Music City is ready to ring in the New Year (2026) with a grand celebration during New Year’s Eve Live: Nashville’s Big Bash, featuring performances from Dierks Bentley, Brooks & Dunn, Riley Green, Rascal Flatts, Marcus King, Megan Moroney, Zach Top, Keith Urban, Gretchen Wilson, Stephen Wilson Jr., as well as Jason Aldean, Lainey Wilson and Bailey Zimmerman, who will headline from Bicentennial Park.
The star-studded event was filmed at various locations across Downtown Nashville, including Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park, as well as a selection of honky-tonks, bars, and clubs along the iconic Lower Broadway. New Year’s Eve Live: Nashville’s Big Bash will include back-to back performances across multiple time zones, all live from Music City.
The five-hour TV special will feature performances filmed across Nashville from Dierks Bentley, Brooks & Dunn, Rascal Flatts, Keith Urban, Megan Moroney, Dwight Yoakam, and more, plus special guest appearances throughout the night.
The official in-person watch party will take place at Luke Combs’ Category 10, where Dwight Yoakam will perform alongside Marcus King, with appearances by Cody Alan and Caylee Hammack. The free, 21+ event opens at 6 p.m., with ticketed upgrades available.
Jason Aldean, Lainey Wilson, and Bailey Zimmerman will headline live from Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park, joined by CeCe Winans and the Fisk Jubilee Singers, as Nashville rings in 2025 with the Music Note Drop and fireworks.
New Year’s Eve Live: Nashville’s Big Bash is executive produced by Robert Deaton and Mary Hilliard Harrington in partnership with Music City Inc., the charitable foundation of the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp. The special is directed by Sandra Restrepo.
Music Mayhem compiled a complete list of everything you need to know about New Year’s Eve Live: Nashville’s Big Bash below.
How To Watch?
New Year’s Eve Live: Nashville’s Big Bash will broadcast live on Wednesday, Dec. 31, airing from 8–10 p.m. ET/PT and continuing from 10:30 p.m.–1:30 a.m. ET/PT on the CBS Television Network. The special will also stream live on Paramount+. Paramount+ Premium subscribers can watch in real time through the live stream of their local CBS affiliate on the platform.
How To Attend?
Ring in the New Year in downtown Nashville as Lainey Wilson, Jason Aldean, and Bailey Zimmerman headline New Year’s Eve Live: Nashville’s Big Bash at Bicentennial Mall. The event is free and open to the public, with gates opening at 6:00 p.m.
Fans can also catch a free watch party at Luke Combs’ Category 10 bar on 2nd Avenue. The 21+ event offers general admission at no cost, with upgraded ticket options available. The night will feature live performances from Dwight Yoakam and Marcus King, plus appearances by Caylee Hammack and SiriusXM’s Cody Alan. Guaranteed entry tickets and VIP upgrade options can be purchased in advance HERE.
Who’s hosting?
Comedian and actor Bert Kreischer and genre-bending artist HARDY will co-host New Year’s Eve Live: Nashville’s Big Bash.
Kreischer shared, “You hear people say, ‘I’m honored and privileged to be working with a certain group of people,’ but in this case, I am blown away that I’m allowed to work with these people. This lineup is insane. This event, which I was a very small part of last year, is so much fun. To be working with my buddy HARDY … it feels like I should be paying CBS to do this. I can’t wait. I hope I keep my shirt on, and I promise not to drink until the stroke of midnight, unless you want me to drink earlier.”
“Celebrating New Year’s Eve in Music City is always a blast,” HARDY added. “It’s great to be back playing NASHVILLE’S BIG BASH, and I’m stoked to co-host this year with one of the funniest dudes I know.”
Social media personality Haley Baylee will report live from New York City, counting down to midnight ET for the iconic Ball Drop, while Kreischer and HARDY keep the celebration rolling through midnight CT with Nashville’s famous Music Note Drop at the Bicentennial Stage. Cody Alan and Caylee Hammack will also serve as a co-host from Luke Combs’ Category 10 bar.
Who’s Performing?
The five-hour broadcast will showcase performances from Dierks Bentley, Brooks & Dunn, Rascal Flatts, Riley Green, Marcus King, Megan Moroney, Zach Top, Keith Urban, Gretchen Wilson, Stephen Wilson Jr., and more, with pre-taped sets filmed at iconic venues across Nashville. The night will also include special appearances from comedian Dusty Slay, Entertainment Tonight’s Cassie DiLaura, SiriusXM host Buzz Brainard, and UFC champion Kayla Harrison.
Dwight Yoakam will perform live from Luke Combs’ Category 10 bar alongside newly announced guest Marcus King, with additional appearances from SiriusXM’s Cody Alan and Caylee Hammack as Music City rings in 2026.
Headlining the New Year celebration, Jason Aldean, Lainey Wilson, and Bailey Zimmerman will take the stage live from Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park, joined by special guests CeCe Winans and the Fisk Jubilee Singers. HARDY will also step away from his co-hosting duties to perform during the festivities.
