CMA Fest Announces 2026 Stadium Lineup, Including Ella Langley, Zach Top, Cody Johnson, Tim McGraw, Shaboozey and Red Clay Strays

The roster for the CMA Fest 2026 nightly stadium concerts has been unveiled, showcasing the diverse talent shaping today's country music landscape. Nissan Stadium will host a compelling blend of legendary superstars and ascendant newcomers. Tim McGraw, Keith Urban, and Blake Shelton—artists with decades of chart dominance—will share the stage with fast-rising acts like Ella Langley, Zach Top, and Shaboozey, whose genre-blending hit "A Bar Song (Tipsy)" became a viral crossover success. This mix is bolstered by the high-energy presence of performers such as Cody Johnson and Luke Bryan, guaranteeing evenings packed with both classic anthems and cutting-edge sounds.

Further enriching the lineup are contemporary hitmakers Hardy, Bailey Zimmerman, and Carly Pearce. The festival also marks several notable comebacks, including 90s star Deana Carter and Gretchen Wilson, whose defiant 2004 single "Redneck Woman" not only topped the charts but also became a blue-collar anthem, helping to define the mid-2000s country era. The reconfigured Band Perry is also set to return. It's important to note this announcement covers only the ticketed evening shows; the core of CMA Fest remains its vast array of free daytime performances across multiple stages in downtown Nashville from June 4-7, featuring hundreds of additional artists.

The 2026 festival holds particular historical significance as it is expected to be one of the final major events at the current Nissan Stadium before its demolition. The venue, a Nashville landmark and home to the NFL's Tennessee Titans since its opening in 1999, will be replaced by a new, state-of-the-art stadium slated for completion in 2027. This transition lends a poignant, nostalgic weight to the upcoming performances. "Closing this chapter at Nissan Stadium will be an emotional moment for the country music community, which has seen countless career-defining performances on that field over the decades," noted music industry analyst Sarah Jenkins. The change reflects a broader trend in modernizing iconic music venues to enhance fan experience and artist production capabilities.

Four-night passes for the stadium concerts are currently available for purchase at CMAfest.com/tickets. In a longstanding tradition, the performances will be recorded for a subsequent television special. Executive produced by Robert Deaton and directed by Alan Carter, the special will air on ABC and be available for streaming on Hulu. While an exact broadcast date is still to be confirmed, the special has recently shifted from its traditional post-Labor Day slot to a summer premiere. This strategic scheduling move is likely aimed at capitalizing on immediate post-festival buzz and higher summer viewership levels to maximize audience engagement.