HEY BOOGS. Every year in Nashville there's this lil thing called CMA Fest. Thousands upon thousands of country music lovers come from all over the world for 4 days filled with personal pizzas, sweat, jack daniels snow cones and live music. This is the first time in as long as I can remember that I'm not attending the night shows at LP Field...I mean Nissan Stadium (insert eye roll), so I figured I would share my tips and outfit inspo with you guys!

TIPS

DOWNLOAD THE CMA FEST APP. Your life will be SO much easier.
GO TO ALLL THE DAY SHOWS. Ok, def not all but if you see there's an artiste that you've jammed to in your car, for sure go! P and I will be hitting up the day stuff this year (and prob a couple nights at Ascend) because almost all of it is free and it is a blast.
Pick a day set aside JUST for Riverfront. Take a blanket and grab a ride on the bus to the end of Broadway and pick out a spot--but make sure to pour some watermelon jack in your snow cone, you will not regret it :-)
Buy a four day pass to Fan Fair at Music City Center. It's only a couple of blocks from Broadway and there are killer food trucks sitting outside. Hundreds of artists play shows and do meet & greets at Fan Fair and the four day pass for $25 simply makes more sense than the $10 daily ticket because it gives you the freedom to come and go as you please!
If you're going to the night shows, get there early!!! Whether you want to snag a table by the gates and eat some bbq or take a personal pizza to your seat (hiiiiiiiiighly recommend), it's such a nice way to cool off and relax before the craziness starts. If you're going to Ascend at night, you should also plan on getting there a little bit before doors open!
If you're going to the night shows, you MAY be able to stand in the photo line (I say may because I heard they might be getting rid of it after Vegas). If it is open and you do it, get in line during the performer before whoever you want to see. This is how P got to chat with Thomas Rhett!
If you park at the stadium to do the day stuff before the night shows, wear comfy clothes and have a change in your car! Last year I did my hair and makeup before going down for the free stuff and wore norts and a cute tshirt; around 4:30/5 we would go back to the car to change and get ready to line up for the night shows.

RUN DOWN OF MY GO-TO OUTFITS

My style is a lot more laid back and casual than some at CMA Fest because it's comfy + practical, while still being cute (in my opinion of course). I love rompers, neutral pieces and a couple of hometown pride shirts. Last year, CMA Fest happened the same night the Preds were playing in the Stanley Cup Finals on Broadway so about 75% of the concert-goers were repping our team.

DETAILS

Top Left: simple black lace shorts with a black crop tank, cowboy boots and a Tribe Kelley dress that I cut open to wear as a long cardigan-type thing. Locals looove to judge cowboy boots (including me), but we ALL wear 'em to the night shows. Warning: do not wear them during the day stuff unless you want to die from the heat.

Top Right: Mama and I both wore our Preds shirts to show our boys some love!!! I paired with a pair of Billabong denim shorts that I LOVE and some birkenstocks.

Bottom Left: A nash tshirt from Lucky Brand, a pair of boutique denim shorts and high-top converse. I def regret wearing the shoes but I had just ordered them and wanted to wear them for the sake of wearing them, but it was too hot to be wearing them.

Bottom Right: My FAVORITE outfit from last year. I got this romper from Kohl's and I still wear this--the top is ribbed (something I normally hate) and it's literally the most comfortable outfit ever.

Since we're just doing the day stuff this year, I'll probably be dressing for the 96 degree weather, but here is some inspo of what I think is cute for CMA Fest 2018/what I would definitely be wearing if I was going to the night shows. Also--I only posted one bag because you'll probably only want to bring a small wristlet or a clear bag--it'll make things much easier because according to Nissan Stadium "non-transparent bags must now be approximately the size of a hand (5.5" x 8.5"), even if you are placing it inside your larger clear bag."

If you're going this year (or if you've been before), what are your tips and fav pieces that everyone should know about?!

why I love it:

I threw in two different tanks bc the first one may be a bit unreasonable, but the gucci and cowboy boot combo is BOMB and the alexander wang shorts are on sale right now!!!

why I love it:

the free people dress is so summery and it just looks like the perfect dress
for a country concert, ya know? this bag is the perfect size for stadium
rules and the flats look so comfy!

why I love it:

um, it's a willie nelson shirt. do I need to say anything more ??? the wrap skirt dresses it up a little teeny-tiny bit and the booties tie it all back together! also, can we talk about these SHOES?!

why I love it:

let me start with these boots...I LOVE THEM. they are so simple, yet so loud. I also love how the turtleneck tank matches the shoes so closely and the denim shorts just give a 'I need to go round up the cattle, but first I'm going to watch Luke Combs play to a sold out crowd' vibe, don't they?!

Styles + Tips for CMA Fest