CMA Music Festival announces free nightly concerts at the Cracker Barrel Country Roads Stage located in downtown Nashville’s Ascend Amphitheater Thursday, June 8 through Saturday, June 10, beginning at 7:00 PM/CT each evening.
Big and Rich “Bring the Party” will kick off the 2017 festivities Thursday with special guests DJ Sinister & the Country Fried Mix and Cowboy Troy. Additional performers include Deana Carter, Billy Ray Cyrus, and Country Music Hall of Fame members The Oak Ridge Boys, presented by Nash Icon.
Sara Evans will headline Ladies of Country Friday. Also performing are songstresses 3 Girls Rock into a Bar featuring Kelleigh Bannen, Ruthie Collins, and Natalie Stovall; Danielle Bradbery; Kellie Pickler; and Aubrie Sellers, hosted by media partner WKRN-TV, ABC’s Channel 2 Nashville.
SiriusXM The Highway presents Saturday with Dan + Shay, Hunter Hayes, High Valley and RaeLynn, with additional performances by newcomers Cale Dodds, Ryan Kinder and Bailey Bryan, all powered by Warner Sound.
“With tens of thousands of Country Music fans pouring in from all over the U.S. and over two dozen countries, CMA’s partnership with Cracker Barrel to present free nightly concerts at Ascend offers non-four-day ticket holders access to additional nighttime options and the chance to see even more of their favorite artists,” said Sarah Trahern, CMA Chief Executive Officer.
“Music and entertainment are an important part of the Cracker Barrel brand experience because the platform provides an invaluable and resounding connection with our guests, which is why we’ve committed to this partnership for the next three years,” said Cracker Barrel Old Country Store Senior Vice President of Marketing Don Hoffman.
During the Festival, Cracker Barrel will also launch “Rock-A-Thon,” a rocking chair experience to raise money for the CMA Foundation, Thursday through Saturday evening. The brand will bring a little piece of home to downtown Nashville by displaying 644 rocking chairs, a symbol of its nationwide store count. If Festival-goers collectively rock at least 150,000 times in a rocker, Cracker Barrel will donate $15,000 to the CMA Foundation. Fans can follow along online and on smart phones to track the progress at www.CBRockathon.com. For more information on Cracker Barrel activations at CMA Music Fest, follow along on social media using hashtag #CBMusic.
Funds generated through CMA Music Festival benefit music education. Since 2006, CMA and the CMA Foundation have donated more than $17.5 million to support quality, sustainable music education initiatives across the country on behalf of the artists who participate in the event for free, impacting the lives of one million children through the power of music.
Joining the star-packed lineup of the Nightly Concerts at Nissan Stadium to sing the National Anthem each evening will be Phil Vassar on Thursday alongside the United States Customs and Border Protection color guard, Brooke Eden on Friday, the Knoxville, Tennessee Central High School Bobcat Company choral group, led by Choral Director Matt Parks Saturday, and Restless Heart Sunday.
The HGTV Lodge returns to the 2017 CMA Music Festival with Country Music’s hottest stars taking the stage in the network’s popular and unique venue. The 3,500-square-foot HGTV Lodge, located at the corner of Fourth Avenue and Broadway, will offer Festival-goers the Ultimate Country Music Fan Experience™, including live musical performances by popular artists Maren Morris, Old Dominion, Darius Rucker and Keith Urban, as well as special appearances by HGTV stars Mina Starsiak and Karen E Laine (“Good Bones”), Ben and Erin Napier (“Home Town”), Jonathan and Drew Scott (“Property Brothers”) and Dave and Kortney Wilson (“Masters of Flip”).
The HGTV Lodge, which celebrates its sixth consecutive year at CMA Fest, also will host performances and autograph signings with many more Country Music stars, including Lauren Alaina, Bobby Bones, Brothers Osborne, Kane Brown, Luke Combs, Russell Dickerson, Tyler Farr, Chris Janson, Eric Paslay, RaeLynn, Michael Ray, Josh Turner and Brett Young. Great American Country’s Suzanne Alexander will serve as the HGTV Lodge emcee during the four-day event.
Social discovery app Bumble is teaming up with Grammy and seven-time CMA Award-winning trio Lady Antebellum to bring the “You Look Good” Beetique to CMA Fest on Saturday from 10:00 AM-4:00 PM/CT at The Bell Tower. The Beetique will feature a beautiful indoor aesthetic and create a space that complements both Bumble’s mission of empowering women and the meaning behind the group’s new single — the lighthearted spirit of feeling good. Bumble users are invited to attend and experience a beauty bar powered by Sephora and styling studio from The Dry House, as well as a BFF Lounge, photo booths, a custom menu of bites and refreshments provided by Brancott Estate Wines, all curated by Cassie Kelley of Womanista.
The event will also feature artist appearances throughout the day from Alaina, Kelsea Ballerini, Bannen, Bradbery, Cam, Sara Evans, Karen Fairchild and Kimberly Schlapman of Little Big Town, Megan & Liz, Kacey Musgraves , Post Monroe and influencers Caroline Hobby and Brooke Webb of KBStyled. Select attendees of the Beetique will have the chance to attend the evening’s exclusive private event “Hottest Date Night Ever” with special performances by Walker Hayes, Lady Antebellum and Young. Fans can follow the event and join the conversation using hashtags #BumbleBeetique and #YouLookGood, and see highlights at @Bumble on Instagram or blog.bumble.com.
“CMA identified a unique opportunity in partnering with Bumble for this digital activation so that fans can interact with some of their favorite artists in an engaging, and more accessible way,” said Damon Whiteside, CMA Chief Marketing Officer.
A limited number of tickets for the Nightly Concerts at Nissan Stadium are still available through the CMA Box Office at 1-800-CMA-FEST. Nightly Concert tickets also include four-day access to Xfinity Fan Fair X. Outdoor daytime stages including the Chevrolet Riverfront and Park Stages, Budweiser “Forever Country” Park Stage, Gildan Broadway Stage at Hard Rock Cafe and the Music City Stage inside the Nashville Visitor Center at Bridgestone Arena are free and open to the public.
CMA is offering a special CMA Fest Nash Pass for $50 plus tax which includes a four-day Xfinity Fan Fair X ticket, a self-guided tour of the Ryman Auditorium (that must be used during the Festival), admission to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum and VIP entry and seating at Ascend Amphitheater’s nightly concerts. Nash Pass VIP entry will be accessible from 5:00 PM/CT to 7:00 PM/CT. Gates open to the general public at 6:00 PM/CT.
Updates to the Official 2017 CMA Fest App, including information on more stages, real-time alerts for secret shows, schedule customizations and share options, and connecting with friends, are all now available. Fans can also register for CMA Fest Fan Access within the app for a chance to win a VIP trip for two to the 2018 CMA Fest, airfare, hotel accommodations, and front row tickets to the Nightly Concerts at Nissan Stadium. Fans who sign up can enter the Ultimate Fan Experiences Drawing starting Tuesday, May 30 at 10:00 AM/CT for chances to win meet & greets with artists and special performances in the HGTV Lodge, plus register their QR code at scan stations throughout the Festival for chances to win instant prizes.
The app is available for iOS in the Apple App Store and Android in the Google Play Store. For more details, visit CMAfest.com/app.
Stay connected with CMA on CMAfest.com, Facebook.com/CMA, Twitter.com/CountryMusic, Instagram.com/CMA, “CMAsnaps” on Snapchat, and sign up for CMA Country Connection, CMA’s e-newsletter.
