Outlaw Music Festival
2026

The Outlaw Music Festival: A Tradition Built on American Roots Music

Since its inception in 2016, Willie Nelson's Outlaw Music Festival has grown into one of the premier traveling music festivals in America. Named after the outlaw country movement that Willie helped pioneer alongside Waylon Jennings, Merle Haggard, and Kris Kristofferson in the 1970s, the festival celebrates the spirit of musical independence that has defined Nelson's seven-decade career. Each year the tour assembles a carefully curated mix of country legends, Americana torchbearers, and genre-crossing artists who share that outlaw ethos.

The 2026 edition scales back to a focused 12-city run after previous years that spanned 20 or more dates, allowing for a more curated experience at each stop. The July leg stays in Texas with three shows — Irving on July 3 at The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory, a special July 4 celebration at Germania Insurance Amphitheater in Austin with Billy Strings added to the bill, and July 5 at The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion in The Woodlands. The August stretch runs from the 18th through the 30th, covering nine cities from Maryland Heights, Missouri to Saratoga Springs, New York.

This year's lineup is anchored by The Avett Brothers on the August dates and Wilco on the July and late-August shows, with Sheryl Crow appearing across the Texas dates and the final three Northeast shows. Stephen Wilson Jr. appears at 10 of the 12 stops, while Sierra Hull joins the August Midwest run and Robert Randolph anchors the final three dates. Lukas Nelson, Margo Price, Don Was and the Pan-Detroit Ensemble, Rodney Crowell, and Lily Meola round out rotating support bills that ensure no two nights are exactly alike.

The choice of venues reflects the festival's commitment to the outdoor amphitheater experience. Stops include Alpine Valley Music Theatre in East Troy, Wisconsin — a legendary venue carved into rolling hills — and Bethel Woods Center for the Arts in Bethel, New York, built on the hallowed ground where Woodstock took place in 1969. Other marquee venues include Pine Knob Music Theatre in Clarkston, Michigan, Ruoff Music Center in Noblesville, Indiana, and Northwell at Jones Beach Theater on Long Island.