Country music’s biggest stars are headed to primetime tonight as CMA Fest returns to ABC for a three-hour concert event packed with performances, surprise collaborations, and highlights from this month’s festival in Nashville. If you missed the action in person, tonight’s special brings many of the weekend’s biggest moments straight to your living room. Check out the “CMA Fest presented by SoFi” schedule below.
What Time Is CMA Fest on Tonight?
The CMA Fest 2026 television special airs Thursday, June 25, from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. ET/PT (7 p.m. CT) on ABC.
This year’s special is hosted by country star and new “The Voice” coach Riley Green alongside “Good Morning America” anchor Lara Spencer. The pair will be teaming up for the first time to guide viewers through one of country music’s biggest nights on television.
How to Stream CMA Fest
If you miss tonight’s broadcast, you won’t have to wait long to catch up. While the initial broadcast airs on ABC, CMA Fest will begin streaming the next day on Hulu.
Whether you attended CMA Fest in Nashville or you are watching for the first time from your home, tonight’s special offers a chance to watch some of the festival’s biggest performances and catch a few moments that never made it on social media.
Who’s Performing at CMA Fest 2026?
This three-hour summer concert event features performances that were recorded during the 53rd CMA Fest in downtown Nashville earlier this month.
While not every song from the four-day festival will be making the final broadcast, ABC has stated an impressive lineup will fill the night, which will include some of the genre’s biggest names. The artists performing tonight include:
- Bailey Zimmerman
- Blake Shelton
- Brothers Osborne
- Carly Pearce
- Cody Johnson
- Ella Langley
- Florida Georgia Line
- HARDY
- Jason Aldean
- Jelly Roll
- Jordan Davis
- Keith Urban
- Lainey Wilson
- Luke Bryan
- Riley Green
- Russell Dickerson
- Shaboozey
- The Band Perry
- Tim McGraw
- Tucker Wetmore
- Zach Top
The broadcast will also feature some special collaborations and surprise moments that were captured during the festival. This will include performances from legendary artists such as Gretchen Wilson, Jo Dee Messina, Ricky Skaggs, Deana Carter, and Michael McDonald.
What Can Fans Expect?
What can fans expect to see when they tune in tonight to CMA Fest on ABC? This isn’t like a traditional concert.
Unlike a traditional concert, the annual CMA Fest television special is edited together from four days of performances at Nashville’s Nissan Stadium and other festival venues. The result is a fast-paced celebration of country music that blends chart-topping hits with unique duets and backstage moments.
Fans can also expect to see appearances from both longtime country music icons and some of the genre’s fastest-rising stars. That combination helps make this one of the year’s biggest showcases for country music.
CMA Fest History
CMA Fest has been uniting the country music community for over 50 years. The festival brings fans, artists, and industry professionals together for four unforgettable days right in the heart of Nashville.
The festival began in 1972 and was called Fan Fair. Since then, CMA Fest has gone from 5,000 attendees to the longest-running country music festival in the world. CMA Fest draws an estimated 95,000 daily attendees.
