The Fourth is Saturday, and this year the Picnic has Billy Strings and Sheryl Crow.

Independence Week arrives with one of the better Picnic lineups in recent memory and a full calendar of ways to watch things explode. Bob Dylan opens the week at Moody Amphitheater on Monday. The Fourth itself is the real event: Willie Nelson's 53rd annual Picnic runs all day at Germania with Billy Strings, Wilco, Sheryl Crow, and eight other acts, while the Austin Symphony does free fireworks over Lady Bird Lake that same night. We have the full rundown below, including a zero-traffic option in Bee Cave if you want to skip the highway entirely.

The marquee

• July 4, Gates 2:00 PM, Music 3:30 PM · $$
  Willie Nelson's 4th of July Picnic
  Germania Insurance Amphitheater at COTA
  The 53rd annual Picnic is back at COTA with one of the stronger lineups it has assembled in years. Billy Strings, Wilco, Sheryl Crow, Lukas Nelson, Margo Price, Rodney Crowell, Stephen Wilson Jr., and Lily Meola all play before Willie closes it out with fireworks over the infield. Eight-plus hours of live music in the July heat. Get there by 2, drink water, and budget for at least one hour of traffic leaving.
• July 4, Gates 4:30 PM, Symphony 8:10 PM, Fireworks 9:45 PM · Free
  H-E-B Austin Symphony 4th of July Concert and Fireworks
  Vic Mathias Shores, Lady Bird Lake
  The civic counterpoint to the Picnic: the Austin Symphony plays a patriotic program on the shores of Lady Bird Lake, capped with fireworks that reflect off the water. Bring a blanket and arrive before 7 PM if you want grass rather than sidewalk. The east side of the lawn near Congress Avenue fills first. Barton Springs Road is a reasonable bike path in from the south.
• June 29, 7:30 PM · $$
  Bob Dylan
  Moody Amphitheater at Waterloo Greenway
  Dylan is on an extended farewell run and Monday at Moody is Austin's night. Lucinda Williams and John Doe Folk Trio open, which alone is a solid evening. Moody is one of the better mid-size outdoor venues in the city: partial shade on the sides, decent acoustics, and walkable from East Austin if you time it right.

Sunday · Tonight

• 4:00 PM · Free
  Chicken Shit Bingo
  Ginny's Little Longhorn Saloon, Brentwood
  The most Austin tradition on the weekly calendar. You buy a numbered square, a chicken walks a board, and whoever it lands on wins the pot. Ginny's is a cramped, cash-preferred dive on Burnet with cold Shiner and a crowd that genuinely loves this ritual. Show up by 3:30 to get a spot inside.
• 9:00 PM · No cover
  Sunday Honky Tonk
  White Horse, East 6th Street
  Two-stepping seven nights a week in a converted shotgun building on East 6th. The Sunday crowd is neighborhood regulars and people who accidentally ended up somewhere good. Free two-step lessons at 8:30 if you need a refresher.
• 8:00 PM · $
  Soul Man Sam
  Antone's Nightclub

Monday-Wednesday

• June 29, 7:30 PM · $$
  Bob Dylan (with Lucinda Williams and John Doe Folk Trio)
  Moody Amphitheater at Waterloo Greenway
• July 2-4, All Day · $10
  12 Fox Beer Co. Independence Celebration begins
  12 Fox Beer Co., Dripping Springs
  Thirty minutes west of Austin, 12 Fox runs a three-day festival with live music, a vendor market, beer and wine, and fireworks at 9 PM nightly. A solid alternative if you want to avoid city traffic on the Fourth. Tickets start at ten dollars.
• July 1 onward · Varies
  July 4th restaurant specials
  Various, South Congress and East Austin
  Loro and Elizabeth Street Cafe both typically run holiday specials worth checking before you commit to cooking.

