CMA Music Festival Packed With Free Activities

Marshall Tucker Band

The 2013 CMA Music Festival will take over downtown Nashville Thursday through Sunday, June 6-9, with six free performance stages and countless free activities. Everything gets started with the Ninth Annual CMA Music Festival Kick-Off Parade on Wednesday, June 5 at 11:00 AM. The parade will make its way down Broadway from Tenth to First Avenue with Kix Brooks serving as Grand Marshal. Following the procession, the fun will kick into high gear with the Eighth Annual CMA Music Festival Block Party. Fans can gather at the Chevrolet Riverfront Stage for The Henningsens followed by Brazilbilly, The Lacs, The Cadillac Three, and headliner Joe Diffie. Lyndsey Highlander will perform the national anthem.

There will be a total of 11 stages. Line ups for the Nightly Concerts at LP Field, Chevrolet Riverfront Stage and Bud Light Stage at the Bridgestone Arena Plaza were previously announced. Tickets for the Nightly Concerts sold out a record-setting six weeks in advance of the 2013 festival.

Here’s a run-down of the outdoor spaces that are free and open to the public:
(alphabetical order; artists and schedule subject to change) Details including hours and location here.

BMI Tailgate Party
Returning to the CMA Music Festival for a second year is the BMI Tailgate Party. Located right off the Cumberland River outside LP Field, the stage will feature a strong selection of BMI’s songwriters, artists, and DJ Du warming up the audience before they enter LP Field for the Nightly Concerts beginning at 4:30 PM.

Thursday, June 6: Joel Crouse, Joey Hyde, and Thomas Rhett
Friday, June 7: Lindsay Ell, David Fanning, and Josh Thompson
Saturday, June 8: Native Run, Jon Pardi, and Westbound Rangers
Sunday, June 9: Brazilbilly, Curious Band, and The Railers

Transitions Performance Park
Transitions® adaptive lenses will host fans at a two-story viewing platform, where they can star in a professional photo shoot. The legendary Marshall Tucker Band will make their first-ever CMA Music Festival appearance and kick things off at the Transitions Performance Park Stage on Thursday, June 6 at 11:00 AM.

Thursday, June 6: Ash Bowers, Tim Dugger, Flynnville Train, Marshall Tucker Band, Old Dominion, Chad Warrix, Holly Williams, and Jon Wolfe
Friday, June 7: The Cleverlys, Due West, Clare Dunn, Hudson Moore, Danielle Peck, Julie Roberts, Gwen Sebastian, and Phoenix Stone
Saturday, June 8: Jeff Bates, The Cadillac Three, Cowboy Troy, Jaida Dreyer, Morgan Frazier, Old Southern Moonshine Revival, Frank Ortega, and The Stickers
Sunday, June 9: Blackjack Billy, The Brothers Road, Kristy Lee Cook, High Valley, Carly Pearce, Stephanie Quayle, Sweetwater Rain, and A Thousand Horses

The Buckle
The Buckle Stage will host a variety of free performances and activities beginning with concerts presented by ASCAP on Thursday, June 6 and Sunday, June 9.

Thursday, June 6: Brent Anderson, Brian Burke, Karli Chayne, Steven Clawson, Clare Dunn, Josh Grider, Curtis Grimes, Austin Jenckes, Cody Johnson, Michaelis, Dylan Scott, Madeleine Slate, Two Story Road, Allison Veltz, Zane Williams, and Trent Willmon
Sunday, June 9: Chris Cavanaugh, Corey Crowder, Kalisa Ewing, Victoria Ghost, Adam Hambrick, JT Harding, Kris Hitchcock, Camaron Ochs, Brent Rupard, SaraBeth Taite, and Hailey Whitters

On Friday and Saturday, June 7 and 8, the ABC Television Summer Block Party will host appearances by Jason Thompson and Nancy Lee Grahn (General Hospital) and Chef Carla Hall (The Chew), along with free food from the Grilled Cheeserie Truck.

Fan Alley
The Chevrolet Roadhouse Stage in Fan Alley will feature daily concerts.

Thursday, June 6: Kenny Foster, Friends of Lola, Johnson, Pete Kennedy, Lisa Matassa, and Sundy Best
Friday, June 7: Tyler Barham, Eric Lee Beddingfield, Weston Burt, Courtney Cole, Striking Matches, and Carrie Zaruba
Saturday, June 8: Dakota Bradley, Brianna De Alba, Lyndsey Highlander, Rachel Holder, Kingston, and Austin Webb
Sunday, June 9: Cerrito, Zach Lockwood, Joanna Mosca, Josh Mullins, and Pierce Avenue

CMA Social Media Ticket Giveaways
Despite tickets to the LP Field Nightly Concert series being sold out, fans can win their way into the best seats in the house. Between Monday, May 27 and Friday, May 31, CMA will give away a pair of tickets each day across the organization’s social media channels Google+, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter and Facebook. Details at Blog.CMAfest.com beginning Monday, May 27.

Safety First
CMA will be utilizing the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s “If You See Something, Say Something” program to raises public awareness of indicators of terrorism-related crime and the importance of reporting suspicious activity. Attendees are asked to text ALERT (space) and the LOCATION of the suspicious activity to 66937. There will also be a special festival law enforcement phone number posted throughout the event.