How To Watch Neil Young, Willie Nelson, Dave Matthews Band and More Perform Live at CNN’s ‘Farm Aid Music Festival’

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CNN has partnered with Farm Aid for a second year to bring audiences the Farm Aid 2026: Music Festival Live on Saturday, Sept. 26.

Audiences can watch the annual music festival, which will air live on Saturday, Sept. 26 from 7 p.m. ET to 11 p.m. ET on CNN. Cable-cutters can also stream the fest live online through a variety of live TV streamers such as DirecTV (which offers a 5-day free trial) and Sling TV.

CNN’s airing of the evening will include performances by Farm Aid board member artists including Willie Nelson and Family, Neil Young and the Chrome Hearts, John Mellencamp, Dave Matthews with Tim Reynolds, Margo Price and Nathaniel Rateliff.

CNN is the festival’s exclusive broadcast partner. Last year’s broadcast of the festival’s 40th anniversary reached 3.88 million people globally, and CNN audiences contributed more than $615,000 to Farm Aid.

CNN anchors John Berman and Laura Coates will co-anchor the special coverage from the Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater in Virginia Beach, Virginia. CNN chief climate correspondent Bill Weir will provide on-the-ground reporting from the celebration of music and family farmers.

Farm Aid 2026: Music Festival Live was founded in 1985 by Willie Nelson, Neil Young and John Mellencamp. The goal of the event is to raise funds to support programs that help farmers thrive and take action to change the dominant system of industrial agriculture and promote food from family farms. The organization has raised more than $85 million since its inception.