Nashville Festival Parking: Tips to Avoid Getting Towed

Nashville Festival Season Means Towing Season

Every year, thousands of cars get towed during Nashville's packed festival calendar — CMA Fest, Bonnaroo shuttle weekends, Live on the Green, AmericanaFest, and dozens of smaller events across the city. Most of these tows are completely avoidable.

Here's your local guide to parking smart and keeping your car right where you left it.

Know the High-Risk Towing Zones

Broadway and Lower Broadway

During major festivals, the entire Lower Broadway corridor becomes a towing hot zone. Private lots fill up fast, and overflow parking on side streets often violates posted restrictions that are easy to miss in the excitement.

Watch for:

Temporary no-parking signs posted 24–48 hours before events
Fire lane markings on curbs (red or yellow)
Private lot signs with after-hours towing warnings

The Gulch and 12 South

These trendy neighborhoods near festival venues have aggressive private property towing. Restaurant and retail lots that seem empty during events are monitored — park there without patronizing the business and you'll likely come back to an empty spot.

Nissan Stadium Area

For events at Nissan Stadium, the surrounding lots and streets fill quickly. Parking on the shoulder of Interstate Drive or in Metro Parks areas can result in a tow within minutes.

How to Park Legally During Nashville Festivals

1. Use Official Festival Parking

Most major Nashville events offer designated parking lots with shuttle service. Yes, they cost $20–$40, but that's far cheaper than a tow plus storage fees, which can easily run $150–$250+.

Pro tip: Many festivals partner with lots along Dickerson Pike, Trinity Lane, and MetroCenter for overflow parking with free shuttles.

2. Read Every Sign — Twice

This is the number one reason cars get towed during events:

"Event Day Parking Only" — means you need an event pass
"No Parking 6 PM – 6 AM" — temporarily posted for festivals
"Tow Away Zone" — they mean it
"Customer Parking Only – Violators Towed at Owner's Expense" — private lots enforce this heavily during events

If a sign mentions a towing company name and phone number, that lot is actively monitored.

3. Use Parking Apps

Several apps show real-time availability and let you reserve spots in advance:

ParkMobile (widely used for Metro Nashville meters)
SpotHero (reserve garage spots near venues)
ParkWhiz (compare prices across lots)

Reserving a spot before the event guarantees you won't circle for 45 minutes and end up in a tow zone out of frustration.

4. Rideshare Drop-Off Zones

Uber and Lyft have designated pickup/drop-off areas for major Nashville events. Using rideshare eliminates parking risk entirely. During CMA Fest, designated zones are typically set up along:

Korean Veterans Boulevard
1st Avenue South
James Robertson Parkway

What to Do If Your Car Gets Towed

Stay Calm and Act Fast

Storage fees start accumulating immediately — typically $25 per day in Nashville. Here's your action plan:

Call the number on the posted sign at the location where you parked
If no sign, call Metro Nashville Non-Emergency: (615) 862-8600 to find which company towed your vehicle
Bring valid ID, registration, and payment to the tow yard
Document everything — take photos of where you were parked and any signage (or lack thereof)
Know your rights — Tennessee law caps certain towing fees and requires proper signage for private property tows

If you believe the tow was improper, you can dispute it through Metro Nashville Code Enforcement.

Need a Ride to the Tow Yard?

If your car was towed and you're stranded downtown at midnight after a concert, we can help. Our roadside assistance team operates 24/7 and can advise you on next steps.

Festival-Specific Parking Guides

CMA Fest (June)

The biggest towing weekend of the year in Nashville. Key tips:

Park at the Music City Center garage (reserve early)
Avoid all private lots on Demonbreun unless you're a customer
Temporary tow zones extend several blocks beyond Nissan Stadium

Live on the Green (August–September)

Public Square Park events mean Church Street and 3rd Avenue restrictions. Use the downtown parking garages on Commerce Street.

Nashville Pride Festival (June)

Bicentennial Capitol Mall area gets crowded. Park at the Farmers' Market garage or use the WeGo bus system.

AmericanaFest (September)

Venues spread across East Nashville and the Gulch. Multiple small lots enforce towing — stick to metered street parking or garage parking.

The Cost of Getting It Wrong

Here's what a festival tow typically costs in Nashville:

| Fee | Amount | |-----|--------| | Hook-up/tow fee | $85–$125 | | Per-mile transport | $3–$5/mile | | First day storage | $25 | | After-hours retrieval | $25–$50 extra | | Total (typical) | $150–$250 |

Compare that to $25 for a parking app reservation or $10 for a rideshare. The math is simple.

Prevention Is Your Best Strategy

Nashville's festival season runs roughly from April through October, with peak towing activity during:

CMA Fest (early June)
4th of July celebrations
Let Freedom Sing downtown events
NFL season Titans home games (fall)

Plan your parking before you leave home. Save a backup lot address in your phone. And if you do end up needing help — whether it's a vehicle lockout after the show, a dead battery from leaving your lights on, or a full emergency tow — Hook Em' Up Towing is one call away, 24/7.

Save our number now: (615) 756-5330 — because festival nights don't always go as planned.