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Ms. Cheap: Enjoy the daytime CMA Fest entertainment for free



Fan Fair X provides shopping for merchandise and other fan events during CMA Music Fest. It will be held at Music City Center. CMA FILE PHOTO
MARY HANCE

If you have not walked around downtown Nashville lately, a great option would be to take a daytime field trip during the CMA Fest.

Not only will the streets be closed off for easy walking, but there will be five stages of free music, and some primo people watching during the four-day festival.

I really think that sometimes we locals miss that Nashville is such a hot commodity. And this is a chance to see the throngs firsthand.

Yes, there is free daytime entertainment at the June 8-11 CMAFest, and to be able not only to see and hear some up-and-comers, but the free stages also feature some known artists like Lainey Wilson, Lauren Alaina, Rae Lynn, Ty Herndon and Uncle Kracker.

And you can just show up. No tickets, no arm bands, no admission fees.

Now, don’t get me wrong. The bulk of the schedule is not free – the nighttime tickets for the big CMA concerts at Nissan Stadium start at $113.80 per night.

But, for sure there is plenty of free fun for all ages to enjoy during the day.

This is the 50th anniversary of CMA Fest, which started in 1972 as “Fan Fair” with 5,000 attendees. It now attracts tens of thousands of people from around the world – including all 50 states and 39 international countries.

I’m told that the average attendance over the four days of the daytime and nighttime festival is about 80,000 people. And we locals should take advantage of this opportunity to see our city as others do.

CMA officials said, “CMA Fest is a one-of-a-kind festival with hundreds of artists donating their time to perform so proceeds can directly benefit high quality music programs across the country through the CMA Foundation.”

The five stages offering free music each day are at Riverfront Park, behind Ascend Amphitheater, Bridgestone Plaza and Walk of Fame Park.

The free stages are Chevy Riverfront Stage, Hard Rock Stage, Chevy Vibe Stage, Maui Jim Reverb Stage, and the Dr. Pepper Amp Stage at Ascend Park. Hours vary but there will be live music throughout the day, along with vendors setting up along Broadway showing off new products, talking with consumers.

If you have a few bucks to spare, I recommend buying tickets to Fan Fair X – not only for the access to so many stars and extra entertainment and meet and greets, but also because the Fan Fair X takes place in Music City Center which is air conditioned and has nice bathrooms and comfy seating, which is a welcome break when you have been pounding the pavement on the hot streets all day.

Entry into Fan Fair X is included with all CMA Fest four-night stadium passes but you can buy a single-day admission for $13 or a four-day pass for $28 ( CMAfest.com/FanFairX.)

The up-close-and-personal artist and fan meet-and-greet experience is what makes CMA Fest and Fan Fair X so unique. The sessions inside Fan Fair X are first come, first served with hundreds of sessions taking place throughout the four days, each lasting an hour. Fans can access the Fan Fair X meet-and-greet schedule on the Official CMA Connect App 

Here are a few tips for locals who go:

Bring a bottle of water (clear plastic water bottles are allowed, but not stainless steel and glass containers.) There are water refill stations around downtown.

Wear comfy shoes so that you can walk around downtown.

Bring a bag for collecting free samples and other items the vendors may be giving away.

Keep in mind that lots of roads will be closed and parking is limited – and expensive. Consider using public transportation like WeGo. CMA Fest has a list of shuttle locations and hours online.

Check the weather before you go and take a poncho or umbrella if rain is likely.

There will be lots of free activities as well as samples and giveaways along Broadway or in and around Music City Center. To see a list of CMA partners, see cmafest.com/partners

To see a lineup for all outdoor stages can be found on CMAfest.com.

For details on the festival, see cmafest.com

Mary Hance, who has four decades of journalism experience in the Nashville area, writes a weekly Ms. Cheap column. She also appears on Thursdays on Talk of the Town on NewsChannel5. Reach her at mscheap@mainstreetmediatn.com and follow her on Facebook as Facebook.com/mscheap

Riverfront Park is the site of one of the stages providing free music events during CMA Fest. CMA FILE PHOTO