Beloved global megastar Dolly Parton will kick off CMA Fest at Fan Fair X on Thursday, June 6 in Downtown Nashville, Tennessee, the Country Music Association announced on Tuesday morning (April 30). Parton will host a special conversation inside the Music City Center — a massive, 2.1 million square foot convention center — to launch the longest-running country festival in the world.
The CMA Close Up Stage will also feature Artists of the Day throughout the weekend. The Country Music Association’s announcement on Tuesday morning showed the featured Artists of the Day are Cody Johnson (Friday, June 7), Thomas Rhett (Saturday, June 8) and Lainey Wilson (Sunday, June 9). Tickets to Fan Fair X are included in four-day stadium passes. Fan Fair X tickets are also available to purchase for all four days or for individual days, according to the Country Music Association.
CMA Fest is returning for its 51st year with a star-studded lineup. Organizers announced last month that performers taking the main stage at Nissan Stadium include Kelsea Ballerini, Brothers Osborne, Luke Bryan, Jordan Davis, HARDY, Jelly Roll, Cody Johnson, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Ashley McBryde, Parker McCollum, Megan Moroney, Jon Pardi, Carly Pearce, The War And Treaty, Thomas Rhett, Keith Urban, Lainey Wilson and Bailey Zimmerman.
Lee Brice, Brett Young, Lady A’s Charles Kelley, Tracy Lawrence, Maddie & Tae and other artists will also perform at Ascend Amphitheater, and many singer-songwriters will play other stages throughout the weekend, including free outdoor performances. Hundreds of artists will perform across 10 stages spanning the four-day event, hold intimate meet-and-greets at Fan Fair X inside Music City Center, and more, per a press release issued by the CMA last month.
The festival will be filmed for a national TV special airing on ABC and Hulu over the summer. CMA Fest is set for June 6-9. See previously-announced artist lineups on various stages here.