Thursday-Friday

• July 2, 7:00 PM · Free
  Drop-In Summer Concert Series
  Long Center Lawn
  The Long Center's free outdoor series runs every Thursday through August 13. Bring a blanket, arrive at 6:30 for a decent lawn spot, and expect a rotating mix of genres each week.
• July 3, from 5:00 PM · No cover (most venues)
  July 3rd on East 6th
  East 6th Street
  Most East 6th bars extend happy hours on the third, and the crowds are a notch lighter than the Fourth itself. A reasonable warm-up for the week.
• July 3, All Day · $10
  12 Fox Beer Co. continues
  12 Fox Beer Co., Dripping Springs

Next Saturday (July 4)

• Gates 2:00 PM, Music 3:30 PM · $$
  Willie Nelson's 4th of July Picnic
  Germania Insurance Amphitheater at COTA
• Gates 4:30 PM, Fireworks 9:45 PM · Free
  H-E-B Austin Symphony Concert and Fireworks
  Vic Mathias Shores
• 4:00 PM - 10:00 PM · Free
  Hill Country Galleria Independence Day Festival
  Hill Country Galleria, Bee Cave
  Forty-plus local artisan vendors, live music in the central plaza, and a fireworks finale in Bee Cave. The low-key option if you want to skip the highway entirely.
• Opens 5:00 AM · $5
  Barton Springs Pool: Early Opener
  Barton Springs, Zilker Park
  The spring-fed pool opens at 5 AM on July 4th. The 5-7 AM window is a genuinely good Austin experience before the crowds arrive.

Next Sunday (July 5)

• 8:00 AM - 2:00 PM · $
  Recovery breakfast at Juan in a Million
  Juan in a Million, East Cesar Chavez
  The Don Juan taco is the size of your head and costs less than your ride home last night. Cash only, expect a line after 9 AM.
• All Day · $5
  Barton Springs: Post-Fourth
  Barton Springs, Zilker Park
  Sunday after the Fourth is reliably one of the least-crowded pool days of the summer. Everyone is tired. Show up at 9 and it's almost calm.

What we're drinking this week

• · $10
  Ranch Water
  June's All Day, South Congress
  Blanco tequila, Topo Chico, lime. June's pours it right and the bar spills onto the sidewalk this time of year. Best around 6 PM when the light hits.
• · $12
  Frozen Margarita
  El Alma, South Congress
  El Alma's rooftop catches a lake breeze in the early evening that makes a frozen margarita feel reasonable rather than reckless.
• · $3-5
  Shiner Bock
  Anywhere with a cooler
  The default July 4th beer for good reason. Cold, cheap, works in a koozie. The canned version travels best at the Picnic.
• · $4
  Watermelon Agua Fresca
  Cuantos Tacos
  Non-alcoholic but better than most cocktails for actual heat relief. Real watermelon, not the neon syrup version.

Free this week

• July 4, Gates 4:30 PM · Free
  H-E-B Austin Symphony 4th of July Concert and Fireworks
  Vic Mathias Shores
• July 4, 4:00-10:00 PM · Free
  Hill Country Galleria Independence Day Festival
  Hill Country Galleria, Bee Cave
• July 2, 7:00 PM · Free
  Drop-In Summer Concert Series
  Long Center Lawn

New on the site

We updated our July 4th in Austin guide for 2026, covering the full Picnic lineup, parking strategies for the Symphony fireworks, and where to find a quiet spot when the main events feel overwhelming. Worth a read before you commit to a plan.

Looking ahead

• Opens July 10, Thu-Sun 8:15 PM · Free
  Zilker Summer Musical: Singin' in the Rain
  Zilker Hillside Theater
• July 16-18 · Free
  Hot Summer Nights at Red River Cultural District
  Red River Cultural District (20+ venues)

ATX Weekly tip

For the Symphony fireworks at Vic Mathias Shores: the east lawn near Congress fills first and offers the better skyline view. The west side is less crowded and still worth it. If you're driving, park south of the lake well before 6 PM or use a rideshare. The Barton Springs Road bike path from the south is a pleasant way to arrive. For the COTA Picnic, the lot off Turn 1 moves faster than the main gates lot. Leave before the final fireworks if you want to beat the I-71 backup.

Happy Fourth, Austin. Stay hydrated, leave early, and bring sunscreen to the Picnic. See you next Sunday. — The ATX Weekly Editors