The rolling hills of south Fulton County will be alive with the sound of music this fall as the first of what is expected to become an expansive annual music festival kicks off Oct. 12-14. Billed as an environmentally friendly event, The Echo Project will headline numerous bands and offer on-site camping with an emphasis on environmental awareness and eco-friendly attractions.

An initial sampling of the festival venue includes artists such as the Killers, Phil Lesh & Friends, the Roots, Moe, Cypress Hill, Brazilian Girls, Perpetual Groove, the Avett Brothers, Lyrics Born, RJD2, The Disco Biscuits, Umphrey’s McGee, Perpetual Groove, Spam Allstars, Greenskeepers, Toubab Krewe, the Afromotive, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Stephen Marley, Cat Power & Dirty Delta Blues and others.

About as pristine as any large tract of land in metro Atlanta, the festival will be held on a 330-acre tract of the 2,047-acre farm owned by Carl Bouckaert. The venue will be positioned on a three-mile stretch of the Chattahoochee River. Plans call for the temporary stage to back up against the Chattahoochee River and a large buffer area of steeply graded wooded areas between the festival venue area and south Fulton neighbors.

The majority of the 35,000-45,000 expected to attend the self-contained festival will utilize the site’s camping facilities, organizers said when the festival was first proposed in March. The majority of those attending will stay at the on-site campground for the duration of the festival, with approximately 5,000 of the tickets available for walk-ins. Facilities are designed to accommodate the three-day event, including food concessions, 1,400-2,000 portable toilets, showers, 200-250 security officers and 20 mounted officers.

The largely undeveloped site fronts Campbellton-Fairburn Road, Cochran Mill Road, Cedar Grove Road, Browns Lake Road and the Chattahoochee River. Approved by Fulton County Community zoning Board in March and Fulton County Commission in April, the organizers were granted a 10-year permit, with Fulton County assessing compliance issues on an annual basis.

Tickets are currently on sale for $120 and can be obtained by calling (800) 594-8499 or visiting www.the-echoproject.com