Why You Need To Go To CMA Fest in Nashville

CMA Fest Nashville, Tennessee

If you love country music, you will absolutely love CMA Fest in Nashville.  This year was my first CMA Fest and what surprised me the most was how many unbelievable free concerts there were everywhere.  A few of the artists I saw in concert for ABSOLUTELY FREE were Bailey Zimmerman, Old Dominion, Warren Zeiders, Chris Young, Lainey Wilson, Nikko Moon and many more!  Let me tell you why you need to go to CMA Fest in Nashville!

My first CMA Fest was a couples trip to celebrate our friends joint 50th birthdays. I had been to Nashville before on a girls trip, my husband had never been.  I am the trip planner in our family, but this was a trip that I wasn’t planning at all.   We were just along for the ride on a birthday celebration for our friends Terri & Pete, and they had done all of the planning.   There were 4 couples total from our neighborhood and none of us had ever been to CMA Fest before.   We are huge country music fans and had seen the tv concert special in the past, but had no idea of the magnitude of the festival. 

What is CMA Fest?

CMA Fest (short for Country Music Association Festival) is held annually in Nashville, Tennessee.  The festival takes place at the  beginning of June and attracts over 80,000 country music fans from all over the world.  It is one of the largest country music festivals in the United States.  CMA Fest is four days long, starting on a Thursday morning and ending late Sunday night. 

During the day, CMA Fest has incredible free concerts from country music’s stars, spread across 7 stages in and around the famous Broadway Street (also known as Honky Tonk Highway).  Each night during the festival, there is a huge multi-artist concert at Nissan Stadium (home of the NFL Tennessee Titans) The concerts at Nissan Stadium are among the few concerts that are not free during CMA Fest.  The proceeds from ticket sales go to the CMA Foundation, a charity that works to provide music education and access to all students. 
 

NISSAN STADIUM NIGHTLY CONCERTS

Each night during the four nights of CMA Fest you can watch the biggest names in country music perform at Nissan Stadium.   The stadium is located directly across the river from Broadway.  There is a pedestrian walking bridge that takes you across the river from Broadway to Nissan Stadium, a little less than a mile walk.  There is also a shuttle bus available that takes you to and from Broadway and the stadium.   

Nissan Stadium Concert Tickets

The nightly CMA Fest concerts at Nissan Stadium are among the few that you will actually have to pay for during CMA Fest.   You can purchase 4 night tickets at a discount or single night tickets if you just want to go one or two nights.  Tickets go on sale in July–eleven months before CMA Fest, and they do sell out pretty quickly. 

The lineup for the Nissan Stadium concerts isn’t announced until May, only a month prior to the event.  So, you will most likely buy your tickets before you know who the lineup will be.  If you only want to go to the concert for one or two nights, you could wait until the lineup comes out and try to buy them on a 3rd party ticket site like Stub Hub or Seat Geek, however, they will likely be more expensive.   

The lineup for the Nissan Stadium concerts is always the year’s most popular artists in country music, so you will not be disappointed!  This was the lineup for the 2023 Nissan Stadium CMA Fest: 

2023 CMA Fest Nissan Stadium Lineup, Nashville
CMA Fest Nissan Stadium Nashville
CMA Fest in Nashville TN

Free Daytime CMA Fest CONCERTS

The best part of CMA Fest is the amazing free concerts all day, every day!  There are 7 different outdoor CMA Fest stages sprinkled throughout the Broadway part of Nashville.  Each of these stages have free concerts all day by both up and coming and popular country music artists. 
 
The Chevy Riverfront Stage has the most popular stars each day.   Riverfront Stage is located on the water at the very end of Broadway Street, with Nissan Stadium across the river as a backdrop.  It is still unbelievable to me that all of these concerts are completely free.  These are outdoor concerts, so you just walk up and watch.  All CMA Fest concerts are family-friendly events, kids are welcome!  
 
Some of the artists that played at the free CMA Fest stages this year include Lainey Wilson, Bailey Zimmerman, Adam Doleac, Warren Zeiders & Megan Moroney.
 
CMA Fest Riverfront Stage Concert Line Up
Riverfront Stage at CMA Fest Nashville
Riverfront Stage with Nissan Stadium in the background
Why you need to go to CMA Fest in Nashville TN
Free Concerts at CMA Fest Nashville TN
Free Concerts at CMA Fest

Check out the highlights of the amazing artists we saw for free during the day at CMA Fest in the video below.

