Favorite Thing in Nashville, CMA Music Festival

When people say they want to come visit us or Nashville (basically it’s Nashville), we always suggest coming at the beginning of June.

Why?!?

Believe me, it’s not for the hot/humid weather…

It’s because that’s when the CMA Music Festival takes place!!!!!!

The CMA Music Festival is hands down my FAVORITE thing in Nashville.

The CMA Music Festival is FOUR days (five if you count the kickoff concert the afternoon/evening before) of live country music, vendors, seasoned talent and up-and-coming musicians, giveaways, crowds (aka people watching), food, fun…

Need I say more?!?

If you didn’t already know, I am a BIG fan of state fairs (the Big E in Massachusetts is my favorite), so this is right down my alley. 🙂

Surprisingly enough, not many of our local friends have even heard of, let alone been to the CMA Music Festival. It was by happen chance that my husband heard about it on the radio our first year living here. We thought we needed tickets and saw that they were all sold out (to the LP Field concerts), but I really wanted to check it out, so we did a drive by to see what the CMA Music Festival was all about. To our surprise, we discovered that the events during the day are FREE to the public!

We are talking 400 artists that attend each year with 7 stages in downtown Nashville with back to back concerts and vendors giving things away like they were going out of style (everything from shirts and sunglasses- yes the orange ones above 🙂 to pizza, ice-cream, and jellybeans) and it is completely 100% free to attend! It’s country music’s way of saying thank-you to all its fans.

Getting the Full CMA Music Festival Experience

Obviously, people that want the full CMA Music Festival experience will buy tickets to attend the night concerts at the LP Field, which are good for all four nights. We have never been to the night concerts because frankly I am not a big fan of listening to blazing music in a large area with a lot of people, but we have driven downtown to overhear the music. Our first year, we actually stopped and parked the car a quarter of a mile away (yes it is that loud) to listen in while enjoying a lovely Tennessee sunset.

If you are interested in the CMA Music Festival LP Field tickets you will need to look into purchasing them at least half a year in advance because these tickets sell out fast! Tickets go on sale a year before and people from all over the country and world come to attend this event. It really is no wonder since 6 different well known country music artists perform every night. Artists such as Alan Jackson, Luke Bryan, The Band Perry, Carrie Underwood, Eric Church, Brad Paisley, Jason Aldean, just to name a few.

Fan Fair X- Up Close and Personal

Our second year, I heard about AT&T U-verse Fan Fair X and purchased the $10 per person ticket (children 8 and under are free) to enter the Nashville Convention Center. This is a lot more intimate venue, with opportunities to actually meet and greet musicians and get their autograph. There are more vendors, 3 stages of live music, and Kidsville, a family friendly section (last year they had a big blow up bouncy toy).

Each year they have something different and some of the same, like going inside a tour bus, getting fun pictures taken, and two years ago we had the opportunity to be inside a snow globe!

I know you are jealous. 🙂

My husband likes to tell the story of when I became “star struck” at our Fan Fair X experience last year.

While we were walking around inside the convention center, we saw several famous people we could have waited in line to take a picture with or ask for their autograph.

We decided we weren’t star crazy enough to wait inline and that taking a picture would suffice.

Well it would for my husband anyways.  🙂

I enjoy country music but am not a big follower of the artists. But I was at the time a religious viewer of the show Biggest Loser, so when I saw the host, Alison Sweeney, I got really giddy. My husband was surprised at my excitement and hence his little exaggerated story he likes to tell everyone of when I was “star struck”.

HA, that was nothing! If only Bob Harper or Jillian Michaels were there!

Alison was at the tail end of signing autographs, so sadly I didn’t get the chance to meet her but I took proof with my camera.

See!?! I was an arm’s reach away from her!

My husband says it looks like any old picture I could have googled her name and found. I should have at least taken a selfie with her in the background.

Now he tells me!

CMA Music Festival a MUST See

So if you live around the Nashville area, and even if you aren’t a big fan of country music, the CMA Music Festival is definitely an event that needs to be experienced at least once. If nothing else, it’s a great place to pick up some free swag and do a little people watching. 😉

Will we be seeing YOU next weekend?!