BRISTOL, Tenn., (WJHL) – The Bristol Rhythm and Roots Reunion kicked off its 24th year on Friday. The festival features vendors, food and artists from across the nation.

The festival’s purpose is to celebrate the history of country music in Bristol.

“I think it’s celebrating the history of this city, which is the birthplace of country music,” said Leah Ross with the Birthplace of Country Music Museum. “When Ralph Pierre came here to record the Music of the Mountains, and it’s just grown from there. When in 1998, Congress declared us the birthplace of country music. We continue to celebrate those recordings from 1947.”

One hundred artists are scheduled throughout the weekend across twelve different stages spanning downtown Bristol.

Ross said that this festival is a great opportunity to discover new music and possibly the next big hitmaker.

“I think the most important thing about this festival is that you’re going to discover an artist you’ve never heard of,” she said. “And maybe way down the line, they’re that person getting awards on all the shows. I think if you would go back and look at our lineup over the years, you’ll find many artists, such as Tyler Childers, a lot of those artists that people didn’t know about, but we knew about them and brought them here.

Ross said the most important part of the event is that everyone is having a good time, soaking in the musical history of Bristol.

“My favorite part of the festival is to see the smiles on people’s faces and having a good time,” she said. “When I see that, I know we’ve done what we meant to do which is excite our audience and make them have a good time.”

The Bristol Rhythm and Roots Reunion is from Sept. 19 to Sept. 21. Tickets are available for purchase at the entry gate. To view the full artist lineup, click here.