NASHVILLE – 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. Nashville also was recently named to Travel + Leisure’s World’s Best Awards 2025 for Best Cities in the U.S. at No. 13 – a further reflection of the city’s ongoing momentum.
Let Freedom Sing! Music City July 4th
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 yielding 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. Of the $8.38 million in Davidson County lodging room revenues on July 4th, 30% was generated by short-term rentals. Average length of stay was 3.7 nights, and average party size was 3.9 people.
About 55% of attendees were visitors traveling 50+ miles away and 45% were locals according to Placer.ai geolocation data of downtown. Top feeder states for visitors included Illinois, Tennessee, Texas, Florida, Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Georgia, California and New York.
Community partnerships played a meaningful role in the event experience. KultureCity distributed 42 sensory bags and welcomed 25 individuals to its on-site Sensory Room. Sober Space, in collaboration with Cumberland Heights, hosted over 700 guests in its alcohol-free zone throughout the day and evening. More than 2,100 pounds of prepared food were donated to Care Kitchen Outreach, providing 2,157 meals to individuals in need. Additionally, the event sold 9,600 cans of StageWater, which donates a portion of proceeds to support nonprofits that assist those in need within the entertainment industry, such as providing healthcare and hardship grants and supporting independent venues and promoters. The music-inspired canned water brand is led by members of Bentley’s touring crew.
In 2026, Let Freedom Sing! 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. As previously announced, 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.
Stadium Tours
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.
Upcoming concerts and sporting events that will continue to drive visitation through early fall include the following:
- August 7: Jason Aldean: Full Throttle Tour at Bridgestone Arena
- August 12: The Weeknd at Nissan Stadium
- August 15-17: PBR: Nashville Stampede Days at Bridgestone Arena
- August 19: Katy Perry: The Lifetime Tour at Bridgestone Arena
- August 22: Minnesota Vikings at Tennessee Titans (preseason)
- August 30-31: Borchetta Bourbon Music City Grand Prix at Nashville Superspeedway
- September 8: Eric Clapton at Bridgestone Arena
- September 9: Benson Boone: American Heart Tour at Bridgestone Arena
- September 11: Tate McRae: Miss Possessive Tour at Bridgestone Arena
- September 14: Los Angeles Rams at Tennessee Titans
- September 23: Tampa Bay Lightning at Nashville Predators (preseason)
The city’s tourism momentum continues with a strong summer schedule of upcoming conventions at Music City Center and Gaylord Opryland Resort, including American Statistical Association with 7,000 attendees and the Sing! 2025 Conference with 8,000 attending in August, followed by Autodesk hosting 10,000 attendees in September.
The Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp and Visit Music City
The mission of the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp and Visit Music City is to maximize the economic contribution of the convention and tourism industry to the community by developing and marketing Nashville as a premier destination. Visit the NCVC’s website at www.visitmusiccity.com and follow us on social media @VisitMusicCity.
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