2015 CMA Music Fest Facts: Did You Know?

CMA Music Festival set a new attendance record with 87,680 fans attending the event daily. Photo: Dusty Draper/CMA

The 2015 CMA Music Festival sold out seven months in advance, prompting large, enthusiastic crowds at the numerous free stages and interactive areas, resulting in record-setting daily attendance. With the festival behind us, here are the impressive stats showing the event’s impact on Music City last week:

2015 CMA Music Festival Facts:

87,680 fans per day, setting a new record

9.6 percent increase of fans over last year

500-plus artists participated

250 hours of concerts

11 stages, seven of which were free

25,000 fans attended Chevrolet Riverfront Stage on Saturday

40 corporate brands

$11 million-plus donated by CMA to music education since 2006

$150,000 raised by Celebrity Auction ($100,000 in 2014)

50 states and 20 countries represented by Festival attendees

38,748 total active users on CMA Music Festival app

43,412 clicks on the festival schedule pdf

5.5 million views on Snapchat featured story

284,855 unique visitors on cmafest.com during the Festival week (up 13 percent over last year)

48 percent of attendees were visiting CMA Music Festival for the first time

31 percent of attendees traveled by airplane

72,000-plus visitors passed through the turnstiles

63 percent increase in merchandise sales over 2014

700 journalists, photographers, producers, and videographers

The Festival was filmed for a three-hour television special CMA Music Festival: Country’s Night to Rock airing Tuesday, Aug. 4 on ABC. It was hosted for the third time by reigning CMA Vocal Group of the Year, Little Big Town. The special debuted in 2004 and this is the 11th year it will air on ABC. Robert Deaton is the executive producer.

Tickets for 2016 CMA Music Festival, which will be held Thursday through Sunday, June 9-12, are selling fast with 62 percent of available tickets already sold to returning fans. The national on-sale date is Friday, June 19 and fans can order tickets by visiting CMAfest.com or calling the CMA Box Office at 1-800-CMA-FEST (262-3378).

Fans pack the Chevrolet Riverfront Stage during Chase Rice’s performance Friday. For the first time in Festival history, Riverfront Park hit capacity crowds with 25,000 attendees during Saturday at the 2015 CMA Music Festival. Photo: John Russell/CMA

Thursday’s Artist of the Day Little Big Town cut the ribbon to AT&T U-verse® Fan Fair X at the Music City Center, kicking off the 2015 CMA Music Festival. (L-R): Brian Collins, Vice President of Wireline Consumer Marketing, AT&T Home Solutions; Sally Williams, Vice President, Business and Partnership Development of Ryman Auditorium and CMA Board President Elect; Sarah Trahern, CMA Chief Executive Officer; John Esposito, CEO Warner Music Nashville and CMA Board President; Little Big Town’s Phillip Sweet, Karen Fairchild, Kimberly Schlapman, and Jimi Westbrook; and Frank Bumstead, Chairman Flood, Bumstead, McCready & McCarthy and CMA Board Chairman. Photo: John Russell/CMA

Eric Church joined Keith Urban for a performance of their No. 1 song “Raise ‘Em Up” during Sunday night’s concert at LP Field during the 2015 CMA Music Festival. Photo: John Russell/CMA

The Sixth Annual CMA Celebrity Auction inside Fan Fair X raised $150,000 for the CMA Foundation to support music education initiatives. Photo: John Russell/CMA