I’m not really sure what other plans you’d have on a random Wednesday night in November, but in case you haven’t already blocked your calendar off for the CMA Awards in a few weeks, here’s your reminder.
Country music’s biggest night is celebrating a pretty momentous year in 2026, with November 18 marking the 60th annual CMA Awards, airing live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena and hosted by none other than returning host, Lainey Wilson. Celebrating a whopping six decades, as if we couldn’t have already guessed this, I have a feeling the night will be an absolute Ella-Fest, with the Alabama starlet already dominating the nominations with a whopping nine nods across seven categories.
While many are recommending she come prepared to the ceremony with a broom in hand, ready to sweep the awards, as of today, we also have confirmation that she’ll be lighting up the stage with her reigning hits. Following an exclusive announcement on ABC’s Good Morning America, CMA dropped a list of the first round-up of artists officially set to perform throughout the night.
Beyond the fan favorite, Langley, also performing throughout the night will be Entertainer of the Year nominee Cody Johnson, alongside Miranda Lambert, Tim McGraw, and Kacey Musgraves. The reigning Vocal Group of the Year, The Red Clay Strays, are also bound to put on a spectacular show, joining the lineup.
In addition, we have confirmation that “Brunette” singer Tucker Wetmore and everyone’s favorite beer-yielding “I Never Lie” singer, Zach Top, will hit the stage. With surely a few other surprise artists bound to make an appearance throughout the night and more to be announced, CMA also teased that beyond their special Dolly Parton celebration, which aired just last month, they’ll continue to celebrate the late legend during the awards with another tribute performance throughout the show.
In just two weeks, the awards will air live on Nov. 18 on ABC and Disney+ from 8-11 p.m. ET, but as I mentioned before, if you’re one of the few people who already have their Wednesday night booked, it will also be available the next day on Hulu.
And if you want to witness these surefire performances live in Bridgestone Arena, a limited number of tickets currently remain, available at CMAawards.com/tickets.