Farm Aid is returning to CNN for its 41st annual benefit concert, bringing a powerhouse night of live music and storytelling straight to TV viewers.
This partnership streams the energy of the iconic concert straight from the stage to living rooms across America. Titled Farm Aid 2026: Music Festival Live, the broadcast will air a night of unforgettable performances.
This is the second year the event will air live across CNN’s platforms. The 2026 star-studded lineup of musicians features Farm Aid board members Willie Nelson & Family, Neil Young and the Chrome Hearts, and John Mellencamp. Fellow board member Dave Matthews will join the trio, along with Tim Reynolds, Margo Price, Nathaniel Rateliff, and a host of other music superstars.
A press release states, “Founded by Willie Nelson, Neil Young and John Mellencamp, this annual festival raises funds to support Farm Aid’s work with family farmers and inspires audiences to choose family farm food. Since 1985, Farm Aid, with the support of the artists who contribute their performances each year, has raised funds to support programs that help farmers thrive, expand the reach of the Good Food Movement, take action to change the dominant system of industrial agriculture, and promote food from family farms.”
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Farm Aid began in 1985 during a severe economic crisis for American family farms. Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp, and Neil Young organized the first benefit concert on September 22, 1985, in Champaign, Illinois, after Bob Dylan inspired a call to action by speaking about farmers’ struggles, according to the organization’s official website. Matthews joined the Board of Directors in 2001, Price in 2021, and Rateliff in 2026.
The first concert event was pulled together in just six weeks and raised over $7 million for America’s family farmers. Performers included Dylan, Billy Joel, Bonnie Raitt, B.B. King, Loretta Lynn, Roy Orbison, and Tom Petty, among others.
The 2026 event will be anchored by CNN’s John Berman and Laura Coates from the Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Bill Weir will provide on-the-ground reporting.
In 2025, CNN’s live broadcast of the festival’s 40th anniversary reached 3.88 million people globally. In addition, viewers contributed more than $615,000 to Farm Aid.
Farm Aid 2026: Music Festival Live, a CNN Special Event, will air live on Saturday, September 26 from 7pm ET to 11pm ET on CNN and stream live on CNN.com/Watch and the CNN app.
Related: Willie Nelson Made an Elvis Presley Hit a Country No. 1
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