Country music is packing its bags for the desert again. After three years in Texas, the Academy of Country Music Awards will return to Las Vegas for the 61st annual celebration, airing live on Sunday, May 17, 2026, from the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
That’s right. The ACMs are not only moving back to their longtime home on the Strip, they’re also shifting back to a Sunday night slot, which longtime fans will recognize as the classic awards-night feel the show was built on.
The 2026 ceremony will stream live on Prime Video and on the Amazon Music channel on Twitch, bringing country’s biggest night to screens around the world. Awards Week festivities will kick off Friday, May 15, with tickets scheduled to go on sale early next year.
For those of us who remember the iconic Vegas-era ACMs — the red carpets, the casino-lobby cameos, the neon buzzing through the whole night — this feels like a homecoming. And after the show’s successful run at Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, the move back west signals that country music is once again ready to embrace the spectacle and swagger Vegas does best.
More details, performers, and nominations will roll out in the coming months, so keep your eyes open. If 2026 is anything like years past, this return to Vegas will be one for the books.
