Carrie, Blake, Keith, And More Tell CMA Fest’s Story In New Doc

The CMA has announced the launch date for CMA Fest: 50 Years of Fan Fair. It's an original documentary film about the world’s largest and longest-running Country Music festival, CMA Fest. Debuting on Hulu Wednesday, July 5, CMA Fest: 50 Years of Fan Fair marks CMA’s first feature-length film.

The 75-minute documentary features exclusive interviews with many of Country Music’s most notable artists, including Kelsea Ballerini, Dierks Bentley, BRELAND, Brooks & Dunn, Brothers Osborne, Luke Bryan, Luke Combs, Vince Gill, Wynonna Judd, Miranda Lambert, Patty Loveless, Reba McEntire, Dolly Parton, Carly Pearce, Jeannie Seely, Blake Shelton, Thomas Rhett, Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban, Lainey Wilson, Trisha Yearwood, and Chris Young.

Told through interviews, never-before-seen archival content, and CMA Fest performances, “CMA Fest: 50 Years of Fan Fair” celebrates the festival’s beginnings as Fan Fair in 1972. That drew 5,000 fans to Nashville’s Municipal Auditorium. Then it moved to the Tennessee State Fairgrounds in 1982 and then ultimately to downtown Nashville in 2001, which now draws 80,000 fans a day, across four days, with attendees from all 50 states and 39 countries.

CMA CEO Sarah Trahern said in a statement, “CMA Fest has taken several shapes throughout its storied history. As we step into our 50th year, our hope with this film is to underscore the one thing that has remained with the festival—its heart. We are thrilled to share the evolution and magic of this incredible event with the Hulu audience.”

CMA Fest will celebrate its milestone 50th anniversary on June 8-11, 2023, in downtown Nashville. It will feature hundreds of artists performing across multiple stages.

CMA Fest is uniquely programmed with artists donating their time so a portion of ticket proceeds can be invested in high-quality music education programs. They are across the U.S. through the organization’s philanthropic arm, the CMA Foundation. ABC will air its annual “CMA Fest” network primetime special later this summer.

After two years of CMA Fest being canceled due to COVID, it was back this year in full display with country superstars like Carrie Underwood, Luke Combs, Kane Brown, Keith Urban, and many more taking the Nissan Stadium stage in Nashville.

We gathered some highlight photos of this past weekend's CMA Fest in Nashville.