NASHVILLE—CMA Fest kicked off the weekend early on Friday, with yet another day and night of live Country Music acts performing throughout downtown Nashville. The Chevy Riverfront Stage reached capacity crowds as Hunter Hayes took the stage Friday afternoon, while the Cracker Barrel Country Roads Stage at Ascend Amphitheater saw record attendance in the evening. Six-time CMA Awards winner and 10-time CMA Awards host, Carrie Underwood delivered an unforgettable Nissan Stadium closing set. And Luke Bryan spoke to a packed house on the CMA Close Up Stage at the Artist of the Day session at Xfinity Fan Fair X.
Friday night, the CMA Foundation helped create two special moments for Nashville area music students. At Nissan Stadium, the Andrew Jackson Elementary School Honors Choir performed “This Is Me,” led by band director and CMA Foundation Music Teacher of Excellence Franklin Willis. And across the river at the Cracker Barrel Country Roads Stage at Ascend Amphitheater, students from Oliver Middle School performed “Thankful For” with Adam Sanders, led by band director and CMA Foundation Music Teacher of Excellence Kevin Jankowski.
The CMA Fest app has clocked more than 8.5 million scheduled events between the first two days of the festival, outpacing last year by more than 1.3 million.
CMA Fest is already rocking its way into the weekend, with performances that kicked off this morning at 10:00 AM. Tonight’s concerts at Nissan Stadium feature “CMA Fest” co-host Kelsea Ballerini, Jillian Jacqueline, Dustin Lynch, Jon Pardi, Chris Stapleton, Keith Urban and Lee Ann Womack. Special guest hosts include HGTV’s “Property Brothers” stars Jonathan and Drew Scott, joined by fellow HGTV talent. And tonight, the Cracker Barrel Country Roads Stage at Ascend Amphitheater Presented by Warner Music Nashville features Cole Swindell joined by Cale Dodds, Morgan Evans, Michael Ray, and Tegan Marie.
A limited number of four-day tickets for the nightly concerts at Nissan Stadium, which also includes four-day access to Xfinity Fan Fair X, are still available at CMAfest.com/tickets or through the CMA Box Office at 1-800-CMA-FEST. Fans can purchase the CMA Fest Nash Pass for $60 plus fees, allowing a limited amount of fans VIP early access at the Cracker Barrel Country Roads Stage. The Nash Pass also includes a Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum tour, Ryman Auditorium tour and four-day admission to Xfinity Fan Fair X. Tickets for Xfinity Fan Fair X are available for $10 each day or $25 for a four-day pass.
Don’t miss a beat—download the CMA Fest app, presented by Xfinity, or get connected with CMA on CMAfest.com, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and sign up for CMA Country Connection emails to receive the latest news as soon as it’s announced.
