CMA Music Festival 2017 Brings In $57.7 Million In Direct Visitor Spending, Down Slightly From 2016

The 2017 CMA Music Festival, which took place June 8-11 in downtown Nashville, brought in $57.7 million in direct visitor spending for the city, according to the Nashville Convention and Visitors Corp. Direct visitor spending dipped slightly for 2017, as compared to last year’s June 9-12 event which brought in 59.5 million in direct visitor spending. 2015’s event brought in $60.4 million in direct visitor spending.

Last year brought a daily attendance of 88,500 fans. Daily attendance totals for 2017 was not available at press time.

The number of visitors attending decreased from 85 percent in 2016 to 80 percent in 2017, as the number of Nashville locals attending increased to 20 percent of total attendees. The number of international visitors to CMA Music Festival remained approximately the same as past years, at 11.2 percent of total attendees.

The event saw an increase in attendance for millennials (25.8 percent in 2017 vs. 21.2 percent in 2016) and families (12.6 percent in 2017 vs. 8.8 percent in 2016).

New features this year included the free Cracker Barrel Country Roads Stage at Ascend Amphitheater and the Budweiser “Forever Country” Park Stage, as well as the VIP Nash Pass, all providing more activations for both locals and visitors to enjoy.

“It was a historic and exciting year for all of us in Nashville as all eyes were on our city with CMA Music Festival and the Stanley Cup Finals, both with a national TV audience,” said CMA CEO Sarah Trahern. “CMA Music Festival has long welcomed fans from around the globe, and much of their interest in visiting, and desire to return, is due in part to the generous hospitality that our neighbors, those that call Nashville home, extend to our visiting fans. We are glad that more people from our community participated as well.”

The three-hour ABC Television Network special CMA Fest, co-hosted by Thomas Rhett and Kelsea Ballerini, airs Wednesday, Aug. 16 at 7 p.m. CT, bringing even more global marketing exposure to Nashville.