Here's What Happened At The 2023 CMA Fest

For the 50th anniversary of the CMA Fest, Elle King, Dierks Bentley and Lainey Wilson hosted a three-hour primetime special. 

CMA Chief Executive Officer Sarah Trahern said, "Each of these artists have a deep passion for CMA Fest and the Country Music fans from around the globe who travel to Nashville for the event. We are thrilled to have all three of them together to help us celebrate 50 years!" 

The special is set to air on July 19th, with performances, and parts of the festival which took place from June 8th to June 11th in Nashville, Tennessee.

Last year, Dierks and Elle King co-hosted as a duo, and now with the addition of Lainey Wilson, it is being said to "amplify" the energy from last year.

The first ever CMA Fest took place in 1972, with 5,000 attendees in Nashville's Municipal Auditorium. Now 50 years later, tens of thousands of fans are expected from all over the globe to attend "The Ultimate Country Music Fan Experience."

The artists who perform don't get paid, instead all ticket profits go toward the CMA Foundation, a nonprofit aiming to support equitable music programs around the US.

The CMA Foundation claims its efforts focus "on providing sustainability, advocacy, and accountability within music education by investing in various resources for students, schools and communities."

The headliners for this year were:

Luke Combs 

Jason Aldean

Luke Bryan

Eric Church

Tim McGraw

Elle King 

Dierks Bentley

Lainey Wilson and more.

The CMA Fest will air on Wednesday July 19th on ABC, with the celebration of the 50th anniversary.

The lineup was announced last Tuesday and includes stars such as:

Tim McGraw

Miranda Lambert

Luke Bryan

Keith Urban

Luke Combs and more.

Dozens of the biggest and brightest stars in the genre performed across various venues from June 8th - 11th.

The Nissan Stadium had the following performers:

Tim McGraw

Miranda Lambert

Luke Bryan

Luke Combs

Keith Urban

Eric Church

Jason Aldean

Jimmie Allen

Dierks Bentley

Dan + Shay

Jordan Davis

HARDY

Tyler Hubbard

Cody Johnson

Little Big Town

Ashley McBryde

Old Dominion

Jon Pardi

Carly Pearce

Lainey Wilson

Megan Moroney

Hailey Whitters

Ashley Cooke

Dalton Dover

Ian Munsick

RVSHVD

Nate Smith

Alana Springsteen

Jo Dee Messina

King Calaway

Tracy Lawrence

Josh Turner

Tanya Tucker

Over at the Chevy Riverfront Stage, saw artists such as:

Lauren Alaina

Cooper Alan

Ingrid Andress

Tenille Arts

Chayce Beckham

Priscilla Block

Danielle Bradbery

Tyler Braden

BRELAND

Ashley Cooke

Jackson Dean

Travis Denning

Madeline Edwards

Morgan Evans

Caylee Hammack

Corey Kent

Jon Langston

Maddie & Tae

Kameron Marlowe

Chase Matthew

Drake Milligan

Niko Moon

Kylie Morgan

Megan Moroney

Ian Munsick

Parmalee

MacKenzie Porter

Restless Road

Jameson Rodgers

Lily Rose

Runaway June

Dylan Scott

Elvie Shane

Conner Smith

Nate Smith

Matt Stell

Hailey Whitters

Lainey Wilson

Warren Zeiders

Bailey Zimmerman

TSU Aristocrat of Bands

The Dr. Pepper Amp Stage played host to the following artists:

A Thousand Horses

Avery Anna

Kassi Ashton

Rodney Atkins

Frankie Ballard

Blanco Brown

Craig Campbell

Mackenzie Carpenter

Callista Clark

Ashland Craft

Tyler Farr

Josh Gracin

Kidd G

Erin Kinsey

Love and Theft

Alexander Ludwig

Dylan Marlowe

Chrissy Metz

William Michael Morgan

David Nail

Jamie O'Neal

Frank Ray

Seaforth

Shenandoah

Caitlyn Smith

Alana Springsteen

The Frontmen

The Red Clay Strays

Pam Tillis

Uncle Kracker

Chancey Williams

Rita Wilson

Raelynn

Ty Herndon

James Barker Band

Puddin (K.Michelle)

Michelle Wright

The Chevy Vibes Stage allowed fans to experience performances from:

