Yes, you can film on Broadway in Nashville.
If your creative calls for neon signs, honky-tonks, live music, crowds and an unmistakable Nashville backdrop, Lower Broadway is about as Nashville as Nashville gets.
But it is also one of the busiest parts of the city.
For a small-footprint still shoot, filming on Broadway can be relatively manageable. For a larger commercial or motion production involving equipment, reserved parking, sidewalk impacts or traffic control, you'll want to start planning early.
Here's what producers should know.
First: What Is Lower Broadway?
When people talk about filming "on Broadway," they're usually talking about Lower Broadway, the downtown entertainment district running toward the Cumberland River.
This is where you'll find Nashville's famous honky-tonks, rooftop bars, neon signs, historic commercial buildings and crowds of people moving between venues.
Visually, there's no mistaking it.
If your campaign needs to immediately communicate Nashville, Tennessee, Lower Broadway can do that in approximately half a second.
Do You Need a Film Permit to Shoot on Broadway?
For a commercial production using Nashville's public streets, sidewalks, parking or other Metro-controlled property, you'll generally be working with the Metro Nashville Film + Special Events Permit Office.
A film permit is required for production activity involving public property and for things such as sidewalk impacts, street or lane closures, production vehicles using on-street parking and equipment placed within the public right-of-way.
The standard Metro Nashville film permit application is currently $130.
Metro requires applications to be submitted at least three business days before filming, although for a Broadway shoot we'd recommend allowing more time whenever possible.
Broadway isn't where we'd choose to test the limits of a three-day turnaround.
How Much Does It Cost to Film on Broadway?
There isn't one flat "Broadway filming fee."
Your costs depend on what the production actually needs.
Start with the $130 Metro Nashville film permit application.
From there, additional charges can apply for reserved public parking, street or lane closures, sidewalk closures, traffic control or other use of the public right-of-way.
Metro's current Right-of-Way permit fees list temporary street, lane and sidewalk closures at $160 for up to five days, plus additional fees for longer closures.
You can review current requirements through the Nashville Department of Transportation Permit Office.
Parking Can Be the Bigger Production Question
The shot might be on Broadway.
Your production vehicles probably shouldn't be.
Lower Broadway is a dense entertainment district with significant pedestrian traffic and limited curb space. Depending on the size of the shoot, you may need to think creatively about where you base equipment, holding, hair and makeup, wardrobe and production vehicles.
If you need paid public parking spaces reserved within your shoot footprint, Metro's current film permit materials list the fee at $21 per parking space, per day.
Metro requires at least three business days' notice for these requests.
For a larger production, we'd start thinking about parking and basecamp at the same time we're scouting the camera position—not after the location is already locked.
Because the neon sign is rarely the hard part.
Finding somewhere for the grip truck is.
Can You Close Broadway for a Shoot?
Potentially, but this becomes a much larger production conversation.
Any closure of the public right-of-way requires approval from the Nashville Department of Transportation.
Metro's current temporary street closure permit starts at $160 for up to five days, but the permit fee itself isn't the whole story.
A closure may also require an approved traffic-control plan, barricades, community or business notification, police support or additional coordination depending on the scope of the request.
Current closure requirements are available through NDOT's Temporary Street Closure Permit information.
For many commercial productions, the more realistic approach is to design the shoot around the existing environment rather than trying to take over Lower Broadway.
What About Filming Inside a Honky-Tonk, Bar or Restaurant?
That's different.
If the production is entirely inside a privately owned business, you'll first need permission and a location agreement directly from the property.
Individual venues set their own filming rates, hours and requirements.
The bigger question is what happens outside.
If your production needs to place equipment on the sidewalk, reserve public parking, stage vehicles in the street or otherwise use Metro-controlled public space, city permitting can still come into play.
So when scouting a Broadway venue, don't just ask:
Can we shoot inside?
Ask:
Where does the production go?
What Time of Day Should You Shoot Broadway?
This depends entirely on the creative.
If you need cleaner streets, architecture or more control, an early morning shoot is generally going to give you a very different Broadway than later in the day.
If you need energy, crowds and glowing neon, evening gives you the Broadway everyone recognizes—but you're also working around considerably more activity.
There's a tradeoff.
The more you want Broadway to look like Broadway, the more Broadway you may have to deal with.
For larger productions, we'd scout the area at approximately the same time of day you're considering shooting. Pedestrian volume, traffic, deliveries, venue activity and available curb space can look completely different from morning to evening.
Check the Event Calendar
This is particularly important downtown.
Nashville regularly hosts concerts, sporting events, conventions, festivals, races and other major events that can affect traffic and pedestrian activity throughout the downtown core.
Before locking your Broadway shoot date, check what's happening nearby.
A downtown location that's perfectly workable one week can become dramatically more complicated during a major event.
NDOT maintains information on active roadway closures throughout Nashville, which is worth checking during pre-production as well.
What About Talent Releases + Background Pedestrians?
Lower Broadway is a public environment, so a commercial production should discuss its approach to recognizable members of the public with the producer, agency and legal team before filming.
This becomes particularly relevant if you're shooting wider frames with significant pedestrian traffic.
Depending on the creative and intended usage, your production may decide to control the background, avoid identifiable faces, use hired background talent or take another approach.
It's much easier to have that conversation during pre-production than after you've captured the perfect take with 75 strangers in it.
Don't Forget About the John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge
If you're looking for a recognizable Nashville skyline rather than shooting directly on Broadway, the John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge can also be worth considering.
The bridge provides elevated views toward downtown and the Cumberland River.
It has its own filming requirements and fees.
Metro's current film permit materials list commercial film/still photography usage at:
$200 for up to one hour
$500 for up to four hours
$50 per additional approved hour after four hours
Additional approval is required, so include the bridge specifically in your permitting plan if you're considering it.
Is Broadway Worth It?
If the creative needs Nashville, absolutely.
There are very few locations that communicate a city as quickly as Lower Broadway.
The trick is matching your production footprint to the environment.
A photographer, assistant and talent moving quickly through a few setups is a very different proposition from a 40-person commercial with camera, lighting, motorhome, wardrobe, client and a grip truck.
Both may be possible.
They just shouldn't be planned the same way.
The Short Version
Can you film on Broadway in Nashville? Yes.
For commercial filming involving Metro public property, you'll likely need to coordinate with Nashville's Film + Special Events Permit Office.
The standard Metro film permit application is currently $130, with a minimum three-business-day application window.
Additional costs can apply for parking, sidewalk or street impacts, closures and other production requirements.
For Lower Broadway specifically, we recommend planning earlier, scouting at the actual time of day you intend to shoot and solving your production parking + basecamp before locking the location.
Broadway is incredibly filmable.
You just need to produce it like Broadway.
Planning a Shoot on Broadway?
Nashville Location Company provides location scouting, sourcing, location management and permitting support for commercial photography, advertising, branded content, film and motion productions throughout Nashville and Middle Tennessee.
If you're considering Broadway, downtown Nashville or another public location, send us your creative brief, shoot dates and production footprint.
We can help determine what's realistic, scout the right angles, coordinate permitting and figure out where we're going to put the grip truck.
Because someone has to.