America's Premier Country Music Gathering

CMA Fest stands as the longest-running country music festival in the world, a four-day celebration anchored in Nashville, Tennessee every June. Founded in 1972 as Fan Fair with roughly 5,000 attendees, it has grown into a downtown-wide event drawing an estimated 100,000 fans per day, from all 50 states and dozens of countries. The 53rd edition returned June 4-7, 2026, presented by SoFi (the festival's first-ever broadcast presenting sponsor), spanning nighttime Nissan Stadium performances and free daytime stages across downtown, with more than 200 artists on the bill. Each year the festival is also filmed for a national television special on ABC and Hulu; in 2026 a three-hour event hosted by Riley Green and Good Morning America's Lara Spencer aired June 25.

Festival Structure and Experiences

The 2026 edition provides multiple ways to experience the festival. Four-night stadium passes grant admission to all Nissan Stadium shows plus four days at Fan Fair X, the daytime festival component. Single-night stadium tickets offer flexibility for those attending specific evenings. Fan Fair X tickets provide access to daytime stages including Close Up Stage, Spotlight Stage, and various other performance venues. The Riverside Retreat experience adds premium daytime amenities including shade, food and beverages, and air-conditioned comfort stations in designated areas. Nissan Stadium headliners in 2026 included Tim McGraw, Keith Urban, Blake Shelton, Luke Bryan, Jason Aldean, Carly Pearce, Ella Langley, Shaboozey, and Riley Green, while surprise moments, a Florida Georgia Line reunion, a Jelly Roll set, Fetty Wap joining Russell Dickerson, and Brandon Lake's "Cowboy Church," became defining highlights of the weekend.

Supporting Music Education

A defining feature of CMA Fest is its charitable mission. Since 2006, a portion of proceeds has supported the CMA Foundation, which has invested more than $33 million in music education programs nationwide, funding instruments, supporting teachers through its Music Teachers of Excellence program, and building school music programs. The 2026 festival contributed a gift of more than $2 million. The Foundation's goal is for every child in America to have access to music education.

Venue and Stage Lineup

The daytime festival features performances across multiple free outdoor stages: the Chevy Riverfront, Dr Pepper Amp, Chevy Vibes, and Reverb stages, plus the newly introduced Wrangler Remix Stage in 2026, along with specialty venues like the Close Up and Spotlight stages. Nissan Stadium serves as the primary nighttime venue for Main Stage and Platform Stage performances. The 2026 edition marked the final CMA Fest at the current open-air Nissan Stadium; beginning in 2027 the nightly concerts move to Nashville's new enclosed Nissan Stadium, with the 54th CMA Fest set for June 10-13, 2027.