Every year around the first week of June, the heart of Nashville beats a little louder for country music. It’s when the cowboy boots and hats take over the streets, the bars see endless revolving doors of crowds, huge stages pop up all around town, and every artist in country music can be found in one big city at the same time. That’s right, it’s CMA Fest.
The biggest country music festival in the nation, and country music fans know that where there is CMA Fest, there’s a party – and the women of country know how to put a memorable one together for their fans. Let’s highlight some of the best Fest parties of 2024!
For some fans, the party started bright and early. One artist that really knew how to spread some extra love, music, and surprises to their fans this year was Kelsea Ballerini. During a morning brunch in collaboration with her most recent partnership with The Original Donut Shop, one hundred lucky members of Kelsea’s official fanclub were treated to trying her new coffee blend, the “Ballerini Blend.”
Fans truly got first dibs on the flavor before it officially dropped that morning, but that wasn’t the only thing Kelsea had in store. The party then moved outside to the rooftop of Harriet’s Nashville, and Kelsea performed an acoustic set featuring a mix of both requested songs and her fan-favorite hits. If one thing’s the same, it’s that Kelsea sure knows how to start off a day at CMA Fest on the right note!
One country music star that’s known for her fun-themed, extra engaging, and over the top fan party every year is Lauren Alaina. For several years, Lauren has thrown specifically themed celebrations with a dress code that fans can have fun with and plan accordingly for, and it’s become known as a main event amongst her fanbase that many look forward to all year.
This time around, Lauren planned a very intimate acoustic set at The Listening Room. She played some of her biggest hits, including Road Less Traveled. Lauren also gave fans the opportunity to take photos with her and did a question and answer session, which are both truly highlights at her parties. The bond she is able to create with her fans every year at the Fest is something that will never fade!
One of the most iconic and fulfilling events at CMA Fest are the artist closet sales that benefit the CMA Foundation. Throughout the weekend, fans are able to shop the many archives of clothing of some of their favorite artists. A few of the artists featured this year included Carly Pearce, Lauren Alaina, Ashley McBryde, and Miranda Lambert.
Each artist has their own closet booth located inside Fan Fair X, where their clothing, including stage outfits, are for sale with the proceeds going to music education support through the CMA Foundation. Carly Pearce even took the concept of this event to the next level by creating “Carly’s Closet,” which not only gave her dedicated fans the exclusive opportunity to shop just her clothing on a first come, first serve basis, she also performed an acoustic set. This provided an even bigger incentive to attend, especially with Carly being present! The love for such a good cause is truly so big for these artists, and it’s so special to see they will do whatever they can to give back to their fans as well as music education.
Although I unfortunately did not get to attend CMA Fest this year, I was able to see the excitement on social media of so many mutual fans in both Carly and Lauren’s fan bases purchasing clothing from each of their closets. A lot of the pieces held sentimental value to many of them, and to be able to keep such a special memory forever straight from the very artist that wore it is something absolutely crazy to see.
Specifically, I saw a video a Lauren Alaina fan put together on Instagram about purchasing an outfit she saw Lauren wear the first time she ever saw her. It’s especially for that reason that I think it’s such an awesome opportunity that the CMA Foundation provides a way to not only create these full circle moments for fans, but to give back to the community at the same time. I hope this continues on for years to come, and the amount of artist participants continues to grow.
CMA Fest is genuinely the heartbeat of country music year after year. It’s incredible to see how many artists take time out of their busy schedules to come together for the weekend and make memories with their passionate fans. Fan club parties offer so much connection, belonging, and celebration within each fanbase, and they’re a track on the setlist of CMA Fest that hopefully continues to play on forever.
ROARA Magazine 