Blake Shelton sold out Nissan Stadium last summer and left 95,000 fans screaming for more.
Now the Country Music Association just announced he's coming back – and he's bringing the best lineup in years with him.
The full CMA Fest 2026 roster just dropped, and what they built for Nashville this June is something you do not want to miss.
What Blake Shelton, Jason Aldean, and Tim McGraw Are Bringing to Nashville
CMA Fest returns to downtown Nashville June 4–7 for its 54th year – and the stadium headliner list reads like a who's who of country music's biggest names.
Blake Shelton headlines Friday night alongside Cody Johnson, Keith Urban, and The Red Clay Strays, with a special mid-field performance from The Band Perry.
Jason Aldean opens the festival Thursday night alongside Ella Langley and Tucker Wetmore, with special performances from two legends – Deana Carter and Gretchen Wilson.
Tim McGraw takes the Saturday stage with Carly Pearce, Jordan Davis, and Zach Top.
Sunday closes out the weekend with Luke Bryan headlining alongside Bailey Zimmerman, Hardy, Riley Green, and Russell Dickerson – plus a special performance from Stephen Wilson Jr.
That's four straight nights of the biggest names in country music packing Nissan Stadium.
But the stadium shows were already announced weeks ago.
What dropped this week is the part that changes everything.
More Than 150 Artists Performing Free Across Five Downtown Stages
The Country Music Association just revealed the full daytime lineup – and it spans five outdoor stages planted across the heart of downtown Nashville, every single one of them free to attend.
That's not a small thing.
Fans who can't afford stadium tickets still get four full days of live country music from some of the genre's best artists, in one of the most beautiful outdoor settings in America.
The Chevy Riverfront Stage along the Cumberland River will feature Tucker Wetmore, Ashley Cooke, Braxton Keith, and Ian Munsick among dozens of performers.
The Dr. Pepper Amp Stage brings Craig Campbell, Pam Tillis, The War and Treaty, and The Voice alum Amily Ann Roberts to Ascend Park.
This year adds something new: the Wrangler Remix Stage inside the brand-new Fan Alley corridor, a reimagined activation space between the Riverfront and Amp stages that gives fans yet another spot to catch live music and soak in the Nashville atmosphere.
Add the Chevy Vibes Stage and the Good Molecules Reverb Stage and you've got more than 150 artists spread across five free outdoor venues for four straight days.
No other festival in America does this.
What Makes CMA Fest Unlike Anything Else
What started as Fan Fair in 1972 with 5,000 fans at Nashville's Municipal Auditorium is now the longest-running country music festival in the world.
More than five decades later, it draws an estimated 95,000 attendees every single day – fans from all 50 states and dozens of countries who make the trip to Music City specifically for this weekend.
Every artist at CMA Fest donates their time to perform.
That means ticket proceeds go directly to the CMA Foundation's music education programs nationwide – funding classrooms, instruments, and teachers across the country for kids who might otherwise never get the chance to learn music.
It's one of the things that separates this festival from every other major music event in the country.
The artists aren't here for a paycheck.
They're here because country music has always been about more than entertainment – and CMA Fest is where that belief shows up in person, every June, without fail.
The ABC television special airs every summer – this year marks its 23rd consecutive broadcast – so if you can't make it to Nashville, you can still catch the performances from your living room.
But if you can get there, the full picture is now on the table: stadium headliners, five free outdoor stages, 150-plus artists, and four days in the city that country music built.
June 4th can't come soon enough.
Sources:
- Amanda Tubbs, "Full CMA Fest Lineup Of More Than 150 Artists Revealed," Country Rebel, March 26, 2026.
- CMA World, "CMA Fest Presented By SoFi Returns To Downtown Nashville," CMA World, February 2026.
- Billboard, "Tim McGraw, Keith Urban, Blake Shelton & More to Play CMA Fest 2026," Billboard, February 2026.
- Country Now, "CMA Fest Reveals Epic Lineup for Free Outdoor Stages," Country Now, March 25, 2026.
- Music Mayhem, "CMA Fest 2026: Tucker Wetmore, Ashley Cooke, Priscilla Block, Stephen Wilson Jr. And More Added To Lineup," Music Mayhem, March 2026.
