Shelly Fairchild performs onstage at the GLAAD + TY HERNDON's 2018 Concert for Love & Acceptance at Wildhorse Saloon on June 7, 2018 in Nashville, Tennessee./ Kentucky Gentlemen Press Photo
Photo by Rick Diamond/Getty Images for The 2018 Concert for Love & Acceptance/ Sammy Hearn

CMA Fest Announces LGBTQ+ 'Country Proud' Showcase

CMA Fest will showcase LGBTQ+ artists as part of Country Proud, the fest's debut LGBTQ activation, presented by The Nash News and RNBW Queer Collective in partnership with the Country Music Association and CMT.

Artists set to perform include Shelly Fairchild, Sonia Leigh, Lila McCann, Harper Grae, The Kentucky Gentleman, Breann Young, Jessica Rose, Chris Housman, Maia Sharp, Gina Venier, Steff Mahan and more. The event take place Thursday, June 9 from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Assembly Food Hall in Nashville.

"We are honored to be making history this week with this event," Leslie Fram, SVP of music strategy at CMT, wrote on social media.

https://twitter.com/FramLeslie/status/1533891960095768586?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1533891960095768586%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.billboard.com%2Fculture%2Fpride%2Fcma-fest-announces-first-country-proud-lgbtq-activation-1235082548%2F

 

CMA Fest, which runs from June 9 through June 12 in Nashville, will feature performances from Jason Aldean, Kelsea Ballerini, Gabby Barrett, Dierks Bentley, Kane Brown, Luke Bryan, Luke Combs and many more.

During the festival, Darius Rucker, Ashley McBryde, Brett Eldredge, Cole Swindell, Mickey Guyton, Midland, Nelly, Tyler Hubbard and more will perform at Spotify's four-day showcase, Spotify House, at Blake Shelton's Ole Red in downtown Nashville. The event will kick off on Thursday, June 9 and run from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m. daily (Thursday through Saturday) and on Sunday, June 12 from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (All shows will be open to the public.)

Four day passes and single-night tickets are available at cmafest.com.

READ MORE: 20 Openly Gay Country Singers You Should Be Listening To