Tens of thousands of fans will soon descend upon Nashville, Tennessee’s honky-tonk district for the 50th CMA Fest, a four-day celebration of country music unrivaled in its size anywhere in the world.
The festival, which begins Thursday, offers hundreds of free daytime sets on stages around Lower Broadway and nightly ticketed concerts at Nissan Stadium featuring a lineup of country’s biggest stars. For many fans, CMA Fest has become an annual pilgrimage. For organizers and city coffers, it is a tentpole event — a reliable and lucrative draw each summer.
