Top Highlights from the 2025 CMA Fest in Downtown Nashville
Surprise Guests, Emerging Acts, and Superstars Take Over Nashville.
Written by Amanda Tempel
CMA Fest, the longest-running Country Music festival in the world, returned to downtown Nashville for its 52nd year this past weekend, welcoming an estimated 95,000 fans from across the globe for four days of live music, artist discovery and unforgettable moments. From June 5-8, artists, fans and industry came together to celebrate the music that connects—onstage, in the crowd, and in classrooms across the country thanks to the festival’s philanthropic impact.
“What an incredible four days and nights. Even with a few weather interruptions, the energy and spirit of our fans never faded,” says Sarah Trahern, CMA Chief Executive Officer. “From legendary acts to artists playing CMA Fest for the very first time, this year was a celebration of discovery, connection and community. And the fact that it all helps fund the CMA Foundation’s work in music education makes it even more impactful.”
Fans traveled from all 50 states and 33 countries to experience CMA Fest, which brought over 300 performances to stages across downtown Nashville. From unforgettable stadium moments to must-see pop-ups and surprise appearances, the weekend was filled with standout performances and powerful fan-artist connections.
As the presenting partner of CMA Fest, SoFi hosted fans at the SoFi Plus Lounge throughout the weekend—including an exclusive SoFi Plus Experience with a surprise appearance by Kelsea Ballerini at Nissan Stadium ahead of her headlining performance. Ballerini joined SoFi Chief Marketing Officer, Lauren Stafford-Webb for a candid conversation about their shared commitment to empowering the next generation to invest early, ask questions, and get the right financial education in order to realize their ambitions and get their money right. The event included an acoustic performance of “Baggage” and a spotlight on SoFi’s new partnership with Ballerini and tnAchieves through the Rising Stars Program which will invest over 2 million dollars in financial literacy resources and tools to help Tennessee students start investing early as well as offering each student a minimum of $5 in stock and the chance to get up to $1,000 to start building their investment portfolios.
CMA Fest Day 1 Highlights
A powerful national anthem by K. Michelle.
Charles Esten opened the show with surprise appearances by his former Nashville castmates.
Ella Langley and Riley Green collaborated on “You Look Like You Love Me” and “Don’t Mind If I Do.”
Darius Rucker brought his signature hits to the main stage, and Scotty McCreery made a special appearance.
Tigirlily Gold and Max McNown made their stadium debut on the Platform Stage.
Country Music Hall of Famers Brooks & Dunn brought out special guests Lainey Wilson and Marcus King.
CMA Award winner Jason Aldean closed out the night by surprising the crowd to a duet with Travis Tritt on “It’s a Great Day to Be Alive.”
CMA Fest Day 2 Highlights
Rita Wilson, who has played many shows at CMA Fest throughout the years, had the chance to play the stadium show.
Shaboozey and Jelly Roll performed their crowd-favorite “Amen.”
Parker McCollum took the stage with selections from his upcoming new album.
Cody Johnson teamed up with Carín León for “She Hurts Like Tequila.”
Brandon Lake made his stadium debut and surprised the crowd with another appearance from Jelly Roll.
Kameron Marlowe and Sam Barber performed on the Platform Stage.
Noah Kahn joined superstar Kelsea Ballerini for an unforgettable performance of “Cowboys Cry Too” and “Stick Season.”
Keith Urban closed the rainy night with fan favorites and new music.
CMA Fest Day 3 Highlights
Deana Carter returned to CMA Fest with an opening performance featuring her nostalgic hits.
One of the fastest-rising bands, The Red Clay Strays, made their stadium debut.
Blake Shelton brought Trace Adkins out for a few duets.
Tiera Kennedy and Carter Faith made their stadium debuts on the Platform Stage.
Reigning CMA New Artist of the Year Megan Moroney performed.
One of this generation’s most successful hitmakers, Jordan Davis, took the stage.
Rascal Flatts made their return to CMA Fest with special guest Carly Pearce joining them.
CMA Fest Day 4 Highlights
Rodney Atkins opened the show with his chart-topping hits.
Zach Top debuted new music and his viral hit “I Never Lie.”
Avery Anna, Kashus Culpepper, Dylan Scott, and Tucker Wetmore all hit the Platform Stage.
Ashley McBryde performed – she is also serving as the CMA Fest TV special co-host
Bailey Zimmerman was joined by BigXthaPlug and Josh Ross.
Dierks Bentley brought his tourmate Zach Top back onstage for several duets.
Luke Bryan wrapped up the four-day festival with his beloved hits.
The 53rd CMA Fest presented by SoFi will take place in Nashville from Thursday, June 4 through Sunday, June 7, 2026. Tickets will be available for purchase on Thursday, June 26 at Ticketmaster.
“CMA Fest presented by SoFi,” the three-hour primetime television special hosted by Cody Johnson and Ashley McBryde, airs Thursday, June 26 at 8/7c on ABC and streams next day on Hulu.
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