Austin Monthly's Honky Tonk Fest is coming back for round two on Saturday, Nov. 14, 2026, and this time it's trading its Hill Country brewery backdrop for a ranch built to look like a frontier town. Ten artists across two stages, two-step lessons, Western fashion vendors and the festival's signature mix of live music and dancing are all set to return, this time at Star Hill Ranch just outside Austin.
According to austinmonthly.com, the festival is once again presented by Lone Star Beer, with the lineup featuring 10 artists spread across two stages. The site also confirms the event will include dance lessons from Double or Nothing Two Step, plus Western fashion, local makers, art, food and drinks. Organizers have said the festival is rain or shine, so guests shouldn't expect a weather-related postponement.
The move to Star Hill Ranch is a notable shift from last year's setup. As Saving Country Music reports, the second annual Honky Tonk Fest will be held just outside Austin at Star Hill Ranch, a venue the outlet describes as having a picturesque setting that includes a century-old house, a chapel and other buildings. The inaugural festival, by contrast, unfolded at Jester King Brewery, which austinmonthly.com credited with providing an idyllic Hill Country setting for that first edition on Nov. 8, 2025.
A Lineup Built Around Austin's Honky-Tonk Scene
Saving Country Music reports the 2026 lineup includes rising Austin acts Rattlesnake Milk and Summer Dean alongside The Deslondes, Pat Reedy, Honky Tonkin' in Queens, Hannah Juanita, Kristina Murray, Hayden Butler, the Sentimental Family Band and Kathryn Legendre. Honky Tonkin' in Queens also performed at the first Honky Tonk Fest, per austinmonthly.com's recap of acts that played alongside Chaparelle, Emily Nenni and Aaron McDonnell & the Neon Eagles at Jester King last November.
The festival's roots trace back to Austin Monthly Executive Editor Bryan C. Parker, who created the event, according to KUTX. The public radio station notes that Austin has no shortage of two-step venues, observing listeners can find a great place to two-step any given night of the week — a backdrop that helps explain why Parker built an entire festival around the city's honky-tonk culture.
From a Pop-Up to a Festival on Historic Ground
The inaugural Honky Tonk Fest drew more than 1,250 guests to Jester King on Nov. 8, 2025, per austinmonthly.com's own account, which described the day as a full outing of live music, dancing, shopping and food. That turnout set the stage for this year's expansion to Star Hill Ranch, where the setting itself has become part of the draw. Saving Country Music notes the ranch's century-old house and chapel sit alongside other buildings that lend the grounds their picturesque feel.
Children 8 and under will be admitted free with a ticket-holding adult, according to events.humanitix.com. The ticketing site also details a deluxe VIP experience that includes access to a private historic house, four complimentary drink tickets, a private bar, light bites, exclusive restrooms and an elevated viewing deck for guests who want a step up from general admission.
As KEYE reports, Parker has said he wants to do more with the magazine story that originally sparked the idea and celebrate the culture behind it, adding that he believes Austin has the best country music scene in the country, including Nashville. The station's report also notes Parker spent six months researching Austin honky-tonks and their musicians before writing an Austin Monthly cover story on the city's country music scene, work that ultimately led him to launch the festival itself.
