The 2018 Tailgate Fest is for country fans who live to show up early to drop a tailgate and hang leading up to any major concert. It’s the first Los Angeles-based fest of its kind that makes the tailgate experience the main event.

The inaugural Tailgate Fest is Saturday (Sept. 1) at the Forum in Inglewood, Ca. and CMT Hot 20 Countdown will be there for all the action. The day will feature performances by Toby Keith, Joe Nichols, Randy Houser, Nelly, Jana Kramer, Parmalee, Eric Paslay, David Nail and DJ Bad Ash.

The stage, the artists and the music will be brought outside to the fans where they can grill out, bring their own coolers, games and more and enjoy the shows from their own tailgates.

For those who’d like to take in the experience poolside, organizers have that covered, too. Various VIP packages come with access to a stageside pool (yes, a sidestage pool), a pit viewing area closest to the stage, reserved lawn chair viewing and the VIP Forum Club. General admission starts at $89.

The festival will also have several activities including The Tailgate Cornhole World Championships at the “Extreme Cornhole Court.”

The “Best in Show” truck of the day in the Jacked Up Truck Competition will take home a brand new tailgating dream machine. Other attractions include the Two Step Honky Tonk for those wanting to show off their dancing skills and a Dunk Tank for those wanting to try out their pitching arms.

The Tailgate Fest is co-founded by Melissa Carbone and Giancarlo Chersich. Carbone is the creator of the Los Angeles Haunted Hayride. Chersich is an investor behind marquee brands such as Pop Chips, Barry’s Bootcamp, AQUAhyrdrate, Lucky Jack and the Jillian Michaels empire.

“It’s actually fascinating to me that this whole activity has been happening for over a century organically on its own at every game and country music concert,” Carbone says in a press release. “My idea is just to super-serve the experience that is already happening by giving this passionate population of people both things that they love at the same time."

Tickets are available through the Tailgate Fest website.