25 Free Shows You’re Not Going To Want To Miss During CMA Fest

Well, it’s finally here.

CMA Fest officially kicks off today, bringing four days of nonstop music and hundreds of thousands of visitors to downtown Nashville.

The annual festival features five free stages, in addition to the nightly ticketed shows at Nissan Stadium and Ascend Amphitheater as well as stages inside Music City Center for Fan Fair X that offer fans an opportunity to get up close and personal with their favorite artists.

But my favorite part of CMA Fest isn’t the shows at Nissan or even the Riverfront Stage, which hosts some of the biggest free shows of the festival. One of the best things about CMA Fest is that it features a ton of new up-and-coming talent and offers fans a chance to discover their next favorite artist, many of whom will end up playing the main stage after becoming household names.

With so many stages and so many shows, it can be hard to plan out your day and see everybody that you want to see. So I figured I would help you figure out which free shows you should make sure to see if you’re in Nashville, Tennessee this weekend for the festival.

(Just as a disclaimer: I didn’t include the Riverfront stage, because it’s the stage with the biggest names and the one that usually fills up the fastest. This list is for people who want to catch a great show from an artist they may not have discovered yet).

Thursday, June 5

Lauren Watkins – Chevy Vibes Stage at 12:20 PM

Dillon Carmichael – Chevy Vibes Stage at 1:10 PM

The Jack Wharff Band – Good Molecules Reverb Stage at 2:00 PM

Bryce Leatherwood – Good Molecules Reverb Stage at 2:45 PM

Reid Haughton – Hard Rock Stage at 6:05 PM

Friday, June 6

Waylon Wyatt – Chevy Vibes Stage at 2:00 PM

Fancy Hagood – Good Molecules Reverb Stage at 2:45 PM

Vincent Mason – Chevy Vibes Stage at 3:40 PM

Kolby Cooper – Good Molecules Reverb Stage at 4:15 PM

Willie Jones – Chevy Vibes Stage at 4:30 PM

Hannah Dasher, Kat Hasty and Tori Forsyth – Chief’s On Broadway at 11:00 PM

Saturday, June 7

Annie Bosko – Hard Rock Stage at 11:20 AM

Laci Kaye Booth – Good Molecules Reverb Stage at 11:45 AM

Jade Eagleson – Chevy Vibes Stage at 1:00 PM

Emily Ann Roberts – Dr. Pepper Amp Stage at 3:25 PM

Jake Worthington – Dr. Pepper Amp Stage at 4:15 PM

Giovannie & the Hired Guns – Hard Rock Stage at 6:05 PM

Sterling Elza – Hard Rock Stage at 9:05 PM

Sunday, June 8

Willow Avalon – Good Molecules Reverb Stage at 12:30 PM

Braxton Keith – Dr. Pepper Amp Stage at 1:45 PM

Kashus Culpepper – Chevy Vibes Stage at 2:50 PM

Charlie Worsham – Dr. Pepper Amp Stage at 3:25 PM

Drake Milligan – Chevy Vibes Stage at 3:40 PM

Ashland Craft – Chevy Vibes Stage at 5:20 PM

Sam Williams – Hard Rock Stage at 5:20 PM

Now, I know there are a ton more artists who are worth seeing, but these are the ones that I have on my list as can’t-miss performances from the next crop of country music superstars during a jam-packed weekend. I’ll be doing my best to catch all these performances, so make sure to say hi if you see me out and about, and Godspeed to anybody who’s heading to downtown Nashville today.

Make sure you drink plenty of water, wear comfortable shoes, and enjoy listening to all the great music.The post 25 Free Shows You’re Not Going To Want To Miss During CMA Fest first appeared on Whiskey Riff.