The event returns to downtown Nashville in 2025
The 52nd CMA Fest will take place in Nashville from Thursday, June 5 through Sunday, June 8, 2025. Tickets will be available for purchase on Tuesday, June 25th at Ticketmaster. Further details, including participating artists, will be announced in the future.
The largest and longest-running country music festival in the world hosted its 51st celebration in Nashville this past weekend, running from Thursday, June 6th through Sunday, June 9th, ushering in the next 50 years of country music connection between artists and their fans.
“What an incredible four days and nights! This year’s CMA Fest has truly been a celebration of community and collaboration,” says Sarah Trahern, CMA Chief Executive Officer. “From Country icons returning to the Fest stage, to emerging acts reaching new audiences for the first time, seeing the fans and the industry embrace our genre in such a meaningful way has been the perfect way to kick off our next 50 years. We can’t wait for 2025!”
Fans gathered from all 50 states and 46 countries to fill the festival footprint, which featured multiple stages hosting more than 300 performers, often for capacity crowds. Breakout moments during CMA Fest 2024 included a special conversation with global superstar Dolly Parton at Fan Fair X on Thursday morning to kick off the event. Featuring a Q&A and impromptu sing-alongs, the legendary entertainer attracted thousands of attendees, many of which lined up more than 12 hours in advance. Shaboozey shut down the streets of Nashville during his set as fans celebrated his debut at CMA Fest. So did Tucker Wetmore, with his performance on Lower Broadway spilling out into the streets. Throughout the weekend, artists performed on the Chevy Riverfront Stage, Dr Pepper Amp Stage, Chevy Vibes Stage, Good Molecules Reverb Stage, Hard Rock Stage, Ascend Amphitheater, and Nissan Stadium. Fans also had the opportunity to connect with their favorite artists at the CMA Close Up Stage and Spotlight Stage at Fan Fair X inside Music City Center.
Fan Fair X also hosted the Spotlight Stage where artists connected with fans in a closer setting. Nearly 50 artists performed and engaged with fans through meet and greets, including Kezia Gill, Dillon James, Adam Mac, Zach McPhee, O.N.E the Duo, Camille Parker and Wardel.
CMA Fest performers donate their time so that a portion of ticket proceeds can directly benefit music education initiatives across the country through the CMA Foundation, which was front and center throughout the festival all weekend long. Four marching bands serenaded fans each morning across the footprint. Antioch High School was the first marching band to appear, performing outside Music City Center on Thursday. From Friday until Sunday, students from Stratford Stem Magnet High School, Cane Ridge High School, and nonprofit music education organization BandWith Chicago entertained fans while marching through Fan Fair X each morning. Additionally, on Saturday night at Nissan Stadium, eight middle and high school music students from Cane Ridge High School and William Henry Oliver Middle School joined Ashley McBryde and Jelly Roll as the hosting duo spoke about the CMA Foundation’s efforts before helping introduce The War and Treaty. The students’ teachers are two of the CMA Foundation’s 2024 Music Teachers of Excellence—Johnny Croft (Cane Ridge High School) and Samantha Reid (William Henry Oliver Middle School).
Thanks to the generosity of CMA Foundation partners, a portion of proceeds from various activations throughout CMA Fest will further benefit the nonprofit’s unique model of giving. CMA Foundation partners during CMA Fest 2024 included Dolly Parton’s All Acess! Pop Up Experience, Carly Pearce’s Carly’s Closet, Inherit the Music, Empower Campaign, The Archives Nashville, SOLID, Friendly Arctic, and Strung. Additional CMA Foundation partners during CMA Fest included Altar’d State and the Louisiana Office of Tourism.
CMA Fest, the three-hour primetime television special hosted by Jelly Roll and Ashley McBryde, airs Tuesday, June 25th at 8 pm ET/PT ABC and streams the next day on Hulu.
The Ultimate Country Music Fan Experience began in 1972 as Fan Fair, which drew 5,000 fans to Nashville’s Municipal Auditorium. The legendary festival has become the city’s signature country music event that hosts tens of thousands of fans from all 50 states and 46 international countries. CMA Fest is a one-of-a-kind festival with hundreds of artists donating their time to perform so proceeds can directly benefit high-quality music programs nationwide through the CMA Foundation. This is the 21st consecutive year CMA has produced a summer music program to be broadcast as a network television special on ABC.
