with the response from our global audience,” says Vernon Sanders, head of television, Amazon MGM Studios, in a statement. “After seeing last year’s show grow to more than 7.7 million viewers, we could not be more thrilled to continue our relationship with the Academy of Country Music and Dick Clark Productions for the next two years, and especially through the show’s milestone 60th anniversary in 2025. We look forward to continuing the success and bringing even more star-studded and captivating shows to fans around the world.”

Academy of Country Music CEO Damon Whiteside says that, “thanks to the biggest host pairing of all time, Dolly Parton and Garth Brooks, the comprehensive, cross-platform program with our partners at Prime Video and Amazon Music, and the dedicated fans in Texas and around the world, the May 2023 show was a groundbreaking success and illustrates that our pioneering and innovative move to streaming was absolutely the right one at the right time! We’re eager to see everyone back in Texas once again at the home of the Dallas Cowboys next May for another groundbreaking ACM Awards show!”

Ford Center at The Star in Frisco opened in 2016 and serves as the practice facility for the Dallas Cowboys, as well as the home for major sporting events throughout the year. Last year’s ACM Awards were the first awards show to take place at Ford Center.

Founded in Southern California in 1964 as a regional trade organization, the Academy of Country Music has grown in the almost-60 years since into a leading association for the country music industry. Now headquartered in Nashville and boasting record-high membership of nearly 5,000 nationwide, the Academy serves as an advocate for country fans, artists, and all facets of the business, as well as a supporter of philanthropic work.

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Amusement Park Fun

Thrilling new roller coaster Tormenta launches at Six Flags Over Texas

Photo courtesy of Six Flags Over Texas

Riders on Tormenta Rampaging Run at Six Flags Over Texas.

Six Flags Over Texas will officially open its anticipated new roller coaster, Tormenta Rampaging Run, on Thursday, July 9, and CultureMap and other media and VIPs were given early access to experience the ride's intense thrills before its public debut.

The new coaster boasts several records — as the tallest, fastest, longest, and first-ever giga (300+-foot-tall) dive coaster in the world, topping out at 309 feet just before it sends riders plunging into a beyond-vertical, 95-degree, 285-foot drop. We take you along for the ride in the following video:

Each car of the coaster features three rows of seats with eight seats per row, servicing 24 riders at a time. During the preview event, two cars were sent out in staggered sessions, but a third car sat close by to be used if needed.

The ride's rodeo theme is strong, with multiple posters advertising fictional rodeos and a metallic gate swinging open at the start to let the ~~bull~~ car pass through.

To paraphrase Ned Ryerson in Groundhog Day, the first part is a doozy, as riders are click-clacked up a steep stretch forcing them to look straight up into the sky.

The ever-so-brief pause at top affords a view of the surrounding city, the rest of Six Flags, and, in the distance, the downtown Dallas skyline. The angle feels like you're above those towering skyscrapers even though logic tells you that you aren't.

The initial plunge tests the mettle of even hardcore roller coaster fans, sending riders through the extreme drop before hurtling them into two large loops and a corkscrew before coming to another brief stop.

The 95-degree, 285-foot drop of Tormenta Rampaging Run. Photo courtesy of Six Flags Over Texas

That stop gives riders only a small reprieve before they're shot through two smaller loops and a sharp right curve before — mercifully — coming to a jolting halt as the coaster car is shuttled back into the loading station.

From start to finish, the ride lasts around 2 minutes and 45 seconds, but the first 75 seconds is spent just getting to the start of the main portion of the coaster.

All told, the drops, loops, and other elements lasts exactly one minute, which is not that long, but the time-to-thrill ratio is still high.

Misting fans and pergolas at Tormenta Rampaging Run at Six Flags Over Texas. Misting fans and pergolas will help keep riders cool while waiting in line for Tormenta.Photo by Alex Bentley

Even during the brutal heat of the Texas summer, visitors should expect lines to be long for the hot new ride. The corrals close to the ride have scattered pergolas and umbrellas for shade, as well as oscillating fans with misters. Once you reach the completely covered top platform, there are a number of ceiling fans, although they do little to stave off the high humidity.

Opinions will differ as to whether a long wait time for a short ride is worth it, but for those who get their kicks trying out the latest and greatest roller coasters, Tormenta Rampaging Run is a great new addition to the 65-year-old amusement park.

The grand opening for Tormenta is Thursday, July 9 at Six Flags Over Texas. The park is open daily through August 16.

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