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Grand Ole Opry to open at full capacity Friday night; masks not required

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — It’s “the show that made country music famous" -- that’s the celebrated phrase about the Grand Ole Opry, which opens at full capacity Friday night after more than a year.

The Opry does follow Metro Health guidelines, so if you are vaccinated, you do not have to wear a mask inside the Opry, but they invite guests and staff to wear them as an extra layer of protection.

They have nearly 4,400 seats they hope to fill this weekend as Nashville lifts Coronavirus mandates.

“It’s a huge sigh of relief. It feels a lot to me like the day our beloved Little Jimmy Dickens and Brad Paisley placed that circle of wood from the Ryman, back into the Opry stage after the flood of 2010. We are not there yet or crossed the finish line but whew, does that feel good. A sense of relief. And a sense of ‘by golly we are going to get there and cross that finish line,’” said Vice President and Executive Producer Dan Rogers.

The doors opened at 6 p.m. and the show starts at 7 p.m. The lineup tonight includes Charles Esten, Lorrie Morgan and The Oak Ridge Boys.

As of Friday afternoon, there were still seats available for the weekend shows.

Related story: Mask mandate, capacity restrictions lifted in Nashville; what you need to know