FREE CONCERTS AT BROADWAY BARS

In addition to the free concerts offered at the seven different CMA Fest outdoor stages during the day, several of the bars on Broadway have free concerts of big name artists during the day.  

The Broadway bar Ole Red hosts The Spotify House during CMA Fest, which features free concerts by country music’s biggest stars all day during CMA Fest.  There is a different country star every hour at the Spotify House.  Some bars had big name concerts that were not advertised, other than a sign outside of the bar that day.
 
Free Concerts at CMA Fest Spotify House
Free Concerts at the Spotify House During CMA Fest

PRIVATE FAN CLUB CONCERTS

In addition to the free CMA Fest stages and the free bar concerts, there are also a large number of free private fan club concerts.  Most of the big country stars will hold private concerts for members of their fan clubs during CMA Fest.   

When we went to CMA Fest, there were 4 couples going from our neighborhood.  Two of the couples took a 6 am flight out of DC, putting them in Nashville by 8:30 am on Day 1 of CMA Fest. (They had to leave for the airport at 4:00 am!)  That was too early for us, so we took the 10 am flight.  As we were boarding our 10 am flight, our friends from the earlier flight were texting us pictures and videos of them at an unexpected private concert with Luke Combs!   

They were walking down Broadway looking for a breakfast place  just before 9:00 am and happened to walk past a bar that was setting up for a 9:00 am Luke Combs concert.  When they tried to go in, the bouncer asked if they were “Bootleggers.”  Bootleggers is the name of Luke Combs’ fan club.  They weren’t, but quickly signed up on their phones and the bouncer was kind enough to let them in regardless!  So they went in and saw Luke Combs with just about 50 other people!   I was so jealous that we didn’t take the earlier flight!  I would for sure have woken up at 3:30 am for that!

Check out the video below that my friends Terri & Kate took inside the Luke Combs fan club concert. 

 

Our Free Private Old Dominion Concert

The highlight of CMA Fest for me was our incredible Old Dominion experience.  On Thursday, we went into the popular Acme Seed & Feed bar and restaurant on Broadway.  The bouncer at the door told us that the next day, Old Dominion was playing a free concert  upstairs in their private room at 10:00 am.  He said the first 100 people in line would get in, and if we wanted to be sure to get in, he would recommend getting in line around 8:00 am.  
 

Up and At’em! 

Getting up and getting in line by 8:00 am after our first night out in Nashville was difficult.  We did not manage to get in line by 8:00 am but we did manage to get there by 8:30!  We were thrilled to discover that the line was not that long when we got there, so we knew we would get in. 
 
Waiting in line was actually fun! My girlfriends and I held the spots in line while the husbands went to get us all breakfast sandwiches.  We made friends with the other people in line with us, and somehow ended up with jello shots and champagne in line by 9:00 am! Breakfast of champions!
 

When the doors opened at 9:30,  we received VIP Old Dominion lanyards and were led upstairs to a private room where the stage was set up.  When we arrived in the room, we were given goody bags which consisted of Old Dominion beach towels, Old Dominion coozies, and some candy. 

Why you should go to cma fest in nashville tennessee
Waiting In Line For Old Dominion
Breakfast sandwich in line at CMA Fest in Nashville TN
Breakfast in Line
Free swag from free Old Dominion Concert at CMA Fest in Nashville
Our Free Old Dominion Swag

The Concert 

The room was small, so when Old Dominion came out, it felt like a small intimate gathering.  They did a Q&A session with the fans where we could ask them questions and even took song requests.  Old Dominion played for about an hour for us! It was incredible!  
 
After the concert was over, they had stations set up around the room for the fans.  One of the stations was a custom embroidery station.  They gave each person a free Old Dominion snapback hat, and they would personalize your hat for you by embroidering your name onto the back of it.  (All for free!) 
 
They also had a photo area set up like a replica of Old Dominion’s self titled album, with the same couch, wallpaper, carpet to recreate their group photo from the album.   A photographer was there to take your picture on the couch.  
Free Old Dominion concert at CMA Fest in Nashville TN
VIP Lanyardsa at free Old Dominion concert during CMA Fest in Nashville
Why you need to go to CMA Fest in Nashville TN
Custom embroidered hat we received at Old Dominion Concert
Free Old Dominion hat we received during CMA Fest in Nashville TN
Recreating the Old Dominion album cover at CMA Fest in Nashville TN
Recreating the Album Cover
Why you need to go to CMA Fest in Nashville TN

And Another Surprise Concert!

