Nashville saw a strong summer tourism season marked by record-breaking attendance and visitor spending at both Let Freedom Sing! Music City July 4th and CMA Fest, while major concert tours filled hotel rooms across the city, according to the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp. Together, these events drove increased hotel demand, boosted local business activity, and reinforced the positive impact of live music events on Nashville’s tourism economy.
“We continue to see the incredible influence of live music as a driver of tourism in Nashville,” said Deana Ivey, President and CEO of the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp. “This summer’s record-breaking numbers reflect not only the strength of our signature events and concert calendar, but also the city’s ability to deliver an unforgettable experience for visitors. The economic activity generated by our live music offerings benefits our community.”
In a recent national YouGov survey, Nashville ranked as the No. 1 most favorably viewed large city in America. The results highlighted Music City’s broad appeal across generations, income levels, religions, and political preferences. Despite ongoing economic uncertainties, Nashville’s growing popularity led to a 3.8% increase in May hotel demand year-over-year and a 1.2% increase in June countywide.
The free Independence Day downtown concert with 365,000 attendees featured headliner Dierks Bentley and one of the country’s largest fireworks and drone shows. The record crowd resulted in the most hotel room nights ever sold on a July 4th in Davidson County, with 30,788 rooms sold. The previous peak was in 2024 with 27,136 rooms sold. Estimated visitor spending generated by the downtown event was $23.8 million, surpassing the previous record in 2024 of $17.5 million.
According to the July 4th survey results, hotels were the preferred choice for overnight visitors, accounting for 78% of accommodations, followed by short-term rentals at 10%. The remaining visitors stayed with friends, family or in other types of lodging.
In 2026, the Let Freedom Sing! Event will expand to a two-day event, taking place July 3-4 in celebration of the 250th anniversary of the United States.
CMA Fest
Country music’s signature festival generated a record $86 million in estimated visitor spending, up from 2024’s $77.3 million.
Approximately 95,000 people attended the event from June 5-8. CMA Fest’s four-day hotel demand in Davidson County was up 6.2%. Downtown hotels saw a 7.5% year-over-year increase in occupancy, averaging 90% occupancy. On Friday night, 35,924 hotel rooms were sold, followed closely by 35,898 on Saturday.
In addition to downtown music events, summer stadium tours also contributed to strong hotel performance. Metallica rocked Nissan Stadium for two nights in May, contributing to downtown weekend hotel occupancy of 95%. The AC/DC concert at Nissan Stadium— originally scheduled for Tuesday, May 20, but delayed one day due to thunderstorms— drove significant hotel demand with occupancy reaching 93.2% on Tuesday, May 20 in Davidson County and 98.2% downtown. Coldplay fans filled Nissan Stadium on Tuesday, July 22, driving strong hotel demand across the city. Hotel occupancy reached 92% in Davidson County and a higher 98% in downtown.
