Brandi Carlile is again giving fans a reprieve from chillier locales at the top of the new year, as her eighth annual, female-centered Girls Just Wanna Weekend will return to Mexico’s Barcelo Maya Resort from Jan. 14 to 18.
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Carlile will again offer a headlining performance, and will welcome fellow headliners Kelly Clarkson and Sierra Ferrell. Others on the lineup include The Beaches, CMAT, Allison Russell, Brandy Clark, Lucius, Titans of Americana, Arroba Nat, Tish Melton, SistaStrings, Autumn Nicholas, The Carlile Family Band and The Marshgrass Mamas as well as comedian Kristin Key.
Clarkson is currently serving as a coach on The Voice, and wrapped a Las Vegas residency at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in August. Americana luminary Ferrell recently released the new songs “Trying to Love You” and “Pair of Dice,” which mark her first new original music since 2024’s Trail of Flowers.
The fest, produced by 100x Hospitality, offers up an all-inclusive experience, with four days of music and artist-curated activities and workshops, as well as the popular “Brandi-oke,” off-site excursions and more.
Girls Just Wanna Weekend was founded by Carlile in 2018, and to date has welcomed an expansive lineup of all-female and nonbinary artists, among them The Chicks, Shania Twain, Sam Smith, Janelle Monáe, Indigo Girls, Sheryl Crow, Sarah McLachlan, Muna, Tanya Tucker, Sara Bareilles, Wynonna, Yola, Wendy & Lisa, Maren Morris, Patty Griffin and Celisse.
Since its inaugural fest, Girls Just Wanna Weekend has forged a reputation for being an event where the music heats up the stage, but the sense of warmth extends well beyond it, to provide a place that is safe and inclusive for all attendees, with an emphasis on creating a welcoming environment for the predominantly LGBTQ+ audience.
Carlile recently released her album Returning to Myself and followed it with a reimagined version, Returning to Myself (Sad Gay Version), which included new versions of each of the project’s 10 songs, in addition to a collaboration with Jon Hopkins, as well as a new spin on Billy Joel’s “And So It Goes.”