Tyler Booth

Dillon Carmichael

Spencer Crandall

Adam Doleac

Dalton Dover

Hannah Ellis

Carter Faith

Ryan Griffin

Chapel Hart

Home Free

Kat & Alex

Halle Kearns

Tiera Kennedy

Brett Kissel

Ella Langley

Jerrod Niemann

Catie Offerman

Drew Parker

Meghan Patrick

Kimberly Perry

Shane Profitt

Tyler Rich

Josh Ross

RVSHVD

Dylan Schneider

Canaan Smith

Noah Thompson

Thompson Square

Kasey Tyndall

Georgia Webster

Mark Wills

Anne Wilson

Jake Worthington

Noah Hicks

Troy Cartwright

Blessing Offor

Christian Paul

Tasha Cobbs Leonard

The Maui Jim Reverb Stage saw performances by:

Tanner Adell

Casey Barnes

Justin Champagne

Ben Chapman

Kyle Clark

Abbey Cone

Melanie Dyer

Taylor Edwards

Drew Green

Jonathan Hutcherson

David J

Willie Jones

Thomas Mac

Bryan Martin

Chase McDaniel

Meg McRee

Madeline Merlo

Logan Michael

David Morris

Patrick Murphy

Neon Union

Griffen Palmer

Pillbox Patti

Peytan Porter

Brandon Ratcliff

Riley Roth

Matt Schuster

Austin Snell

Tigirlily Gold

Anna Vaus

Lathan Warlick

Lauren Watkins

Sam Williams

Stephen Wilson Jr.

John Morgan

Brit Taylor

Roan Ash

Trea Landon

Andrew Jannakos

Bryce Leatherwood

Clare Dunn

Greylan James

Taylor Edwards

The Spotlight Stage saw performances by:

Alexandra Kay

CB30

Charly Reynolds

Flat River Band

Grace Leer

Julie Williams

Karley Scott Collins

Loren Ryan

MaRynn Taylor

Nate Barnes

Pryor Baird

Sarah Allison Turner

Chloe Styler

Conor Clemmons

Dillon James

EJ Vickers

Ian Flanigan

Jillian Cardarelli

Karissa Ella

Nikita Karmen

O.N.E The Duo

On The Outside

SACHA

Sophia Scott

AJ Kross

Brennley Brown

Christiana Alaire

Harper O'Neill

James Johnston 

Jenna Paulette

Laci Kaye Booth

Landon Parker

Roberta Lea

Track 45

Angel White

Taylor Austin Dye

The Chattahoochies

Fredy P

HunterGirl

Keller Cox

Madison Kozak

Robby Johnson

Shaylen

Vincent Mason

Then at the Ascend Amphitheater, fans saw performances from:

Boy Named Banjo

Randy Rogers Band

Tenille Townes

The Cadillac Three

Finally, at the Hard Rock Stage, there were performances from:

CJ Solar

Emily Ann Roberts

Fancy Hagood

Jordan Harvey

Matt Roy

Roman Alexander

Shelby Darrall

Skyelor Anderson

Texas Hill

Walker Montgomery

Adam Mac

Angie K

Britnee Kellogg

Brooke Eden

Chris Housman

Graham Barham

Lanie Gardner

Matt Koziol

Shelly Fairchild

Southerland

BoomTown Saints

Jordan Fletcher

Miko Marks

Reid Haughton

Sean Stemaly

The Dryes

Troubadour Blue

Tyler Dial

War Hippies

Zandi Holup

Aidan Canfield

Alex Hall

Alex Lambert

Everette

Harper Grace

Jake Hoot

Jordan Rowe

Logan Crosby

Reyna Roberts

Some artists played multiple stages across the four days.

Some other artists that were missing this year for unknown reasons included: 

Carrie Underwood

Thomas Rhett

Parker McCollum

Russell Dickerson

Brothers Osborne

Kelsea Ballerini

Darius Rucker

Zac Brown Band

Lady A

Cole Swindell

Dustin Lynch

Wynonna Judd

Billy Ray Cyrus

Morgan Wallen

Brooks and Dunn

Garth Brooks

LeAnn Rimes

Vince Gill

Trace Adkins

Dolly Parton

Reba McEntire

Sarah Tarhern continued, "We are so excited to celebrate the 50th anniversary of CMA Fest this year! A lot has changed since our early days of Fan Fair, but all these years later, the heart of the festival remains that special connection between the fans and the artists. We are truly grateful to everyone who has supported us throughout the years, and we look forward to celebrating this milestone with all of our attendees in June. Stay tuned for much more!"

The outdoor daytime stages were free and open to the public, whereas the nightly concerts at Nissan Stadium started at $85.70 USD per night.

A portion of the tickets will benefit music educations programs through the CMA Foundation.