The Country Music Association (CMA) has a double whammy in store for country fans this summer with a CMA Fest tribute television special hosted by Luke Bryan and a new livestream variety event.
On July 1, Jimmie Allen and Lindsay Ell co-host the first-ever “CMA Summer Stay-Cay presented by Budweiser Nitro Gold,” a multi-hour live stream experience featuring 50 country acts safely coming together for performances, Q&A sessions, games and more. Fans can stay tuned for the full lineup on the CMA Fest App and CMASummerStayCay.com before heading over to CMA’s YouTube and Facebook accounts for the first night of fun starting at 6 p.m. ET.
Then on July 9, Bryan hosts “CMA Best of Fest,” a three-hour live concert event celebrating 25 memorable televised performances from the last 16 years of “CMA Fest,” which was postponed this year because of the coronavirus pandemic. Bryan tapped Darius Rucker for a singular brand new performance, and the other superstar performers appearing in the TV special include: Trace Adkins, Lauren Alaina, Jason Aldean, Kelsea Ballerini, Dierks Bentley, Garth Brooks, Brooks & Dunn, Brothers Osborne, Kane Brown, Kenny Chesney, Eric Church, Luke Combs, Billy Ray Cyrus, Dan + Shay, Lzzy Hale, Sam Hunt, Joan Jett, Lady A, Miranda Lambert, Lil Nas X, Little Big Town, Tim McGraw, Maren Morris, Brad Paisley, Rascal Flatts, Thomas Rhett, Blake Shelton, Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban, Dwight Yoakam and Zac Brown Band.
Bobby Bones, Jim Gaffigan, Kirk Herbstreit, Peyton Manning, Lionel Richie, Rob Riggle, Gwen Stefani, Michael Strahan and Rita Wilson are slated to make special appearances. “CMA Best of Fest” airs on the ABC Television Network at 8 p.m. ET.
“CMA Summer Stay-Cay” and “CMA Best of Fest,” which have been dubbed “the two hottest nights of Country Music,” celebrate the legacy of “CMA Fest,” which has been held annually in Nashville, Tenn. since 1972. The world’s longest-running country music festival will make its way back to downtown Nashville from June 10-13, 2021.
Check out CMA’s official social media announcement below.
