Country music’s biggest event of the year once again transformed Nashville into an exciting four-day celebration of the music that put the city on the map.
CMA Music Festival is a unique experience among multi-day concerts and music festivals in that it focuses more on artist/fan interactions, autograph signings, family activities, and of course performances by some of today’s biggest names in country music while utilizing various venues throughout Music City.
The 2014 CMA Music Festival, held between June 5-8th, allowed fans to attend free concerts and pop-up performances with the ability to choose between various artists performing on seven stages setup throughout Downtown Nashville.
Of course, this year’s biggest events were held at LP Field for the nightly concert series showcasing some of the most well known artists in country music today. The lineup included performances by Rascall Flatts, Tim McGraw, Eric Church, The Band Perry, Keith Urban, Hunter Hayes, Zac Brown Band, and many more.
It was estimated that a total of 80,000 attendees visited this year’s event and had the opportunity to see nearly 450 artists and performances expanded across the riverfront and throughout the downtown area.
The festival has been compared to the annual South by Southwest festival held in Austin, TX as it brings thousands of music fans from all over the world to take part in various activities and musical performances spread across the entire city which has created a positive impact on the local economy.
Along with giving back to the local community, the CMA Music Festival is also responsible for supporting various national charities. Artists that perform at the festival do so free of charge, and proceeds from the event are donated to “Keep the Music Playing”, a charity funding school music programs nationwide.
The Country Music Association created the festival previously known as Fan Fair in 1972, and the inaugural celebration was held between April 12-15th in Nashville’s Municipal Auditorium featuring 20 hours of live performances and nearly 100 exhibit booths for fans to meet their favorite artists.
Since then, the festival has undergone rebranding, expanded its duration, spread festivities across the entire city, and now has an exclusive televised two-hour special on ABC known as “Country’s Night to Rock” showcasing some of the biggest performances of the event.