CMA Fest 2026 – Perspective From A Loyal Minnesota Attendee
For four straight days and nights, one Central Minnesota country music fan lived the dream.
Kim Jerabek and her significant other Todd Duit, made their annual pilgrimage to CMA Fest in Nashville and came home with memories, photos, and stories from one of the biggest celebrations in country music.
GREAT SURPRISES AND UNBELIEVABLE PERFORMANCES
From superstar performances and surprise appearances to discovering the next generation of country talent, Kim & Todd packed more music into four days than most people experience in a year. Here are some of the messages she sent to Paul and I while on her fabulous trip.
- Message from Kim Jerabek, Monday Morning, June 8th
It’s Monday morning, and we got done with the CMA Fest at 1 am! It was a great 4 days of non-stop concerts.
Night one of CMA Fest 2026 was awesome. These are a lot of the artists we've seen and will see. We had a surprise act of Jelly Roll and also a couple of songs from the reunited Florida Georgia Line!
We loved seeing Laney Wilson, Luke Bryan, Hardy, Riley Green, Bailey Zimmerman, to name a few. This is just a snippet from the first day. We go nonstop till Sunday night.
We are looking forward to Laney Wilson, Cody Johnson, Zach Top, and Luke Bryan.
We loved seeing Laney Wilson! (Above).
Ella Langley is the bomb. She was fantastic! (Above)
Russel Dickerson performed at the popular River Front Stage, where we also saw Ashley Cooke. (River Front Stage -Below).
Ashley Cooke. (Above)
The Red Clay Strays performed as well. Above is the Red Clay Strays lead singer.
'FARMER WANTS A WIFE' FANS WILL LOVE THIS!
Are you a regular watcher of 'Farmer Wants A Wife'? If so, you would have spotted these fella's too. We had spotted Brett and Braden, so Todd Duit, my significant other, got his picture with them. (Todd on the left above).
You just never know who you will see at CMA Fest!
We saw up-and-coming artists like Lanie Gardner and Elizabeth Nichols, and a lot of oldies but goodies like Clay Walker, Uncle Kracker, and many more.
Kim Jerabek and Todd Duit with the new up-and-coming country artist, Elizabeth Nichols. (Above)
Kim gets the opportunity to grab a selfie with newcomer Kelsey Hart. (Above).
Riley Green had no trouble making hearts swoon while he performed at CMA Fest 2026. (Above)
It was lovely to see Lauren Alaina! And no surprise. She took time off as she ventured into motherhood for the first time, and in true Alaina fashion, she brought that baby along for the ride. (Above).
Dasha, the wild horse of country music. (Above).
As Kim & Todd's CMA Fest adventure came to an end, they knew that the memories they made will last much longer.
CMA FEST - A BUCKET LIST MUST
CMA Fest once again proved why it remains a bucket-list experience for country music fans. After four days of nonstop entertainment, one thing is certain: Kim & Todd are already counting down the days until CMA Fest returns in 2027.
CMA FEST 2027 HAS BEEN ANNOUNCED!
The Official dates for CMA Fest 2027 are June 10th through June 13th, and next year, it will be taking place at Nissan Stadium in downtown Nashville! One more reason why you should make your plans now, and enjoy CMA Fest, just like Kim and Todd!
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Gallery Credit: Paul Habstritt
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