Farm Aid 2026 music festival to feature Willie Nelson and Neil Young

The Farm Aid music festival is scheduled for Saturday, September 26, 2026, at the Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The event aims to raise funds for programs supporting family farmers and addressing industrial agriculture systems. Since its founding in 1985 by Willie Nelson, Neil Young, and John Mellencamp, the organization has raised over $85 million.

CNN serves as the exclusive broadcast partner for the festival, providing four hours of live coverage from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. ET. The broadcast will be co-anchored by John Berman and Laura Coates, with chief climate correspondent Bill Weir providing on-the-ground reporting. The musical lineup includes Willie Nelson and Family, Neil Young and The Chrome Hearts, John Mellencamp, Dave Matthews with Tim Reynolds, Margo Price, and Nathaniel Rateliff.

Viewers can access the broadcast via CNN, the CNN app, and various live TV streaming services such as DirecTV and Hulu + Live TV.