Ah, Nashville. The beer’s always cold, the music never sleeps, and the calendar is practically combusting with culture, concerts, and country icons this summer. Forget your backyard BBQ and lukewarm sausage sizzles—Music City is rolling out a seasonal showstopper you’d be mad to miss.
Centennial Notes and Starry Nights
The Grand Ole Opry turns 100 this year—and she doesn’t look a day over 85. The venerable old dame of country music will host a cavalcade of all-star performances guaranteed to bring a tear to your eye and a tap to your boot. Catch a show, shed a tear, and toast the Opry’s legacy with something local and amber in hand.
Not to be outdone, the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum unveils the blockbuster exhibition Dolly Parton: Journey of a Seeker from 20 May. This homage to the Queen of Country is a rhinestone-studded retrospective of Dolly’s six-decade reign in music, film, philanthropy and general fabulousness. It’ll run until 30 September 2026—though we suspect Dolly herself may outlast us all.
June Means CMA and FIFA Fever
From 5 to 8 June, CMA Fest descends on downtown Nashville like a musical hurricane. The world’s longest-running country music festival celebrates its 52nd lap around the sun with four days of elbow-rubbing, boot-scooting, and star-spotting. Whether you’re queueing for autographs or just soaking in free tunes on outdoor stages, this is country music’s Glastonbury—minus the mud, but with double the fringe.
2024-July 4 – Ascend Amphitheatre
Then comes a surprising twist: football, of the round-ball variety. Nashville hosts three FIFA Club World Cup matches at GEODIS Park on June 20, 24, and 26. And while the locals may call it “soccer,” rest assured that the passion will be anything but foreign. Expect chants, scarves, and maybe even a banjo in the stands.
Fireworks, Fried Chicken, and Freedom
On 4 July, Music City swaps guitars for fireworks at Let Freedom Sing!, a free downtown bash that includes family fun and flag-waving festivity. Headliner Dierks Bentley leads a lineup that includes Russell Dickerson, Niko Moon, and Grace Bowers. The lineup is capped off by a fireworks-and-drone display choreographed to live music from the Nashville Symphony. It’s America, set to 11.
Hungry before the show? Swing by East Nashville for the 19th Annual Hot Chicken Festival. It begins, as all civilised events should, with a fire truck parade and ends with sweat, joy and a mouth hotter than a Tennessee August. Cold drinks, live tunes, and chicken hotter than your ex’s new partner round out the experience.
Pride, Pickin’ and Puns
June also brings the Nashville Pride Festival (28–29 June) back to Bicentennial Capitol Mall. This two-day rainbow riot features a parade, live music, art installations, and enough sequins to blind a Baptist. It’s joyous, inclusive, and a reminder that Music City doesn’t just sing—it shouts.
Meanwhile, in a quieter pocket of the city, the Musicians Corner Spring Series lights up Centennial Park with local artists every Friday and Saturday from 16 May to 14 June. Free, family-friendly and deliciously low-key, it’s the kind of gig where toddlers dance barefoot and dogs wear bandanas.
Musicians Corner
Still not folksy enough for you? Try the Full Moon Pickin’ Parties in Percy Warner Park, where bluegrass reigns from May through September under starlit skies. Bring the kids, bring your dog, bring a pie—this is the Nashville of front porches and fiddles, served with a generous helping of Southern charm.
Tomatoes, Americana and Giant Goddesses
August means it’s tomato time. Yes, the 22nd annual Tomato Art Fest (8–9 August) returns to East Nashville’s Five Points with parades, costume contests, art shows, and enough tomato-themed tomfoolery to make Heinz nervous. Dress weird, eat well, and remember: there’s no such thing as too many tomatoes.
And as the summer wanes, the 25th annual AMERICANAFEST (9–13 September) swings into town. With hundreds of live performances citywide and the Americana Honours & Awards ceremony at the Ryman Auditorium, this is the spiritual summit for folk, roots, blues and soul lovers.
Speaking of soul, Alan LeQuire’s monumental sculptures arrive at The Parthenon (13 June–2 September) in a first-of-its-kind full-gallery takeover. Expect larger-than-life renderings of musicians, athletes and activists. It’s art with biceps.
Family Affairs and Splashes to Spare
Travelling with tots? The Nashville Zoo offers wild wonders, while the Adventure Park boasts ziplines and high ropes to dangle your dignity. For the creatively inclined, the Frist Art Museum’s Martin ArtQuest Gallery provides hands-on exhibits for curious minds. And when the heat hits peak sizzle, cool off at SoundWaves or Nashville Shores Lakeside Resort—where the slides are steep and the screams are real.
In Summary: Book the Flight, Pack the Boots
There’s a reason Nashville’s moniker endures. It’s not just Music City—it’s the city of music, art, food, flair and fun. Whether you’re grooving with Dolly, ducking a football, or demolishing hot chicken with tears in your eyes, summer 2025 in Nashville promises one heck of a story.
So do yourself a favour—leave the esky behind. This season, it’s Nashville or bust.
For complete event listings, travel packages, and real-time updates, visit: 👉 www.visitmusiccity.com/explore-nashville/seasonal/summer.
By Sandra Jones