To top it all off, they announced that they had a surprise concert in the same room in 30 minutes, and if we were already in, we could stay for that concert.   It was Chris Young!  So, of course we stayed!  
 
When we left, it was only 12:30pm, and we had already seen two private concerts!  Best Day Ever!!
 

Click below to watch some highlights from our private concert

CMA Connect App

Between the seven CMA Fest stages,  the free bar concerts and the fan club concerts, we felt like we needed a spreadsheet to keep track of it all! The CMA Connect App is really helpful. The app has the line ups for each of the seven free CMA Fest stages each day.  

On the app, you can click on each stage to view their line up for the day. Then you can select the artists you are interested in seeing at each stage.  The app then gives you your own daily schedule based on the concerts you selected.  CMA Connect app sends you reminder alerts 30 minutes before each concert, as well as maps to each of the stages.  It will also send you alerts if any of the outdoor stages are at capacity.  The only stage that ever reached capacity was the Riverfront Stage. 

CMA Connect app only has the official CMA Fest stages, so it does not include the bar concerts or the fan club concerts.  I wish there was a way to add those in, too,  so that you could include everything in your daily schedule.   

Why you should go to cma fest in nashville tennessee
Why you should go to cma fest in nashville, tn
cma connect app cma fest 2023

FAN FAIR X

Fan Fair X is a ticketed event held inside  the Music City Center and features  indoor concerts at the CMA Close Up Stage, meet and greets, games  and exhibitors selling merchandise.  There are also Q&A sessions with several artists in the Music City Center auditorium.  Tickets are $20 per person, unless you have a 4 night CMA Fest Stadium Pass, in which case admission to Fan Fair X is included.  Check out the lineup of concerts at Fan Fair X in 2023 below.
Stage line up at Fan Fair X during CMA Fest in Nashville tn
Concert Lineup at Fan Fair X

CMA FEST TICKET PACKAGES

Ticket packages for the evening tickets are available on the CMA Fest website.  There are different ticket packages available, some also include hotel accommodations.  Click here for information on CMA Fest tickets.
Chevy Riverfront Stage during CMA Fest in Nashville, TN

Helpful CMA Fest Tips

Clear Bag Policy

All of the CMA Fest concerts (both daytime and nighttime) have bag policies.  Bags must be clear plastic, vinyl or PVC and may not exceed 12″ x 12″ x 6.”  In addition to the clear bag, a small clutch bag or wallet 6.5″ x 4.5″ or smaller is also allowed.  My Lululemon belt bag was within the approved size for a small clutch bag, so I didn’t use a clear bag. 
 

All CMA Fest Venues Are Cashless

No cash is accepted at any CMA Fest venue.  Credit cards, or ApplePay are accepted.  
 

No Chairs or Umbrellas Allowed

You cannot bring chairs or umbrellas into any of the outdoor stages at CMA Fest.  If rain is forecasted, bring a poncho.  We saw people with blankets to sit on.  Blankets are good for the time between artists, but once the artists come on, everyone is standing so you will not be able to see from the ground.  I’m not sure it would be worth having to carry the blanket around for the short time time between artists. 

Dress For The Hot Weather & Bring Sunscreen

CMA Fest is held outdoors in June, it is hot! The CMA Fest outdoor stages have misting stations that you can cool off with.  It is so important to dress for the hot weather.   I saw so many girls walking around in suede or leather skirts and dresses.  They looked cute, but I can’t imagine how hot they must’ve been in that fabric.  Wear something that will keep you cool and that you won’t be sweating in! 

Most importantly, don’t forget to bring sunscreen! The concerts are all outdoors with no shade.  I applied sunscreen in the morning and packed a travel size sunscreen in my belt bag each day to reapply as needed.  You don’t want to start out the week with a sunburn. 

 

Think Twice About Wearing Your Cute Cowboy Boots

CMA Fest covers two square miles of Nashville, and you will be walking everywhere.  I was hitting my 10,000 steps most days by lunchtime.  Between the amount of walking you will be doing and how hot it will be, you will want to be wearing comfortable, breathable shoes. Resist the urge to wear your cute cowboy boots.  They are not comfortable for the excessive amount of walking you will be doing and they will make your feet feel a lot hotter!   

