Willie Nelsons annual 4th of July Picnic is headed back to Austin, Texas, for its 46th installment this summer, with the soon-to-be 86-year-old joined by a lineup of artists that includes Luke Combs, Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats and Alison Krauss.
With roots dating back to Nelsons first Independence Day bash in nearby Dripping Springs in 1973, the Picnic celebrates its fifth year in its current home at the Circuit of the Americas racetrack outside Austin. Both Combs and Rateliff who, as a solo act, was a headliner at Nelsons recent Luck Reunion festival during South by Southwest will make their debut at the event, while Krauss returns for the first time since 2016.
Colter Wall is also making his debut appearance, but as usual there are a number of returning faces from the ranks of the Red Headed Strangers friends and family. Jamey Johnson, Steve Earle & the Dukes and Hayes Carll are all back on the bill after prior appearances in recent years, while virtual Picnic fixtures Ray Wylie Hubbard, Billy Joe Shaver and Johnny Bush are joined this year by fellow Seventies cohort Gene Watson. Rounding out the lineup are Folk Uke, Raelyn Nelson Band and the Casey Kristofferson Band.
Tickets for the July 4th festival go on sale Friday, April 5th, at 10:00 a.m. CT.
The full lineup for Willie Nelsons 2019 4th of July Picnic:
Willie Nelson & Family
Luke Combs
Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats
Alison Krauss
Jamey Johnson
Steve Earle & the Dukes
Hayes Carll
Colter Wall
Ray Wylie Hubbard
Gene Watson
Billy Joe Shaver
Johnny Bush
Folk Uke
Raelyn Nelson Band
The Casey Kristofferson Band