Nashville Readies For The 53rd CMA Fest June 4-7

For more than five decades, CMA Fest has been the epicenter of the country fan/artist experience in Nashville.

What began as a quaint gathering of 5,000 fans at Nashville’s Municipal Auditorium in 1972, has turned into the longest-running country music festival in the world. Today, “CMA Fest Presented by SoFi” is a multi-stage takeover of Music City attracting 95,000+ fans from every state and dozens of foreign countries and reaching an even bigger audience via a summer television special airing on ABC.

In 2026, the broadcast will be hosted for the first time by Riley Green and “Good Morning America” anchor Lara Spencer. The three-hour special airs June 25 at 8:00 PM/ET on ABC and streams the next day on Hulu. The special – which is executive produced and written by Robert Deaton and directed by Alan Carter – first aired on the network in 2004, making “CMA Fest Presented by SoFi” the 23^rd straight broadcast.

CMA Fest is more than a festival – it’s a celebration of the connection between artists and fans. The Country Music Association launched “Fan Fair” as a vehicle to steer autograph seekers away from the annual radio DJ convention. Meet and greets are still a fixture of the experience at Fan Fair X in the Music City Center, but the event has evolved into a platform for music discovery while honoring the legacy and supporting music education.

Through the goodwill participation of artists and the industry, a portion of proceeds from CMA Fest support music education initiatives nationwide through the CMA Foundation, the nonprofit arm of CMA. Since it was created in 2011, the foundation has invested more than $30 million into music education teachers and programs across the U.S.

CMA Fest is a non-stop mix of free and ticketed performances on multiple stages throughout downtown with the biggest artists performing nightly at Nissan Stadium. Four-day tickets are currently selling for $290 and include access to the stadium as well as Fan Fair X. Single-night stadium tickets start at $70.

The 2026 Nissan Stadium lineup includes TV host Green, Bailey Zimmerman, Blake Shelton, Carly Pearce, Cody Johnson, Deana Carter, Ella Langley, Gretchen Wilson, HARDY, Jason Aldean, Jordan Davis, Keith Urban, Luke Bryan, The Red Clay Strays, Russell Dickerson, Shaboozey,  Tim McGraw, Tucker Wetmore, Zach Top, plus mid-field performances from The Band Perry and Stephen Wilson Jr.

The Platform Stage at Nissan Stadium features performances by rising artists including Emily Ann Roberts, The Jack Wharff Band, Kaitlin Butts, Kat Luna, Laci Kaye Booth, Maggie Antone, Scoot Teasley, Vincent Mason, Willow Avalon and Zach John King making it a milestone moment to perform in front of up to 50,000 fans. Clay Walker, Jo Dee Messina, Rhett Akins and Sara Evans are scheduled to open the nightly shows at Nissan Stadium, with Caylee Hammack performing the national anthem on June 4.

Daytime activities dominate downtown Nashville with outdoor stages hosting hundreds of artists. The biggest is Chevy Riverfront Stage on the Cumberland River with performers including Ashley Cooke, Braxton Keith, Charles Wesley Godwin, Dasha, Drew Baldridge, ERNEST, Ian Munsick, Lauren Alaina, Marcus King, Midland, Molly Tuttle, Priscilla Block, RaeLynn, Russell Dickerson, Tucker Wetmore and many more.

The stage is free, but CMA is offering VIP access to the Chevy Riverfront Stage, Dr Pepper Amp Stage and Chevy Vibes Stage with exclusive amenities like shaded areas, mobile charging stations and air-conditioned restrooms as well as early entry to the Chevy Riverfront Stage and discounted beverages. Elevate Experiences is the official experiential hospitality provider of CMA Fest.

The free Dr Pepper Amp Stage is located at Ascend Park behind Ascend Amphitheater. It’s known for showcasing a mix of rising country artists, fan favorites, legacy acts and crossover performers in a more relaxed outdoor setting than the huge Riverfront crowds. In 2026, the lineup includes Melissa Etheridge, Drake Milligan, The War And Treaty, Ty Herndon, Uncle Kracker, Travis Denning, Filmore and Pecos & the Rooftops.

The free Chevy Vibes Stage is located at Walk of Fame Park near the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum and Bridgestone Arena featuring a mix of country, southern rock, country-rap and emerging artists including Colt Ford, Drake White, Frankie Ballard, Sister Hazel, Alana Springsteen, Love and Theft and Mark Wills.

Building on the festival’s mission of developing the next generation of headliners, title partner SoFi launched the Amplify Your Ambitions contest with a grand prize of $200,000 and two $50,000 runner-up awards to help bands achieve their career goals. The winner will be announced June 4 and all three winning groups will perform.