New York, NY (Top40 Charts) The Country
Music Association has announced
Thomas Rhett and
Kelsea Ballerini will return for a second year as hosts of "CMA Fest," the three-hour special that brings Country Music's Ultimate Fan
Experience to a national television audience. "CMA Fest" airs Wednesday, Aug. 8 at 8/7c on the ABC Television Network and is executive produced by Robert Deaton.
"This year's CMA Fest is our biggest yet, with many artists debuting full festival sets on the Nissan Stadium stage," said
Sarah Trahern, CMA Chief Executive Officer. "We're thrilled once again to broadcast 'CMA Fest' and bring the festival to millions of Country
Music fans not only here in the U.S. but all around the world."
"Thomas and Kelsea are the embodiment of the summer fun that is CMA Fest, and we are so excited they'll be back for year two," said Rob Mills, ABC Entertainment Senior Vice President, Alternative Series, Specials & Late-Night Programming.
Filmed during Nashville's annual CMA Fest
Thursday through Sunday, June 7-10, the television special features more than 25 of Country Music's biggest names as they hit the stage during the four-day event. 2018 marks the 15th consecutive year of the broadcast, a feat no other U.S. music festival has achieved. Last year's broadcast of "CMA Fest" achieved three-year ratings highs.
Thomas Rhett returns to host "CMA Fest" for a third year, first hosting the special in 2016. Ballerini will perform at Nissan Stadium Saturday, June 9, in addition to appearing as Artist of the Day at Xfinity Fan Fair X Sunday, June 10. A limited number of four-day tickets for the nightly concerts at Nissan Stadium, which also includes four-day access to Xfinity Fan Fair X, are still available at CMAfest.com/tickets or through the CMA Box Office at 1-800-CMA-FEST.
CMA Fest is unlike any other, with live music on 11 official stages throughout downtown Nashville, meet and greets and up-close-and-personal experiences for fans at Xfinity Fan Fair X, over 300 acts donating their time in support of music education through the CMA Foundation, and nearly 90,000 Country
Music fans from the all over U.S. and abroad flocking to
Music City each summer. All of CMA Fest's outdoor daytime stages as well as nightly shows at the Cracker Barrel Country Roads Stage at Ascend Amphitheater are free and open to the public. Fans can purchase the CMA Fest Nash Pass for $60 plus fees, allowing a limited amount of fans VIP early access at the Cracker Barrel Country Roads Stage. The Nash Pass also includes a Country
Music Hall of Fame® and Museum tour, Ryman Auditorium tour and four-day admission to Xfinity Fan Fair X. Tickets for Xfinity Fan Fair X are available for $10 each day or $25 for a four-day pass.
