The 2025 Tailgate N’ Tallboys country music fest was held June 5-7 in Clinton, Iowa. It's not known if the music celebration will return to Clinton next year. CREDIT TAILGATE N’ TALLBOYS
CLINTON, Iowa – The 2025 Tailgates N’ Tallboys country music celebration in this community was a great success. It attracted thousands of people and boosted many local businesses, according to city and economic development leaders. Now, the city is in a wait-and-see mode to see if the concert returns in 2026 for a fourth year. […]
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CLINTON, Iowa – The 2025 Tailgates N’ Tallboys country music celebration in this community was a great success. It attracted thousands of people and boosted many local businesses, according to city and economic development leaders.Now, the city is in a wait-and-see mode to see if the concert returns in 2026 for a fourth year.“I'm hearing a ton of positive comments and a ton of people that are really hoping that we bring this back for another contract,” Clinton Mayor Scott Maddasion told the Quad Cities Regional Business Journal. “It has really turned into an event where people look forward to kicking off the summer with it and also we have a lot of people that travel back here just to go to this event,” he added.This year’s Tailgate N’ Tallboys celebration was held Thursday to Saturday, June 5-7, on Clinton’s riverfront. The headliner music acts during the three days included Whiskey Myers, Riley Green and Jason Aldean.Last year, the music fest attracted about 35,000 to the riverfront over the three-day celebration. Music fans came from 42 states and two foreign countries – Canada and France, the mayor said during his recent State of the City address.The music festival had a $6.1 million impact to the local economy during the first two years, according to economic development leaders. However, the Clinton festival finished its first two years in the financial red. In 2023, the first year of the Clinton fest, the event lost about $400,000.The 2024 Tailgate N’ Tallboys country music event showed big improvements, but still lost about $150,000, Mr. Maddasion recently told the QCBJ.This year’s attendance and economic impact numbers are not available yet, but city leaders say the impact will be greatly positive.Andy Sokolovich, president and CEO of Grow Clinton, said the event delivered a significant economic boost to the community.Citing a newly released STR (Smith Travel Research) report from the CoStar Group, he said hotel occupancy rates increased by 15% over the 2024 concert series. This figure does not include the many attendees who opted to stay in campers, RVs, or tents.Local businesses that capitalized on the pedestrian traffic growth also reported record-breaking sales. One standout, Manning's Whistle Stop — located near the festival grounds on 2nd Street — shared that they had "generated the most sales in a single weekend in their 44-year history.”"One of the intangible returns on investment from the Tailgate N' Tallboys country music festival is the exposure our community receives," Mr. Sokolovich said. "Visitors had unforgettable, positive experiences here. The concert series planted a seed, creating lasting memories for people who may have never considered Clinton, Iowa, a destination. Tourism brings new wealth into a community, and that financial impact grows considerably when visitors share their experiences with others.”Mr. Maddasion added that the country music fest “is the biggest tourism event that we have here in Clinton and that shows by having over 70% of our attendees from outside of our community.”Even with the celebration’s popularity, its future in Clinton is uncertain. In 2022, the Clinton City Council agreed to a three-year contract to bring the concert series to the city. Under that contract, Clinton agreed to pay half the cost for the concerts, and the fest promoter – USA Concerts – paid the other half.Messages from the Tailgates N’ Tallboys officials appear to be supportive of continuing the concerts in Clinton. “Y’all showed up and showed out and we can’t wait to do it again. Stay tuned for more info on 2026,” according to a message on the Tailgates N’ Tallboys website.Clinton’s mayor, however, said city officials won’t know until the end of this summer if the concert series is returning next year. “We would need to be booking artists (for next year) by then,” he said.
