Hardy Draws Heat Crowds to CMA Fest Cooling Stations
hardy crowds at CMA Fest are pushing cooling stations and first aid tents into constant use as heat and humidity build along Broadway and the riverfront. Hundreds of police officers and medics are watching the festival floor as temperatures climb, with Vanderbilt LifeFlight crews already seeing a steady stream of people asking for sunscreen and dehydration help.
Broadway Heat and Humidity
Dr. Jeremy Crook said, "Heat is really one of the biggest things," and added that the hardest part is that people come out to have a good time and may not have prepared. The life-flight doctor’s warning fits what medics are seeing on the ground: festivalgoers who expected a normal day are spending multiple days outside in the sun.
"It can kind of compound where if you didn’t hydrate well enough yesterday, it can affect you rolling into today and the next day," Crook said. He also urged people, "So make sure that you’re hydrating before you come but also while you’re here."
ATVs, Sunscreen, and Snow Cones
Vanderbilt LifeFlight has roaming crews across the festival, including multiple ATVs carrying paramedics, nurse practitioners, and physicians. Those crews have been working first aid tents, handing out band aids for blisters from new cowboy boots, and helping people who stop for sunscreen and water.
Bryson Maynard of Nashville said, "Definitely has been getting intense out here today," while carrying a large water bottle as the crowds kept growing. "If I’m not drinking this, if I don’t have it with me, I’m probably going to feel dehydrated in like an hour just because of how fast I sweat in the heat," he said.
SPF 50 at the Stages
Casidy Cooley of Nashville said, "It feels like 100 degrees, so very suffocating. The crowds don’t make it better, but that’s part of it." She pointed to the lack of shade at the stages, where people are also drinking alcohol while listening to their favorite artists.
BobbieAnn Cooke put the wardrobe advice bluntly: "You’ve got to be smart about it," and, "I’m a red head, so I burn very easily. You’ve got to do SPF 50. 100 percent!" Adam Turcotte called the conditions plain as well: "The heat has been brutal" — a fair read for a festival where booths with fans, mist, and free drinks are now part of the survival kit.
The practical move for anyone still heading downtown is simple: hydrate before arrival, keep drinking water during the day, and skip the new cowboy boots if blisters are a concern. With the heat already driving crowds to cooling stations and medical tents, the festival is now as much about pacing as it is about the music.
