(Pictured above: Country superstar — and local mommy! — Carrie Underwood live in concert. She’s on the lineup at Nissan Stadium on Friday, June 10.)
Country music’s biggest fan extravaganza — the CMA Music Festival — fills the streets of downtown Nashville June 9 – 12, and here’s exciting news for you — a limited number of four-day festival passes that includes seats to the big nightly concerts at Nissan Stadium have been released and are available through the Nashville CVB — but you have to purchase them by Tuesday, June 7. The four-day passes range from $200 (upper level) to $380 (lower level), and aside from the main concerts, they also include entry to Fan Fair X (more on that below).
The nightly concert lineup is as follows:
THURSDAY, JUNE 9
Jason Aldean, Kelsea Ballerini, Dierks Bentley, Charlie Daniels Band, Miranda Lambert, Rascal Flatts and The Oak Ridge Boys
FRIDAY, JUNE 10
Clint Black, Eric Church, Sam Hunt, Chris Stapleton, Carrie Underwood, Hank Williams Jr. and Frankie Ballard
SATURDAY, JUNE 11
Florida Georgia Line, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Blake Shelton, Cole Swindell, Steven Tyler, Chris Young and Marshall Tucker Band
SUNDAY, JUNE 12
Luke Bryan, Brett Eldredge, Exile, Little Big Town, Thomas Rhett, Keith Urban and Ray Stevens
MORE MUSIC THAT’S FREE!
There are a total of 11 stages of music happening during the four-day extravaganza, including seven scattered around downtown offering free concerts daily, including Walk of Fame Park, the Bridgestone Arena Plaza, Riverfront Park and others. Artists performing free concerts during the four-day festival include Charles Esten, Brothers Osborne, Jake Owen, Ty Herndon, Eric Paslay, RaeLynn, Maddie & Tae, Jana Kramer, Jamie Lynn Spears, Lorrie Morgan and many more.
There are two new stages this year at Ascend Amphitheater which hosts a free kick-off concert and opening CMA Music Fest on Wednesday, June 8 at 11 a.m. Country star Chris Young hosts the festivities that include an appearance by Nashville Mayor Megan Barry, the Fisk Jubilee Singers and Metro Nashville Public Schools students who have benefited from the funds generated by the festival. Proceeds from the CMA Music Fest support music education for students both locally and nationally. Since 2006, the festival has raised more than $11 million for music education initiatives.
FAN FAIR X
One of the main attractions during the CMA Music Fest is Fan Fair X. Located inside the enormous Music City Center, there’s a lot of activity going down here from 9:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. — and it’s air conditioned!!! While you take a break from the heat, children can hop over to the Kids’ Zone where there are inflatables, crafts and other activities. Fan Fair X also features lots of interactive displays and this is the area where you can meet your favorite country stars, get their autographs and pose for a photo. These lines get long, so get there early to get in line (the entire schedule is at the website).
New this year, Fan Fair X hosts “Artist of the Day” interviews with four popular artists who might also entertain the crowd with an acoustic performance. Taking place at 11 a.m. each day, the spotlight artists are Hillary Scott (Thursday), Charles Esten (Friday), Martina McBride (Saturday) and Charles Kelley (Sunday).
Tickets for Fan Fair X only are $10 for ages 9 and older or $25 for a four-day pass; ages 8 and younger are free.
Tickets for the main stage concerts for 2017 will go on sale on July 11 (renewals are June 6 – 16) — and they sell out fast!
For more info about this year’s CMA Music Festival, visit cmaworld.com/cma-music-festival.
