The holiday season is just around the corner, and it’s time to Deck the Hall at the Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum. The museum will be packed with a month of seasonal activities in December that blend music, art, education and even Santa Claus, offering fun for the entire family.
Festivities officially kick off on Friday, Nov. 27, when a special guest lights the thirty-foot-tall Christmas tree in the museum’s Mike Curb Conservatory. This is the first tree lighting of the season in Nashville. The tree lighting will be followed with a brief performance by a special guest to be announced soon.
New this year, the museum will offer more music and cheer than ever before with four concerts in the CMA Theater. Every Wednesday in December will feature a festive performance. On Dec. 9 “Little Miss Dynamite,” Brenda Lee, will light up the CMA Theater in her first-ever Nashville show. Lee has never performed a full concert in the area and fans are sure to be “rockin’ around the Christmas tree” as she performs her hits, gospel favorites, Christmas selections and a tribute to the troops. Tickets start at $45.
“I am so excited to ‘deck the hall’ with the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum as they open their doors to the Nashville community and celebrate the spirit of the season,” says Lee. “I can’t think of a better time of year to play my first ever Nashville show than during the holidays!”
Finally, on Dec. 23, newly inducted Country Music Hall of Fame Members, The Oak Ridge Boys, will take the CMA Theater stage to share their hits and Christmas favorites. Tickets start at $50.
Tickets for all shows go on sale Friday, Oct. 30, at 10 a.m. CDT. There will also be a limited number of VIP packages available for each concert, which include premier seating, artists meet-and-greet, and a limited edition Hatch Show Print. For more information and to purchase tickets visit countrymusichalloffame.org/deckthehall2015.
Throughout the holiday season, the museum will offer many free-to-the-public activities. Santa Claus will be on hand for free photos with children of all ages on both Saturday and Sunday during Deck the Hall this year. Don’t miss Santa on Nov. 28-29, Dec. 5-6, Dec. 12-13 and Dec. 19-20. String City: Nashville’s Tradition of Music and Puppetry, a puppet show partnership between the Nashville Public Library and the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, returns to the museum for a two-day run, Nov. 27–28. Families can also enjoy cookie decorating on Sundays, Nov. 29, Dec. 6 and Dec. 20. Cookies—made from a Trisha Yearwood recipe—as well as icing and edible decorations, will be provided.
The museum once again hosts WSM-AM (650)’s Coffee, Country & Cody for a holiday concert Dec. 4. T. Graham Brown will perform, with more participants to be announced soon. Tickets are $6.50 and go on sale Nov. 9. Visit WSM online for more information.
Admission to most holiday programs is free with museum admission and free to museum members. Individual membership starts at $45 and makes a great holiday gift. Perks of membership include unlimited free admission to the museum for one year; free access to over 250 programs; exclusive artist meet-and-greets; exciting members-only exhibition openings; and discounts at the Museum Store, Circa, Hatch Show Print Store, 2|22, and Bajo Sexto Taco.
The museum’s retail shops have items for every shopper’s budget this season. Visit the Hatch Show Print Store for a large selection of handmade prints, cards and branded merchandise or choose a one-of-a-kind framed monoprint from Hatch Show Print’s Haley Gallery. Circa and the Museum Store offerings include LPs and CDs, specialty books, Nashville-made gifts, food and home accessories, men’s and women’s apparel, jewelry and much more.
Additional details and a comprehensive list of all Deck the Hall activities can be found at countrymusichalloffame.org/deckthehall2015. Follow @countrymusichof on Twitter and join the conversation using #DeckTheHall.
FestPop Editorial Team