Bad news if you had plans to drive down to Panama City Beach, Florida this weekend for the Pepsi Gulf Coast Jam, it has been cancelled.

Preparations for the 2016 installment of the annual country music festival has been severely hampered by deteriorating weather conditions due to Hurricane Hermine.

Organizers point out, "the construction of the festival venue is a massive undertaking that takes nearly a week to erect the festival village and performance stage."

Strong winds and heavy rainfall in the local forecast for Thursday night has forced the event to tear down all of the staging and tents. The storm threat is expected to pass by Friday morning, but it doesn't leave enough time to build everything back up again. So, the event has been cancelled.

Panama City Beach Mayor Mike Thomas reacted by saying, "Safety is the first concern for our visitors, country music fans and the festival organizers and sponsors."

All tickets purchased through official Pepsi Gulf Coast Jam ticket outlets are eligible for refunds. Fans also have the option of leaving their tickets in the Pepsi Gulf Coast Jam ticket system and redeeming them at next year's festival. Details on refunds will be posted next week at www.gulfcoastjam.com.

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