Nashville Unscripted · Events Guide
CMA Awards Nashville 2026: the 60th CMA Awards are Wednesday, November 18, at Bridgestone Arena, the first since Dolly Parton died. Here’s who’s nominated, how to watch, and how to get tickets and a hotel.
The short answer: the 60th Annual CMA Awards are Wednesday, November 18, 2026, 7–10 p.m. Central, live from Bridgestone Arena on ABC and Disney+, then on Hulu the next day. Lainey Wilson hosts for the third straight year. Ella Langley leads the nominations with 9. Tickets went on sale September 18 at cmaawards.com.
Date
Wednesday, November 18, 2026
Venue
Bridgestone Arena, Nashville
Broadcast
ABC & Disney+, 7 p.m. CT
Tickets
On sale since Sept. 18 at cmaawards.com
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CMA Awards Nashville Accommodation
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Browse Nashville Hotels → Browse Nashville VRBOs →What Are the CMA Awards?
The Country Music Association Awards — the CMAs — are the premier awards show for country music, first held in 1967 and staged in Nashville every year except 2005, when the show moved to New York’s Madison Square Garden. Unlike many awards shows, the CMAs are voted on entirely by CMA members — music industry professionals — rather than the public or a small committee.
The show is broadcast live on ABC and draws some of country music’s biggest performance moments of the year. Artists don’t just accept awards — they perform. The CMA Awards night is as much a concert as a ceremony, with multiple full performances throughout the broadcast.
Major award categories include Entertainer of the Year, Album of the Year, Single of the Year, Song of the Year, Male and Female Vocalist of the Year, and New Artist of the Year.
The 2026 CMA Awards and Dolly Parton
The 60th CMA Awards will be the first CMA Awards since Dolly Parton died on August 25, 2026. The CMA hasn’t announced what the November show will include for Dolly, but it’s widely expected to honor her.
Before the Awards: The CMA’s Dolly Tribute, October 21
The CMA is producing a separate two-hour special, “CMA Presents I Will Always Love You: A Celebration of Dolly Parton,” live from Belmont University’s Fisher Center on Wednesday, October 21, at 8 p.m. CT on ABC and Disney+. Reba McEntire, Carrie Underwood, Vince Gill, Lainey Wilson and Ella Langley are among the performers. Full lineup, tickets and how to watch →
The awards themselves take on additional meaning this year. Entertainer of the Year, in particular, is awarded in the shadow of the woman who defined what it meant to be a country music entertainer for six decades.
Attending the CMA Awards in 2026 means being in Bridgestone Arena for what will almost certainly be one of the most emotional nights in country music history.
2026 CMA Awards Host & Nominees
Host: Lainey Wilson returns for her third consecutive year as host of the 60th Annual CMA Awards.
Leading Nominees: Ella Langley leads with 9 nominations, followed by Miranda Lambert (7) and Kacey Musgraves (5).
Entertainer of the Year Nominees
Luke Combs · Cody Johnson · Ella Langley · Chris Stapleton · Lainey Wilson
Performers
Not announced yet. The CMA usually reveals performers in the weeks before the show. We’ll add them here when they’re out.
The show airs live November 18 from 7 to 10 p.m. CT on ABC and Disney+, and streams the next day on Hulu.
CMA Awards Tickets
How to Get CMA Awards Tickets
CMA Awards tickets are notoriously difficult to obtain. The ceremony is largely an industry event — most seats go to CMA members, record labels, management companies, and sponsors. Public tickets for the 60th CMA Awards went on sale September 18 through cmaawards.com. If those are gone, resale sites have them, usually at a markup. Buy only from cmaawards.com or a resale site you trust.
Watching the CMA Awards Without a Ticket
You don’t need a ticket to experience CMA Awards week in Nashville. The energy in downtown Nashville during CMA week is extraordinary — artists, industry professionals, and fans from across the country fill the honky tonks and venues around Bridgestone Arena.
- Lower Broadway: the honky-tonks run live music all day and night, and Bridgestone Arena is on Broadway, so you’re in the middle of the awards-night crowd.
- Watch the broadcast live on ABC or Disney+ from a Broadway bar.
- Dolly sites downtown: Dolly’s Life of Many Colors museum and her SongTeller Hotel on Commerce Street are a short walk from the arena.
Parking and Getting Around During CMA Week
Bridgestone Arena sits in the heart of downtown Nashville — a few blocks from Broadway. CMA Awards night means significant downtown congestion.
- Book parking in advance through SpotHero — downtown garages fill fast on show night. Find CMA Awards parking →
- Stay downtown and walk — the best CMA week strategy. A downtown hotel puts you walking distance from Bridgestone and Broadway.
- Rideshare: expect surge pricing when the arena empties around 10 p.m.; walking a few blocks off Broadway before you request helps. See our Nashville rideshare guide for tips.
→ CMA Dolly Parton Tribute: How to Watch
→ Dolly Parton Hotel Nashville: Inside the SongTeller
→ Dolly Parton Nashville: Her Legacy in Music City
→ Dolly Parton Nashville Memorials: Where to Pay Your Respects
→ Complete Nashville Parking Guide
→ Nashville Rideshare Guide
→ Nashville Bachelorette Party Guide
→ Best VRBOs in Nashville
Date, host, nominees, broadcast and ticket details from the Country Music Association as of October 6, 2026. Performers have not been announced yet; we’ll update this post when they are. Always verify at cmaawards.com. This post contains affiliate links.