Dedications
Charlotte Kelsea Ballerini - IF YOU GO DOWN (I'M GOIN' DOWN TOO) this is for my best friend Ayda who has been there for me through everything. love you Ayda 🫶🏽 Shelly Lauren Alaina - All My Exes (feat. Chase Matthew) This one goes out to my ex. 😂 Adrian Whiskey Myers - Lonely East Texas Nights (Single) Rock on from San Antonio Texas

Nashville's Best Live Music Venues

Nashville has a stage for every kind of country fan: a 90-seat songwriter room, a honky-tonk with no cover, an arena with 20,000 voices singing along. Here are the venues worth planning a trip around. Part of our Nashville music guide.

Band playing to a packed crowd inside a Nashville music bar

The venues

The Bluebird Cafe

A tiny strip-mall room famous for songwriter rounds, where the people who wrote the hits play them in the round. Tickets go fast; plan ahead.

The Ryman Auditorium

The Mother Church of Country Music. Some of the best acoustics anywhere, and a bucket-list show for artists and fans alike.

Grand Ole Opry House

Home of the Opry’s weekly shows, mixing legends, current stars and newcomers on the same night.

Bridgestone Arena

Downtown’s arena, steps from Broadway, where the biggest country tours land.

Ascend Amphitheater

An outdoor riverside venue for summer and fall shows.

The Basement East

An East Nashville club for up-and-coming country, Americana and rock acts.

Broadway honky-tonks

Live bands from late morning to late night, often with no cover. Tip the band.

Annual events

  • CMA Fest — Country’s biggest fan festival, every June.
  • AmericanaFest — Showcases across the city each fall.
  • Tin Pan South — A songwriters’ festival with rounds in clubs citywide.
  • New Year’s Eve — A big free concert downtown.

A three-day plan

Day 1: Country Music Hall of Fame by day, honky-tonks on Broadway by night. Day 2: A Ryman tour and an evening at the Opry. Day 3: Music Row by day, a songwriter round at the Bluebird at night.

Who's playing Nashville

See upcoming dates in our country music concerts guide.

Nashville live music FAQs

What's the most famous music venue in Nashville?

The Ryman Auditorium and the Grand Ole Opry House are the most famous for country music; the Bluebird Cafe is the most famous for songwriters.

Is there live music on Broadway every day?

Yes. Most honky-tonks on Lower Broadway have live bands throughout the day and night.

When is CMA Fest?

Every June. Check the official site for this year’s dates.

How we report: Facts on this page come from the sources listed above and are checked by a second editor. Read our editorial standards. Spot an error? Tell us.

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