I attended my first CMA Music Festival/Fan Fair in 2004, and wanted to share what I feel are the Top 10 things to consider when you are planning your trip for next year. These are tips for things to think about when planning, for enjoying the festival when you are there.
1. - Get Your Tickets Early
Tickets for 2004 went on sale in Nashville for attending fans to buy on June 12th. They went on sale to the general public on June 14th. If you are concerned in getting a floor seat that is close, you'll need to buy your tickets as soon as you can after this date. Keep in mind that Gold Circle seats usually sell out without a week or two of going on sale. Gold Circle seats are the center of the floor, and the first 22 rows of seats. You also have exclusive wait staff to take your food and beverage orders, so no getting up to go get something to eat. Lastly, this ticket price includes preferential parking at the Coliseum. You get 1 pass per order. So, if you've brought your car, this is helpful to have a place to park for free.
Buy 2005 CMA Music Festival Tickets
2. - If You Don't Get Gold Circle Seats, Don't Bother With Floor Seats
Take it from me. If you're not in the center sections within 22 rows from the stage, you're going to have a hard time seeing anything. Especially if you're on the far left or far right. Sure, there are huge screens, so you will SEE the artists, but if I wanted to view artists on a screen, I'd stay home and watch the show on TV when they broadcast it. I want to see artists live and get pictures. You may think you can just take pictures of the screens, but they really don't turn out well at all, so you may end up with a roll of really crappy looking pictures. This is my preference, of course. If it doesn't bother you to watch the show on a screen, then disregard this tip.
3. - If You Aren't Active, Be Sure To Prepare For LOTS Of Walking
Unless you have some problem where you can't get out and walk, do take this advice seriously. There is a LOT of walking at the CMA Music Festival. I don't do much walking around and I paid for it dearly when I had to walk daily to and from the bus stops, restaurants, shops, etc.
The most important thing to remember about the walking in Nashville is that a lot of it is on hills. My hotel was only two blocks from Broadway, which is where much of the action is in Nashville. It was also two blocks from 2nd Avenue where venues like the Wildhorse Saloon and the Riverfront Stages entrance is. Both of these directions were down hill from my hotel. Fine when walking to the place, but walking back, you're all uphill, and in the heat, it is doubly tiring.
The second part of my suggestion at getting used to lots of walking is when you go to the Coliseum. This is especially true if you have floor seats, or if you will be going in the Photo Line. It's a LONG way down to the field, and then a LONG way back up. You have to do both in the Photo Line, which starts at the street level, and decends to the field level, across the front of the stages, and then back up the other side of stairs to the street level again. Get that stairclimber going, cuz you'll need the stamina to make this trek.
3. - Decide Where To Stay - Downtown vs. Opryland/Music Valley and Outlying Areas
Personally, I prefer downtown. You'll be within walking distance (yep, that walking comes in again) of the Country Music Hall of Fame, Ryman, Convention Center, Riverfront Stages, and all the shuttle bus stops. But, it's much more expensive to stay downtown. So, you have to weigh the convenience vs. the price.
If you just don't have the cash to stay downtown, if you stay in the Music Valley or Opryland areas, you can purchase a 4-Day Grayline CMA Music Festival Shuttle Pass. It was $30.00 in 2004. They also have a 5-Day pass for $35.00. Again, this is the 2004 rate. This is something to seriously consider as many downtown hotels are in the $150.00 and higher range per night. You can find a hotel in the Music Valley or Opryland area for half that, or even less. Even adding the $30-35 one time fee for transportation, this is a valuable alternative. I have since confirmed with Grayline that their prices are the same as last year, however the url listed above shows $35.00 for the 4-day pass, so you may want to ask them before booking. Also, their info is showing for the 2004 dates, so the webmaster there needs to get his butt in gear and change that to 2005. :)
Don't want to go the Grayline route, buy a Coliseum parking pass for $28.00 and you can drive in, park your car at the Coliseum and use the CMA Music Festival shuttle buses (Thurs - Sun) to get around town.