Luke Bryan, Jimmie Allen, Lindsay Ell to Host New CMA Fest TV Special + Livestream Variety Shows
Each summer, the Country Music Association and ABC put together a television special featuring the best performances and big moments from that year's CMA Fest. With the annual mega-festival canceled for 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, country fans will instead be able to catch two nights of programming featuring their favorite stars.
On July 13, Luke Bryan will host the CMA Best of Fest TV special, which will share more than 25 performances from CMA Fests past. The show will also include a brand-new performance from Bryan and fellow country star Darius Rucker.
The three-hour CMA Best of Fest special will begin at 8PM ET on ABC. More than two dozen country stars, plus a few rockers, pop stars and other celebrities, will be features; check out the full lineup below.
One week before, on July 1, Jimmie Allen and Lindsay Ell will host a multi-hour livestream event, CMA Summer Stay-Cay. The variety show-style stream, which will be broadcast via the CMA's YouTube and Facebook channels, will feature more than 50 country artists performing, engaging in Q&A sessions, playing games and more. A full lineup of participants is forthcoming.
CMA Fest, the world's longest-running country music festival, has taken place in Nashville annually since 1972; previously, it was known as Fan Fair. Its cancellation due to COVID-19 marks the first time ever that the event has been canceled.
CMA Fest 2020 is scheduled for June 10-13, 2021.
CMA Best of Fest TV Special Lineup:
Trace Adkins
Lauren Alaina
Jason Aldean
Kelsea Ballerini
Dierks Bentley
Garth Brooks
Brooks & Dunn
Brothers Osborne
Kane Brown
Luke Bryan
Kenny Chesney
Eric Church
Luke Combs
Billy Ray Cyrus
Dan + Shay
Lzzy Hale
Sam Hunt
Joan Jett
Lady A
Miranda Lambert
Lil Nas X
Little Big Town
Tim McGraw
Maren Morris
Brad Paisley
Rascal Flatts
Thomas Rhett
Darius Rucker
Blake Shelton
Carrie Underwood
Keith Urban
Dwight Yoakam
Zac Brown Band
Special appearances by: Bobby Bones, Jim Gaffigan, Kirk Herbstreit, Peyton Manning, Lionel Richie, Rob Riggle, Gwen Stefani, Michael Strahan and Rita Wilson
Here's a Look Back at CMA Fest 2019: