This Year’s ACM Awards Show To Be Held In Nashville Instead Of Las Vegas

The Academy of Country Music and dick clark productions has announced the 55^th Annual Country Music Awards ceremony, normally held in Las Vegas, will be broadcast from Nashville, Tennessee later this year. The show, originally set for April 5th, was postponed due to the COVID-19.

The show, rescheduled for Wednesday, September 16^th, will be hosted by Keith Urban, and be broadcast from three famous country music venues: the Grand Ole Opry, the Ryman Auditorium, and the Bluebird Café.

Damon Whiteside, the CEO of the Academy of Country Music says while it was disappointing to postpone this year’s April show in Las Vegas, the ACM is thrilled to have it take place in Nashville for the first time in the show’s history.

“First and foremost, we want to ensure the safety of our artists and industry and to ease the burdens of traveling large teams; therefore we decided to bring the ACM Awards to them this September in Nashville. Now, more than ever, is the time to bring our community to honor the best in our genre, and there is no more special place to do that than three of the most revered venues in country music.”

The announcement came this morning during Nashville Mayor John Cooper’s daily Coronavirus press briefing.

“Country music has been our voice and our companion through so many difficult times and is now our comfort as we confront and defeat the coronavirus,” he said. “I’m excited to join country music fans worldwide to celebrate the Academy of Country Music and artists that uplift and inspire us all in this extraordinary times. And I look forward to the day we can safely welcome visitors back to enjoy all that Music City has to offer, including over 160 live entertainment venues with the best country music shows in the world.”

Having Nashville host the show will allow viewers worldwide to get a close-up look at the Grand Ole Opry, the Ryman Auditorium (the former home of the Opry from 1943 to 1974), and the iconic Bluebird Cafe where stars like Garth Brooks and Taylor Swift got their start.

“We are delighted to host the 55th ACM Awards and make history alongside the Academy of Country Music as the show comes to Nashville for the first time, “said Scot Bailey, President of Opry Entertainment Group. “We look forward to sharing this moment with out friends at The Bluebird Cafe and are pleased that fans will have the opportunity to experience the most famous stages in country music in such a unique way.”

The show will be broadcast on CBS on Wednesday, September 16^th (live 8:00-11:00 ET/delayed PT). The ACM will announce the names of artists and groups set to perform in the coming months.

In the meantime, in the wake of the Coronavirus pandemic, the philanthropic arm of the ACM created the ACM Lifting Lives COVID-19 Response Fund to assist those in the country music industry struggling financially. Since April 1^st, it has contributed $1.4 million with the help of corporate sponsors FirstNet, Built with AT&T, Amazon Music, and others. To learn more visit:

AcmliftinglivesCOVID-19 Response Fund | ACM Lifting Lives