I wore sneakers every day during the day and I wore sandals out at night.  For our concert at Nissan Stadium I decided to wear my cowboy boots–it was a nighttime concert so it wasn’t going to be too hot, and we were taking the shuttle to the stadium, so I wasn’t going to be walking. BIG MISTAKE! What I didn’t realize is that even though we took the shuttle to the concert, it would be impossible to get a shuttle or Uber after the concert.  We ended up having to walk across the pedestrian bridge, which was almost two miles to our hotel.  It wouldn’t have been bad if I was in my comfortable shoes.  But walking that distance in my cowboy boots after standing for four hours in them during the concert was a beating on my feet..  

For a normal trip to Nashville, or a normal country concert–cowboy boots are great.  But with the amount of walking required at CMA Fest in particular, they are just not practical.  
 
Pedestrian bridge at cma fest in Nashville, tn
Pedestrian Bridge From Stadium to Broadway

THINGS I WOULD DO DIFFERENTLY NEXT TIME

Dinner

Each night we were in Nashville, we were so busy at the free concerts that we never had time to go eat at a nice restaurant.  Having been to Nashville before, I knew there were some fabulous restaurants.  We ended up eating dinner each night at the bar restaurants.  I am gluten free and unfortunately, the bar food menus were almost all the same:  fried chicken sandwiches, burgers, chicken tenders and nachos–which was the only thing on the menu that was gluten free.. I ate nachos for dinner all three nights at three different bars.  Next time, we will definitely make time for a nice dinner at least one of the nights!
 

Arrival and Departure Days

The free concerts start on Thursday morning at 10:00 am and CMA Fest ends with an evening concert at Nissan Stadium on Sunday night.  Next time, I would fly to Nashville on Wednesday night and come back home on Monday morning instead of Thursday through Sunday.  We missed half of CMA Fest on Thursday by the time our flight got in and we got our luggage dropped off at the hotel.  Then we missed all day Sunday with our noon flight.  
 

Nissan Stadium Concerts

We only went to one of the 4 concerts at Nissan Stadium.  Next time, I would definitely do more.  I am torn on the 4 night pass, because the concerts don’t end until close to midnight, which doesn’t give you any time to experience the fabulous live music at all of the regular Broadway bars.  For people like my husband, where CMA Fest is also their first time in Nashville, they will want to experience the typical live music Broadway bar scene.  But I would definitely want to do at least 2 of the 4 nights at the stadium.   

Secondly, next time I will definitely get better seats.  We bought our tickets from Stub Hub on the way to the airport! We originally were not going to do any of the evening concerts but made a last minute (wise) decision that we needed to see at least one while we were there.  Since we bought the tickets the day before, we were all the way up in the top level.  While it was still a great concert, it would have been much better had we had better seats.

Bluebird Cafe Open House

I have been to Nashville twice and still have not been to the famous Bluebird Cafe.  During CMA Fest, the Bluebird Cafe hosts an Open House, where they allow fans to come in and take pictures on the stage and shop exclusive merchandise.  The Bluebird Cafe is not located in the Broadway district, so it wasn’t as convenient to get there  during CMA Fest. Next time I am in Nashville, I definitely want to check out the Bluebird Cafe.  

Fan Clubs

After our trip to CMA Fest, I came home and joined the fan clubs of my favorite artists.  Most of the fan clubs are free to join and they will give me access to the fan club private concerts at CMA Fest.   We talked to several people at CMA Fest who had been to various fan club concerts during the week. 

Apple Air Tag 

The biggest mistake I made at CMA Fest was not putting an Apple AirTag in my checked luggage.  On my flight back home from Nashville to DC, my luggage was lost.  Thank goodness it wasn’t lost on the way to Nashville! Regardless, I had to replace all of my toiletries, make up, hair tools, jewelry, shoes, clothing, etc. 

I filed a claim with the airline, and the first question on the claim form asked if I had an AirTag in my suitcase to track it.  Unfortunately, the answer was no.  Six weeks later, my suitcase appeared on my front porch, which I was thrilled about.  However, even though I had already purchased replacements in those 6 weeks, the airline would not reimburse me because my luggage was eventually found.  An AirTag costs $20, replacing all of my suitcase items cost me over a thousand dollars.  

Two months after our Nashville trip, we took a big family vacation and I bought AirTags for all of our checked bags.  When they asked me at the gate if I was willing to check my carry on bag, I said no because my carry-on did not have an AirTag in it.  I learned my lesson the hard way and will never make that mistake again. 

why you should go to cma fest in nashville tn

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