Farm Aid 2026 is set to reach a much wider audience this year, with the annual music festival announcing a live broadcast partnership with CNN ahead of its September 26 event in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
The festival, scheduled to take place at Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater, will bring together established musicians and emerging performers for a day of live music centered around Farm Aid’s long-running cultural connection to American family farmers.
CNN’s special presentation, Farm Aid 2026: Music Festival Live, is scheduled to air live on September 26 from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. Eastern Time. The program will also be available through CNN’s digital platforms, giving viewers who cannot attend the Virginia Beach event an opportunity to follow the performances from home.
The broadcast will be co-anchored from Virginia Beach by CNN’s John Berman and Laura Coates. CNN Chief Climate Correspondent Bill Weir is also scheduled to report from the festival site.
The announcement adds another major platform to Farm Aid’s 2026 media plans. SiriusXM is scheduled to provide an audio broadcast, while nugs and Farm Aid’s website will offer streaming options. The organization also plans to stream its pre-festival press event, allowing audiences to follow conversations involving participating artists and farmers before the main concert begins.
This year’s lineup continues Farm Aid’s tradition of bringing together performers from different generations and musical styles. The announced artists include Willie Nelson and Family, Neil Young and the Chrome Hearts, John Mellencamp, Dave Matthews with Tim Reynolds, Margo Price and Nathaniel Rateliff.
The festival will also feature Turnpike Troubadours, Lukas Nelson, Mike Campbell & The Dirty Knobs, Jesse Welles, Sierra Ferrell, I’m With Her, Mon Rovîa, Amythyst Kiah, Lily Meola and Chris Pierce. Singer-songwriter and guitarist Ty Myers is also part of the 2026 lineup.
For music fans, the lineup represents a combination of veteran performers and newer voices across country, rock, Americana and roots music. Willie Nelson, Neil Young and John Mellencamp have been closely associated with Farm Aid since its early years, while younger artists bring a contemporary perspective to the festival’s musical program.
Farm Aid was founded in 1985 following a period of significant challenges for American farmers. The organization has continued its work through concerts, farmer-focused programs and educational initiatives. According to Farm Aid, the organization has raised more than $90 million since its founding to support programs designed to strengthen family farms.
The festival itself has become an annual meeting point for music and agricultural culture. Alongside its concert performances, Farm Aid events have traditionally highlighted food, farming and opportunities for audiences to learn more about the people responsible for producing food in the United States.
The 2026 event also continues Farm Aid’s history in Virginia. Previous editions of the festival were held in the state in 1999, 2000 and 2014. Returning to Virginia Beach gives this year’s event another connection to the festival’s long history of traveling to different parts of the country.
The CNN broadcast is significant because it gives Farm Aid an opportunity to reach audiences far beyond the physical capacity of its Virginia Beach venue. The combination of television, online streaming and satellite radio means fans will have multiple ways to experience the performances and follow the event.
The expanded distribution also reflects the continuing importance of live music broadcasts in modern entertainment. Major concerts and festivals increasingly use television and digital platforms to connect performers with audiences who may be unable to attend in person. For Farm Aid, that approach allows its music programming and broader cultural message to reach viewers across the country.
For audiences planning to follow the festival, the key date is September 26. The main CNN broadcast is scheduled for the evening, while additional coverage and streaming options are expected to provide access around the festival’s other activities.
Farm Aid 2026 therefore represents more than another entry on the year’s concert calendar. It brings together generations of musicians, gives established and emerging performers a shared stage and continues a decades-long connection between live music and American farming culture.
With its Virginia Beach setting, broad artist lineup and expanded national broadcast, Farm Aid 2026 is positioned to become one of the notable music events of the fall. The festival will officially take place on September 26, when audiences in Virginia Beach and viewers across the United States can experience the latest chapter in Farm Aid’s longstanding musical tradition.