The 2025 CMA Fest is in the books as a huge success in more ways than one.
The nation’s largest country music festival brought an estimated 95,000 fans to Nashville June 5-8 according to the Country Music Association.
The CMA says that included fans from all 50 states and 33 countries.
But the event is not only the longest-running- country music festival in the world. It’s also the Country Music Association’s biggest fundraiser for the CMA Foundation.
And this year, the fest raised more than two-million dollars that will go to the foundation’s music education programs and the “Rising Stars” program. That program gives Tennessee students financial literacy tools and even seed money to teach them how to start investing for their future.
In a press release, CMA Chief Executive Officer Sarah Trahern said, “What an incredible four days and nights. Even with a few weather interruptions, the energy and spirit of our fans never faded. From legendary acts to artists playing CMA Fest for the very first time, this year was a celebration of discovery, connection and community. And the fact that it all helps fund the CMA Foundation’s work in music education makes it even more impactful.”
CMA Fest 2025 Featured Plenty of Surprises
This year’s CMA Fest- the 52nd year of the annual event- featured more than 300 performances. And many of those brought fans some major surprises.
Despite telling fans at a performance before the Fest that he wouldn’t play Nashville again until 2027, Jelly Roll made two unannounced appearances at the Fest.
Jelly sang an unexpected duet of “Amen” with Shaboozey at Nissan Stadium. The singer also joined Christian artist Brandon Lake on “Hard Fought Hallelujah.”
In an Instagram post by the Country Music Association, a video shows Jelly in the audience turning to the camera and saying, “Look at Brandon taking Nissan Stadium to church right now.” The video then cuts to Jelly on stage with Brandon singing the song together.
Blake Shelton also brought the house down in his performance, surprising fans when he brought out Trace Adkins to sing “Hillybilly Bone.” The duet quickly turned into a crowd sing-a-long.
And the legendary Brooks & Dunn gave fans a treat when they brought out ACM Entertainer of the Year Lainey Wilson at their Nissan Stadium performance. The singer joined them to treat the crowd to their hit “Play Something Country.”
You Can Relive the 2025 CMA Fest
Country fans who couldn’t make it to Nashville for the 52nd Annual CMA Fest can still enjoy some of the performances.
Country singers Ashley McBryde and Cody Johnson will co-host a recap of CMA Fest that will air on ABC June 26.
This year marks the 22nd straight summer that CMA has brought the festival to national audiences with a televised special.
You can catch the CMA Fest Recap featuring the top performances on ABC on Thursday, June 26, 2025 at 8:00p.m. ET and streaming on Hulu the next day.
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CMA Fest Raises Millions for Charity