Camila Alves McConaughey is joining Southern Living's first Hill Country Tailgate, bringing celebrity wattage and some legitimate barbecue-TV credentials to a new Texas food-and-football event. The one-night celebration is set for September 26 at Contigo Ranch in Fredericksburg.
The author and entrepreneur has signed on as co-host for the event, which runs from 6 to 10 p.m. and costs $195 per ticket, according to CultureMap San Antonio. Tickets include barbecue tastings, drinks, live music, college football on a big screen, and a complimentary tour of Southern Living's 2026 Idea House.
Southern Living's official event site describes the gathering as a Texas-style celebration of food, football, and friends, with award-winning pitmasters, craft cocktails, Hill Country wines, local beers, and country music under the stars.
A Celebrity Co-Host With Barbecue Experience
McConaughey's role is more on-theme than a standard celebrity drop-in. She previously co-hosted Food Network's Kids BBQ Championship, where young competitors battled through barbecue challenges.
She also founded the Women of Today lifestyle platform and co-founded Yummy Spoonfuls, giving Southern Living an event partner whose public profile already overlaps with food, family, and lifestyle content. The move adds a familiar name without putting her in the smokehouse competition itself.
Texas Pitmasters Bring The Smoke
The culinary lineup includes Austin chefs Ali Clem of la Barbecue, Evan LeRoy of LeRoy and Lewis, and Kareem El-Ghayesh of KG BBQ, along with Kelli Nevarez of Port Lavaca's LaVaca BBQ and Adrian Torres of Houston's Máximo. Seth Siegel-Gardner of Houston's Local Foods Group is serving as culinary director, while Austin-based chef Jess Pryles will represent her Hardcore Carnivore brand, CultureMap reports.
The evening is designed to function as part barbecue showcase, part football watch party, and part Hill Country lifestyle flex. Southern Living's schedule lists doors at 6 p.m., live music at 7 p.m., and shuttle service from downtown Fredericksburg beginning before the event and returning guests afterward.
What Guests Get For The $195 Ticket
In addition to the food and drinks, guests can watch SEC football coverage on a large screen and hear live performances from David Lewis and All Hat No Cadillac. The ticket also connects the tailgate to Southern Living's new Fredericksburg Idea House at Friedën, a 130-acre development with parks, trails, and lakes.
Contigo Ranch is located at 13454 Lower Crabapple Road in Fredericksburg. With McConaughey joining a pitmaster-heavy lineup, Southern Living appears to be betting that Texas barbecue, college football, and a recognizable last name make a pretty sturdy event recipe.
