CMA Fest’s 50th Anniversary Milestone Celebration Kicks Off In 50 Days!

CMA FEST’S 50TH ANNIVERSARY  MILESTONE CELEBRATION KICKS OFF IN 50 DAYS!

CMA Launches “50 Days Until the 50th” Social Campaign to Celebrate the Legacy of Country Music’s Longest-Running Festival 

The countdown is on—50 days until the 50th! Starting today, the Country Music Association is counting down to its milestone 50th anniversary of CMA Fest, the longest-running Country Music festival in the world. Taking place Thursday, June 8 through Sunday, June 11 in downtown Nashville, CMA Fest features hundreds of artists performing across multiple stages and offers fans from around the globe a festival experience unlike any other.  

Today, CMA launched a social campaign to celebrate its golden anniversary, taking a trip down memory lane with some of Country Music’s most iconic artists as well as current superstars sharing some of their favorite memories of the festival throughout the decades. Kicking off the campaign is Country Music legend, Barbara Mandrell, who performed at the very first CMA Fan Fair in 1972.  

“My favorite memory of CMA Music Festival was when we rented the ballroom at the Opryland hotel, and my fan club had a big breakfast. Ken and I put together games and contests which we were part of with the fan club members that came up on stage and participated,” Mandrell shared along with a photo from the 12th Annual Fan Fair in 1983. Fans can keep an eye on CMA’s social platforms each day through the festival’s kick-off in June to celebrate the countdown along with their favorite Country Music artists. 

From humble beginnings as Fan Fair in 1972, which drew 5,000 attendees to Nashville’s Municipal Auditorium in response to fans bombarding the industry’s annual Country Music DJ convention, the festival has grown into the signature Country Music event for tens of thousands of fans each year from all 50 states and nearly 40 international territories. Having taken several shapes throughout its storied history—from Municipal Auditorium, to the Nashville Speedway Fairgrounds in 1982, to its current footprint in downtown Nashville as of 2001—one thing has remained: there is no other place on earth that offers Country Music fans the unique access and one-of-a-kind personal interactions with their favorite stars.  

With several stage lineups already revealed, fans can expect additional stage announcements and even more surprises to be announced in the coming weeks. While a limited number of Four-Night Stadium passes are currently on sale, fans can access a variety of ticket options at CMAfest.com/tickets.  

CMA Fest is uniquely programmed with artists donating their time so a portion of ticket proceeds can be invested in high-quality music education programs across the U.S. through the CMA Foundation.  

Don’t miss a beat by staying connected with CMA on CMAfest.com, the Official CMA Connect App, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok and sign up for CMA Country Connection emails to receive the latest news as soon as it’s announced.   

Brand-new official CMA Fest merchandise, including an online-only exclusive Fan Fair throwback hat, are available for pre-order at Shop.CMAfest.com and through the Official CMA Connect App. Many more items will be added. Fans will also be able to purchase merchandise at multiple locations across the CMA Fest footprint in June.  

CMA Fest will once again be filmed for a national television special to air on ABC this summer. The “CMA Fest” television special will be executive produced by Robert Deaton.