Wizard Rodeo, the whimsically named music and arts gathering that has turned a former sandlot baseball field in East Austin into one of the city's quirkiest annual traditions, returns for its sixth edition on Saturday, Dec. 5, 2026. The daylong event runs from noon to 10 p.m. at The Long Time, with a lineup that spans indie rock, folk, and a punk-rock documentary screening.
Tickets for the sixth installment start at $58 for adults, while kids 10 and under get in free, according to details listed on Prekindle. As CultureMap Austin describes it, Wizard Rodeo bills itself as a mystical musical gathering curated by artists and musicians to build community and a little bit of magic, and this year's roster leans into that spirit with performers like Phosphorescent, Girl in a Coma, Garrett T. Capps & NASA Country, Jana Horn, Little Mazarn, and Magnolia & Johnson Electric Co.
The lineup runs even deeper than the marquee names. Rounding out the 2026 bill are Styrofoam Winos, The Indestructible Creative Music All Stars, Virginia Creeper, Jo Schornikow, Spectral Geezers, Joey Reyes, Buttercup, Hexpartner, and dance company BLiPSWiTCH, according to the event listing on Wizard Rodeo's website. Organizers have also scheduled a special screening of the documentary “You Can Color Outside the Lines: The Story of the Big Boys,” which traces the history of the seminal 1980s Austin hardcore punk band, per the same site.
A Festival Born From a Dare
Wizard Rodeo's origin story is almost as strange as its name. The festival was launched in 2021 by San Antonio musician Garrett T. Capps, Little Mazarn's Lindsey Verrill, Jesse Ebaugh, and venue owner Jack Sanders, according to The Austin Chronicle. Verrill reportedly suggested the name after Sanders asked the group to blurt out the stupidest thing they could think of, and it stuck.
The setting has plenty to do with that offbeat energy. The Long Time sits on 5 acres just east of Austin and is associated with architect Jack Sanders, according to CanvasRebel Magazine. The land didn't start as a concert venue at all — it opened as the home field for the Texas Playboys Baseball Club, with which Sanders is associated.
Mushroom Hunts and a Weather-Wary Tradition
Beyond music and film, the Central Texas Mycological Society is bringing its own brand of after-dark programming to this year's event, including a UV blacklight night walk across the outfield in search of Texas Star Mushrooms and a labyrinth built from mycelium blocks. Attendees can also expect the festival's usual mix of art, handmade goods, and tunes, all part of the multidisciplinary format Wizard Rodeo has built its reputation on since 2021.
That reputation comes with a caveat organizers don't shy away from: the event is subject to change due to weather or other concerns, and for good reason. The Austin Chronicle has noted weather concerns surrounding Wizard Rodeo. The open-air charm of a rustic baseball field comes with real exposure to Central Texas winter storms.
A Track Record of Big Names
Wizard Rodeo 5 at The Long Time featured Bill Callahan, Lomelda, and Being Dead, according to KUTX. This year's Girl in a Coma brings its own storied history to the bill.
With its blend of touring indie acts, hyperlocal ecological programming, and a documentary honoring Austin's punk roots, Wizard Rodeo Vol. 6 continues to position The Long Time as a singular gathering spot — part concert, part sandlot ballfield, part mushroom hunt — for anyone willing to make the trip east of downtown this December.
