Willie Nelson - Dream Chaser tour and Outlaw Music Festival 2026

Willie Nelson keeps his touring tradition alive in 2026 as the country legend takes his new album Dream Chaser across the United States with spring headline dates and a condensed Outlaw Music Festival run. According to the official tour overview on Nelson’s own site, his calendar stretches from late April club and amphitheater dates to late August festival-style shows in major outdoor venues.

How the 2026 tour is structured

The 2026 live year for Willie Nelson & Family starts in the U.S. Southeast before expanding into larger amphitheaters later in the summer. A regional news report notes that Nelson mapped out a short spring run beginning on April 22, 2026, at Avondale Brewing Company in Birmingham, Alabama, with further stops in Atlanta and several North Carolina cities to support Dream Chaser, his 79th solo studio album. A Birmingham-focused news piece outlines the initial leg.

From there, Nelson’s own tour page shows dates such as April 27, 2026 in Cary, North Carolina at the Koka Booth Amphitheatre and April 28, 2026 in Wilmington, North Carolina at the Live Oak Bank Pavilion, along with a May 2 show at Whitewater Amphitheater in New Braunfels, Texas. The listing also includes May headline appearances in Waco, Orange Beach, Clearwater, Pompano Beach, St. Augustine, Charlotte and North Charleston, many of them with open-air amphitheater capacities that suit his long-running live draw. Nelson’s official tour dates page details this sequence of shows.

Outlaw Music Festival focus in summer 2026

The second part of Nelson’s 2026 schedule centers on the Outlaw Music Festival brand, which in recent years has become a key touring platform for Americana and country acts built around his headlining set. Country radio outlet KOKE-FM reports that the 2026 Outlaw Music Festival Tour kicks off on July 3, 2026 at The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory in Irving, Texas, followed by July 4 at Germania Insurance Amphitheater in Austin and July 5 at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion in The Woodlands. Lineups in Texas include guests such as Billy Strings, Wilco, Sheryl Crow and The Avett Brothers alongside Willie Nelson & Family. The station’s tour announcement lists the dates and support acts.

After the Texas dates, the traveling festival format moves into the Midwest and Northeast later in August 2026. Stops include Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre in Maryland Heights, Missouri on August 18, Mystic Lake Amphitheater in Shakopee, Minnesota on August 19, Alpine Valley Music Theatre in East Troy, Wisconsin on August 21 and Pine Knob Music Theatre in Clarkston, Michigan on August 22. The final stretch routes through Ruoff Music Center in Noblesville, Indiana, an outdoor waterfront venue in Chicago, and major New York-area amphitheaters including Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater, Bethel Woods Center for the Arts and Saratoga Performing Arts Center, where the run is scheduled to wrap on August 30, 2026.

Dream Chaser and its place in his catalog

Beyond the live dates, Willie Nelson’s 2026 activity is anchored by the studio album Dream Chaser, released on May 29, 2026 via Legacy Recordings. Country-industry outlet MusicRow notes that the project’s title track appeared ahead of the album release and positions Dream Chaser as another late-period entry in a catalog that already spans landmark records like Red Headed Stranger, Stardust and Shotgun Willie.

Jazz-focused trade publication JazzWeek documents that Dream Chaser has been picked up by U.S. jazz and Americana radio, with the album appearing on its chart updates through mid-2026. This presence is modest compared to Nelson’s classic country success, but it underscores how his newer work still finds a steady niche in specialty formats alongside the ongoing streaming life of his earlier hits.

What’s next for Willie Nelson

Against this backdrop, Willie Nelson’s next confirmed live date after the August Outlaw Music Festival run is listed as September 20, 2026 at Ting Pavilion in Charlottesville, Virginia, part of a short series of additional U.S. amphitheater shows later that month.