Las Vegas Goes Country: Your Complete Guide To 2026 ACM Awards Week Events
Catch Riley Green, Ashley Cooke, Tucker Wetmore, Avery Anna, and more performing across Las Vegas all week long.
Riley Green, Ashley Cooke, Tucker Wetmore, Avery Anna; Photos Provided
Las Vegas is about to go country for the 61st Annual ACM Awards!
The highly anticipated show returns to Sin City on Sunday, May 17, and the days leading up to it are packed with can’t-miss events for fans.
If you’re heading to Vegas for the big night, here’s everything happening around town.
Whiskey Jam Welcome Party
Kicking things off on Thursday, May 14, is the Whiskey Jam Welcome Party at Ole Red Las Vegas. Running from 8–11 p.m., the FREE event is open to fans and will feature performances by Avery Anna, The Band Perry, Jenna Paulette, and Caroline Jones, with more artists to be announced.
ACM Lifting Lives Country on the Green: Riley Green & Friends
On Friday, May 15, fans can head to Topgolf Las Vegas for ACM Lifting Lives Country on the Green: Riley Green & Friends. The event benefits ACM Lifting Lives, the philanthropic arm of the Academy of Country Music, which works to improve lives through the power of music. The lineup includes Avery Anna, Lauren Alaina, Rodney Atkins, Randy Houser, and headliner Riley Green. Tickets are available now.
ACM Next Wave: Country’s Beach Bash
Saturday, May 16 brings even more star power with ACM Next Wave: Country’s Beach Bash at Mandalay Bay Beach. Headlined by 2025 ACM Triple Crown Award recipient and 14-time ACM Award winner Keith Urban, the show will also feature Flatland Cavalry, Ashley Cooke, Dasha, Braxton Keith, and Tucker Wetmore. Fans can also catch Opry NextStage Live with members of the Class of 2026, including Willow Avalon, Graham Barham, Tyler Braden, Alexandra Kay, Vincent Mason, Emily Ann Roberts, and Hudson Westbrook. Tickets are available now.
61st Annual ACM Awards
The weekend wraps with the main event: the 61st Annual ACM Awards, hosted by Shania Twain. This year’s show will feature performances from Blake Shelton, Carter Faith, Dan + Shay, Ella Langley, Jordan Davis, Kane Brown, The Red Clay Strays, Thomas Rhett, Zach Top, Cody Johnson, Lainey Wilson, Riley Green, Kacey Musgraves, Little Big Town, and Miranda Lambert. Early winners Avery Anna (New Female Artist of the Year) and Tucker Wetmore (New Male Artist of the Year) are also set to perform.
The ACM Awards will stream live exclusively on Prime Video to a global audience across 240+ countries and territories on Sunday, May 17 at 8 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. CT / 5 p.m. PT from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Blake Shelton Live in Las Vegas
And if that’s not enough country music for one weekend, Blake Shelton will also be in town with his “Live in Las Vegas” residency at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace, with shows scheduled for May 13, 15, and 16, perfectly timed with ACM Awards week. Tickets are available HERE.
If you can’t make it to Las Vegas, stay tuned to Country Now for updates. We’ll be sharing videos from events all week across our social media channels.
Lauren Jo Black, a University of Central Florida graduate, has immersed herself in the world of country music for over 15 years. In 2008, she co-founded CountryMusicIsLove, eventually selling it to a major record label in 2015. Following the rebranding of the website to Sounds Like Nashville, Black served as Editor-in-Chief for two and a half years. Currently, she assumes the role of Editor-in-Chief at Country Now and oversees Country Now’s content and digital footprint. Her extensive experience also encompasses her previous role as a Country Music Expert Writer for Answers.com and her work being featured on Forbes.com. She’s been spotlighted among Country Aircheck’s Women of Influence and received the 2012 Rising Star Award from the University of Central Florida. Black also spent time in front of the camera as host of Country Now Live, which brought live music directly to fans in 2021 when the majority of concerts were halted due to the pandemic. During this time, she hosted 24 weeks of live concerts via Country Now Live on Twitch with special guests such as Lady A, Dierks Bentley, Jordan Davis, Brett Young, and Jon Pardi. Over the course of her career, she has had the privilege of conducting interviews with some of the industry’s most prominent stars, including Reba McEntire, Blake Shelton, Luke Combs, Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert, Lainey Wilson, and many others. Lauren Jo Black is a longtime member of the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music.
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