By OnMilwaukee Staff Writers   Published Jan 07, 2016 at 5:01 AM Photography: David Bernacchi

For the third time in four years, Luke Bryan will hit Summerfest as a Marcus Amphitheater headliner. This morning, the Big Gig announced that the country star, alongside opening act Frankie Ballard, will return to the music festival on Thursday, July 7. 

Bryan – coming off a 2015 in which the country star not only released a hit new album, "Kill the Lights," but was also named CMA's Entertainer of the Year – previously served as a Summerfest headliner in 2013 and 2014. He missed the Big Gig in 2015, but he didn't miss Wisconsin, performing at Country Thunder later that same summer. 

Tickets for the show – which, as usual, include Summerfest admission – go on sale beginning at 10 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 15. Tickets can be bought in person at the Summerfest box office, as well as over the phone at 1-414-273-2600, at Walmart stores and through Ticketmaster – either in person at its ticket centers, online at Ticketmaster.com or over the phone via a live Ticketmaster agent (1-800-745-3000) or its Ticketmaster Express automated line (1-866--448-7849). 

There will also be two presales prior to tickets becoming available to the public. One presale, available to Citi card members, will begin Wednesday, Jan. 13 at 10 a.m. and run until Thursday, Jan. 14 until 10 p.m. In order to access that presale, Citi card members can use the first six numbers of their Citi credit cards.

The other presale is accessible to those who subscribe to Summerfest news email alerts, like Summerfest on Facebook or follow the Big Gig on Twitter. That presale will run on Thursday, Jan. 14 from 10 a.m. until 10 p.m., or until the resale inventory has been sold out. 

Bryan joins Selena Gomez and fellow 2015 Country Thunder headliner Blake Shelton as 2016 Summerfest headliners already announced. Stay tuned to OnMilwaukee as the rest of the lineup is unveiled in 2016.