While bleachers at the Salem Stadium are bare for now, by Saturday afternoon they're expected to be filled with people just like restaurants, shops, and other stores in the area.
The Blue Ridge Music Festival brings in thousands of people and businesses like Chick-Fil-A in Salem get ready for it.
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"We definitely staff up for it," says Shaine Miles, Chick-Fil-A owner.
Last year, the Chick-Fil-A saw a 50% increase in sales. In fact, city officials say big events in the summer bring in a total of several hundred thousand people to the area.
"We see often times when a large event like this comes in often times the people surrounding us seem to reap a lot more benefits than the people right here on site," says John Saunders, director of civic facilities for the Salem Civic Center.
Some other big events this summer include the Salem Fair and the Roanoke Valley Horse Show which are all part of a tourism campaign called Summer Love in Salem. The city received $50,000 from the state to promote local tourism.
So far nearly 10,000 tickets were sold in advance for the festival and more are expected to be sold at the door.