CMA Fest facts for kids
Quick facts for kids CMA Fest |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Genre | Country music |
| Dates | June |
| Location(s) | Nashville, Tennessee |
| Years active | 1972–2019, 2022–present |
| Founded by | Country Music Association |
The CMA Fest is a huge four-day music festival. It celebrates country music every June. The festival takes place in downtown Nashville, Tennessee. The Country Music Association (CMA) hosts this exciting event. It began in 1972 under the name Fan Fair. Today, about 350 artists and celebrities attend. They sign autographs and perform in many concerts. Money from the festival helps fund music education programs. This is done through the CMA Foundation, which is the CMA's charity.
Contents
History of CMA Fest
How Fan Fair Started (1972–2003)
In 1972, WSM radio and the Country Music Association (CMA) created Fan Fair. They wanted fans to have their own special event. The first Fan Fair was from April 12–15, 1972. It was held at Nashville's Municipal Auditorium. About 5,000 fans came to this first event. They enjoyed 20 hours of live music. There were also 100 booths where artists signed autographs.
The next year, Fan Fair moved to June. This was to get better weather and more visitors. Attendance doubled to 10,000 fans. In the third year, Paul McCartney performed. He was the first non-country musician to join. Also, Dolly Parton and Porter Wagoner sang a duet for the last time.
By 1982, the festival moved to the Nashville Fairgrounds. A competition called the All American Country Games was added. This event raised money for the Tennessee Special Olympics. It was stopped in 1989 to make room for more concerts. In 1991, singer Kathy Mattea attended Fan Fair. She could not speak or sing because of injured vocal cords. She used a computer to type messages to her fans. This allowed her to "talk" with them.
In 1996, Garth Brooks decided to attend the 25th anniversary. Fans swarmed him. He stayed in his booth signing autographs for over 23 hours. He did not take a single break!
Fan Fair changed a lot in 2001. For the first time, it was held over a long weekend. This was from Thursday, June 14, to Sunday, June 17. The festival also moved from the fairgrounds. It went to several places in downtown Nashville. These included Nissan Stadium, the Nashville Convention Center, Bridgestone Arena, and Riverfront Park. The fairgrounds became a temporary campground for attendees.
Before 2001, record labels organized the evening concerts. Each label chose which artists would perform. They also decided how long each artist would play. Starting in 2001, concerts were grouped by record distribution companies. This meant there were four main concerts. Artists are not paid to attend or perform at the festival.
CMA Music Festival (since 2004)
In 2004, the CMA renamed the event. It became the CMA Music Festival. This was to improve its image and appeal. Also in 2004, the ABC network televised the event. It was a two-hour special called CMA Music Festival: Country's Night to Rock. The first special aired on July 14, 2004. It was watched by about 9 million people. This annual special still airs on ABC today. It is edited from the three days of events.
A new attendance record was set in 2007. Over 191,000 fans attended. They enjoyed more than 100 hours of concerts. There were also 30 hours of organized autograph signings. Fans could also find family activities and celebrity sports. Interactive exhibits, giveaways, and games were also available. Over 400 celebrities appeared at the 2007 CMA Music Festival.
The name changed again to CMA Fest in 2018. The festival took a break in 2020 and 2021. This was due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But it returned in 2022.
Who Attends CMA Fest?
Until 2000, the CMA Music Festival was considered sold out. This happened if 25,000 people attended. People of all ages come to the festival. This includes babies to older adults. Visitors come from many different countries. These include Canada, France, Australia, and Germany. People also come from the United Kingdom, China, Japan, and Russia.
After moving to its new, larger downtown home in 2001, attendance grew. The 2002 festival attracted 126,000 fans. Attendance dropped a little the next year. This was partly because some famous country stars did not appear. However, in 2003, attendance was only down 1.7%. This was much less than the 25% drop in U.S. tourist travel that year. The attendance drop was not permanent. In 2007, a record 191,000 people attended.
In 2010 and 2011, about 65,000 people attended each day. This included both ticketed and free events. In 2011, the total attendance for the four days was over 250,000 people. Visitors came from 41 different countries. They also came from all 50 U.S. states.
In 2015, tickets sold out seven months early. A record 87,680 fans attended. This was 9.6% more than in 2014. In 2022, the festival returned after the COVID-19 pandemic. It had been 1099 days since the last one. It sold out again. Fans came from across the U.S. and 39 countries.
See also
- List of country music festivals
