News & Publications
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May. 14, 2004
CARNIVAL ADDED TO GROWING LIST OF CMA MUSIC FESTIVAL ACTIVITIES
NASHVILLE – Take the CMA Music Festival/Fan Fair® for a spin, or a whirl, or a plunge, or a five-story drop. The Country Music Association announced today that a carnival has been added to the festivities at “Country Music’s Biggest Party™.”
“With so many families attending the event and a growing number of local residents looking for activities for their children, adding a carnival this year was a natural choice,” said CMA Executive Director Ed Benson.
The CMA Music Festival Midway, provided by Belle City Amusements, will be located between the Shelby Street Pedestrian Bridge and The Coliseum, adjacent to the new CMA Music Festival Sports Zone. Admission is free, but rides require a separate ticket for purchase (75 cents each or a sheet of 40 tickets for $25) or an armband for unlimited rides ($10 a day for CMA Music Festival ticket holders; $15 a day for the general public). The CMA Music Festival Midway includes everything from games and concessions to rides for children like the Crazy Bus and Dizzy Dragon to more adult thrills including the Scrambler, Cobra and Wipeout.
“Being from Tennessee and a Country Music fan, makes this very appealing, personally” said Charles Panacek, who co-owns the company with his mother, Mary Panacek. “But being able to do a venue as large as Nashville makes this appealing from a business point of view, too.”
The CMA Music Festival Midway is open from 5:00 PM/CDT to midnight June 4, 7-9; and from noon to midnight June 5-6, 10-13. The carnival is easily accessible on the Coliseum grounds from the Shelby Street Pedestrian Bridge, which connects the Downtown Nashville activities to the Sports Zone. Ample paid surface lots and parking garages are available Downtown, a quick, easy walk across the bridge to The Coliseum property.
CMA Music Festival takes place Thursday through Sunday, June 10-13, with hundreds of artists and celebrities and more than 60 hours of music and activities happening morning, noon, night – and even later for the party hearty.
At the core, CMA Music Festival is a four-day celebration of the artists, the music and the fans that love it. Carnival rides are an added thrill – even for the artists.
“When I was little, I used to get so excited when the fair would come to town,” said DreamWorks recording artist Jessica Andrews. “My friends and I loved riding the Gravitron and the Super Loop [aka The Ring of Fire] was also one of my favorites.”
“My favorite was always the bumper cars,” said Koch Nashville recording artist David Lee Murphy. “I remember racing around trying to run into my cousin, or brother, or one of my friends. The most fun was when you got up some good speed and got a good clean shot at somebody, running into their side or rear-end.”
“My parents used to take me to the county fair in Vero when I was a kid,” said DreamWorks recording artist Scotty Emerick. “I always had a blast riding the Super Loop and Tilt-a-Whirl. Actually, one of my goals in life as a kid was either to be the pixie dust spreader on the Tilt-a-Whirl or the guy guessing everyone’s weight.”
“When I was a young boy in Monroe, Louisiana, the local carnival had a ride called the Duck Blind,” recalled RCA recording artist Andy Griggs, host of the Third Annual Andy Griggs Celebrity Archery Tournament, which takes place in the Sports Zone. “You’d go into this big blind, it’s dark and people jump on top of you with what you think is blood, but it ends up being water – can sure make a young boy scream.”
“Roller coasters are my favorite carnival ride,” said DreamWorks Recording artist Jimmy Wayne. “I love the excitement and anticipation of going up the hill and the rush you get going down the hill, not to mention all the curves – it’s a lot like life!”
“Hey, I’ve been sick on all of them!” lamented Broken Bow recording artist Joe Diffie.
While you are at The Coliseum for the carnival, pick up tickets to CMA Music Festival’s star-studded Nightly Concerts or purchase in advance. The cost is $25. Tickets can be purchased now through the Festival Ticket Office at the Gaylord Entertainment Center Box Office, 501 Broadway, Nashville, Tenn., or toll-free at 1-800-CMA-FEST (262-3378). Tickets are also available through Ticketmaster at (615) 255-9600, at www.ticketmaster.com and all Ticketmaster outlets. Single concert tickets will also be sold during CMA Music Festival at The Coliseum ticket office beginning Wednesday, June 9.
Single-day tickets for the Greased Lightning® Riverfront Park Stages will be sold the day of show at the gate for $12 each. Children 6 and under are admitted to Riverfront Park concerts free of charge.
Four-day CMA Music Festival ticket packages are on sale now. Tickets are $145 and $125 for adults, and $100 and $86 for children 14 and younger (prices do not include applicable handling fees). Children 3 and younger are admitted free. Ticket packages are divided into four categories, based on the level of reserved seating at The Coliseum (the Gold Circle ticket package is already sold out). Ticket packages include the Nightly Concerts at The Coliseum; Daily Concerts at Greased Lightning® Riverfront Park Stages; the Wrangler® Fan Fair (Exhibit Hall); Sports Zone; Bush’s® Baked Beans Family Zone; CMA Music Festival After Hours™ free shuttles to major event sites; the official CMA Music Festival Program Book; and more.
To purchase ticket packages, call toll-free 1-800-CMA-FEST (262-3378) or through Ticketmaster at (615) 255-9600; or download an order form at www.CMAfest.com; or visit www.Ticketmaster.com to buy online. Ticket prices, schedule and artists appearing are subject to change without notice. Order early for the best available reserved seat at The Coliseum. All sales are final and non-refundable.
For up-to-the-minute information about tickets, travel information, schedules, artist appearances and more, visit www.CMAfest.com and sign up for e-news.
2004 CMA Music Festival/Fan Fair is organized and produced by the Country Music Association. Country Weekly is an official media partner. MJI Programming, a division of Premiere Radio Networks, is the official radio broadcaster. Promotional partners include American Airlines, B.A.S.S.®, Bush’s® Baked Beans, Camping World, Carl Black Chevrolet, Coca-Cola, Greased Lightning®, NBC Daytime, Sparkle™ Paper Towels and Wrangler®. Fan Fair is a registered trademark of CMA.