ACM Awards return to Las Vegas May 17

The Academy of Country Music will bring its 61st awards show back to Las Vegas on Sunday, May 17, ending a three-year run in Frisco, Texas and returning the ceremony to the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Shania Twain is set to host the show for the first time, according to the academy, Prime Video and Dick Clark Productions. The ceremony will stream live at 8 p.m. ET, 7 p.m. CT and 5 p.m. PT on Prime Video and Amazon Music for viewers in more than 240 countries and territories. ACM and venue listings say tickets for the show and related awards-week events are on sale, starting at $100. ### Why is Las Vegas back on the ACM calendar this year? The Academy of Country Music announced in December that the 2026 ceremony would return to Las Vegas after three consecutive years in Texas. Damon Whiteside, the academy’s chief executive, said at the time that MGM Grand “holds a lot of history and special memories for the Academy” and called the move “a homecoming.” (acmcountry.com) Las Vegas last hosted the ACM Awards in 2022, when Dolly Parton led the show at Allegiant Stadium, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. The Review-Journal said the awards first came to Las Vegas in 2003 at Mandalay Bay Events Center and have since used multiple Strip venues, including T-Mobile Arena and MGM Grand Garden Arena. (deadline.com) ### Who is hosting, and what else is already set for the show? Shania Twain will host the ACM Awards for the first time on May 17, the academy said in an April 22 announcement. Twain said in that release that Las Vegas “feels like home,” reflecting her long association with the city’s residency circuit. MGM Grand says the performance lineup already includes Cody Johnson, Kacey Musgraves, Lainey Wilson, Little Big Town, Miranda Lambert and Riley Green, with additional acts still to be announced. (neon.reviewjournal.com) ACM’s awards-week page separately lists a Thursday kickoff event at Ole Red Las Vegas and says Wilson will premiere “Can’t Sit Still,” while Green is scheduled to perform “Change My Mind” during related programming. (countrynow.com) ### Who leads the nominations going into Sunday night? Megan Moroney received nine nominations, the most of any artist this year, according to the academy’s April 9 nominations release. Miranda Lambert followed with eight nominations, while Ella Langley and Lainey Wilson received seven each, the release said. (mgmgrand.mgmresorts.com) The academy said women led the nominations overall for the 61st ACM Awards. The nominations release did not frame that as a prediction for winners, but it set the field for a show in which several of the biggest categories are led by female artists. ### Which presenters have been announced so far? The Academy of Country Music, Prime Video and Dick Clark Productions said on May 13 that presenters will include Keith Urban, Lauren Alaina, Shaboozey, Ashley McBryde, The War and Treaty and TJ Osborne. (acmcountry.com) The same release also named Andrew Whitworth, Carl Edwards, Corey LaJoie, Michael Bublé and Ryan Fitzpatrick. Rolling Stone and other entertainment outlets reported the same lineup after the official announcement. The presenter list adds country artists, crossover entertainers and athletes to a telecast that ACM says will stream globally rather than air on a traditional broadcast network. (acmcountry.com) ### How can viewers watch, and what does the weekend schedule look like? Prime Video is the exclusive streaming home for the 61st ACM Awards, according to the academy and Amazon MGM Studios’ press materials. The show is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. ET on Sunday, May 17, from MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. (rollingstone.com) ACM’s event page says awards-week programming begins on Thursday, May 14, with Whiskey Jam at Ole Red Las Vegas from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. The academy says more fan events are tied to the weekend, while MGM Grand and ACM materials direct ticket buyers to AXS for seats and event access. Sunday, May 17, is the next major date on the calendar, with Twain hosting from MGM Grand Garden Arena and Moroney, Lambert, Langley and Wilson entering the night as the top nominees. (acmcountry.com 1) (acmcountry.com 2)