Wasting zero time.
For all intents and purposes, the 61st annual ACM Awards were a hit. Though there were your standard snubs, with Turnpike Troubadours absent from the Group of the Year nominees and Eric Church getting left off the Album of the Year list for Evangeline vs. the Machine, it was a bit of a refreshing list of winners.
Notably, Ella Langley made history by taking home a staggering 7 awards for Female Artist of the Year, Artist-Songwriter of the Year, Single and Song of the Year (“Choosin’ Texas”) and Music Event of the Year (“Don’t Mind If I Do” with Riley Green). Additionally, Texas had a huge night with Cody Johnson, who not only won his first Male Artist of the Year award but also took home the most coveted prize of the night, Entertainer of the Year. Parker McCollum also added to the Lone Star state’s success by winning Album of the Year with his stellar self-titled record.
Despite bouncing around quite a bit over the past decade, being held in Nashville, Frisco, Texas, and Las Vegas recently, it looks like the ACM Awards have found their home in Sin City for the time being.
Today, the Academy has officially announced that the 62nd annual ACM Awards will once again be held at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Sunday, May 16, 2027.
The return to Vegas should not come as a huge surprise, given the economic success of the show last month. According to Greyhill Advisors, a leading economic analysis consulting firm, the 61st ACM Awards generated an estimated $53 million in total economic impact for the Las Vegas region, which was an 85% increase in comparison to the impact generated in Frisco, Texas, during the show in 2025.
From an engagement perspective, the 2026 ACM Awards were also a success, garnering over 153 million video impressions across Instagram, TikTok, X (formerly Twitter), Threads and Facebook, which is good for a 35% increase from 2025. Additionally, streaming numbers increased for a plethora of different winners, including the likes of Ella Langley, Parker McCollum, Avery Anna and Carter Faith. In particular, Anna, who won New Female Artist of the Year and delivered an electric cover of Cher’s 1966 hit “Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down),” saw the biggest increase in streams directly following the show.
While Las Vegas and country music don’t quite mix together the same way Texas or Nashville do, it’s pretty clear that the transition back to the entertainment capital of country paid dividends for the ACMs. In turn, it feels like a bit of a no-brainer to roll the dice (no pun intended) on Sin City for a second straight year heading into 2027. The quick turnaround on a location compared to last year (Vegas wasn’t confirmed until December) signals quite a bit of confidence for another successful outing.
As of now, a host has yet to be chosen.
Before you go, check out some of the performances from the 2026 ACM Awards.
“Demons In Your Choir” – The Red Clay Strays
“Honky Tonk Till It Hurts” – Zach Top
“If I Had Never Lost My Mind” – Carter Faith
