Since 1973, Willie Nelson’s Fourth of July picnic has been an annual concert hosted by Willie Nelson himself. The only time this festival has not taken place was in 2020, due to COVID-19, and it’s a classic Austin event! The lineup includes incredible artists, such as Tyler Childers, Dwight Yoakam, Shakey Graves, Shane Smith & The Saints, Sierra Ferrel, Asleep At The Wheel, Partcle Kid and headliner Willie Nelson & Family. This festival is an exciting way to spend the 4th of July holiday!
Willie Nelson has been in the country music scene for decades. He wrote his first song at the age of 7 and joined his first band at the age of 10. He is an actor, musician and activist and has made waves everywhere he goes. Nelson got the idea for the festival after he was a part of the 1972 Dripping Springs Reunion in Dripping Springs, Texas. He loved the location and saw the potential in having a music festival of his own there. The first Willie Nelson 4th of July Picnic came to be in 1973 and 50 years later it is still up and running.
At 90 years old, Nelson is still releasing new music. On March 17th, 2023, Nelson released a new single, “Pretend I Never Happened”, to streaming services world-wide. Tyler Childers is best known for his hit song, “Feathered Indians,” and has just recently released his 5th album, Can I Take My Hounds to Heaven?, on September 30th of 2022. Dwight Yoakam is a long time country music icon and sings hit songs “A Thousand Miles From Nowhere,” “Fast As You” and “Suspicious Minds.” Shakey Graves recently released a new album titled, Deadstock- A Shakey Graves Day Anthology, on February 9th, 2023. Shane Smith & The Saints is popular within the younger community in Austin and sings hit songs “All I See Is You” and “Dance the Night Away.” Sierra Ferrell is relatively new to the country music game and has 1 album released on August 20th, 2021 titled, Long Time Coming. Asleep At The Wheel has been in the country music game since the start of Willie Nelson’s 4th of July Picnics, releasing their first album in 1973. They are still making new music, with their most recent album being released in 2021. Lastly, Particle Kid is an alternative artists who released his most recent album just last year in 2022. There is a whole lot of new and old iconic music to be played at this festival!
The festival will be a full day event. The doors open at 1:00 pm CT and the live music starts promptly at 2:00 pm. This venue opened in 2021 and is the exciting new home for this event. This is a seated event so don’t miss your chance to get a good seat and enjoy some live food and delicious food. You can get your tickets at Q2 Stadium’s official website.
When? July 4th, 2023
Where? Q2 Stadium (10414 Mc Kalla Pl, Austin, TX 78758)
Time? Doors: 1 p.m. CT/ Show: 2 p.m. CT
Ages? All Ages