CMA Music Fest Kicks Off With Street Parade Featuring LoCash Cowboys, Lee Brice, Eli Young Band + More

CMA Music Festival is officially here! Wednesday morning (June 8), many of today's hottest stars in country music helped celebrate the week dedicated to the fans as a majority of Nashville's famed Broadway was shut down for the annual kick-off parade.

LoCash Cowboys, Lee Brice, Eli Young Band, Mark Wills, Ashley Gearing, Josh Thompson, Billy Dean, Lynn Anderson, '80s pop star Tiffany, Steve Holy, Miss Willie Brown, Bo Bice, Ty Herndon, Stealing Angels, Walker Hayes, Jason Jones, the Harters, the Dirt Drifters, Rhonda Vincent, Buddy Jewell, the Roys and many more rode in the back of trucks or on the top of hot sports cars as they gave fans their first glimpse of what CMA Music Fest is all about.

"The parade is the official green light for CMA Music Fest week," LoCash's Preston Brust tells Taste of Country. "There's nothing like ridin' in the bed of a Chevy pickup truck and watchin' everyone get excited as the city celebrates its craziest week of the year!"

"It's an honor to be a part of the CMA Parade again," adds LoCash's Chris Lucas. "It's always a good time to see the fans of country music, and how much they love our industry!"

For Warner Music Nashville's bright new star Jason Jones, this year marks his first involvement in the week-long festivities that have been taking place for 40 years. "Being in the parade was a special thing for me because not only have I never been in a parade before, but I got to be in the CMA Fest parade on the 40th anniversary of the festival ... very cool!"

Thursday morning, the first of the concerts held at the Chevrolet Riverfront stages take place with Gary Allan's highly-anticipated performance at 10:00AM. Later that night, the LP Field concerts will continue the fun and feature the likes of the Zac Brown Band, Easton Corbin, Sara Evans, Jason Aldean, Brad Paisley and more.

Look for the LoCash Cowboys' premiere of their episode of 'Man vs. Food Nation' this evening on the Travel Channel, where the hot duo tackle a 72 ounce steak for the big challenge. Their current single, 'You Got Me,' impacted country radio earlier this week.

Watch a Preview of LoCash Cowboys on 'Man vs. Food Nation'