Celebrating 50 Years!

The Ultimate Country Music Fan Experience™ began in 1972 as Fan Fair®, which drew 5,000 fans to Nashville’s Municipal Auditorium. The legendary CMA Fest has become the city’s signature Country Music event that hosts tens of thousands of fans from all 50 states, Puerto Rico and 39 international countries. It is also the longest-running Country Music festival in the world! In 2022, CMA Fest featured more than 250 acts on 9 official stages – all to benefit music education. 

Since 2006, a portion of proceeds from CMA Fest has been given to music education initiatives supporting students K-12 across the U.S. through the CMA Foundation. It’s thanks to you, our fans, as well as event partners and the generosity of our artists donating their time that we’ve been able to give back to deserving educators and students.

Scroll through the photos below to see just a few of our favorite moments throughout the years.