CMA fest, and thousands of fans, around the corner

The unofficial start of summer arrives in Nashville this week — and so will tens of thousands of country music fans from around the globe.

Beginning midday Thursday and lasting through the late hours of Sunday, CMA Fest offers literally hundreds of performances on several stages around the city's honky-tonk district.

After a two-year COVID-19 hiatus, the world's preeminent country music festival is back. By day, many of country's rising stars will play mostly free shows for masses of cowboy hat- and boot-wearing fans. And by night, ticketholders will be treated to lineups featuring Luke Combs, Carrie Underwood, Alan Jackson, Kane Brown and Keith Urban, among a who's who of the genre's superstars.

The Tennessean's unmatched music reporting team has you covered. Check out the full list of official CMA Fest performances here and our picks for the hottest unofficial shows here.

Here's everything you need to know before heading downtown and the intel on road closures. Can't wait until Thursday? Marty Stuart's Late Night Jam on Wednesday is reliably one of my favorite shows of the year.

Music is one of the things that sets our city apart. And at The Tennessean, we are proud to offer nation-leading coverage of not only country music, but Nashville's entire music scene. Take for instance this important story from Metro reporter Cassandra Stephenson on the struggles facing some of the city's most beloved music venues.

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— Tennessean News Director (and music editor) Ben Goad

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This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: CMA fest, and thousands of fans, around the corner