CAMDEN, N.J. — Willie Nelson is moving his annual "4th of July Picnic" out of his home state of Texas.
Last month, Nelson announced the return of the Outlaw Music Festival Tour, featuring himself and his family along with Bob Dylan, Robert Plant & Alison Krauss, John Mellencamp and more, depending on the tour date.
The dates released in February didn't include any stops in the Lone Star State, but the July 4 slot was open, leaving plans for Nelson's annual Independence Day event unclear.
Now we know Nelson still has no plans to bring the tour to Texas and he's moving his party to the East Coast.
Nelson posted to social media Tuesday to announce this year's 4th of July Picnic will be held at the Freedom Mortgage Pavilion in Camden, New Jersey, just across the Delaware River from Philadelphia. Members of Nelson's Club Luck fan club will get access to presale tickets 11 a.m. CST Tuesday, and tickets will go on sale to the public 9 a.m. CST Friday.
For the past two years, Nelson's picnic has been held at Q2 Stadium in Austin. According to the Associated Press (AP), it's been held in the Capital City for the past decade, with the exception of virtual concerts in 2020 and 2021.
However, while the event has been hosted somewhere in Texas for most of its 50-year history, this won't be the first time it's been held out of state. The AP reports the patriotic party has been held in Tulsa, Oklahoma; Kansas City; Atlanta; and, most recently, in South Bend, Indiana, in 2009.
Nelson did recently perform in Texas, at his annual Luck Reunion event. He also has a few other Texas dates scheduled that aren't part of the Outlaw Music Festival Tour:
- April 17 – Cook's Garage in Lubbock
- May 10-11 – Whitewater Amphitheater in New Braunfels