Keep Factually independent
Whether you agree or disagree with our analysis, these conversations matter for democracy. We don't take money from political groups - even a $5 donation helps us keep it that way.
Which 2025 country music festivals feature Willie Nelson?
Executive summary
Willie Nelson is the lead artist on the 2025 Outlaw Music Festival tour, a multi‑stop traveling festival that lists Nelson (billed as Willie Nelson & Family) at many dates from May through September 2025 — for example The Gorge (May 25), Pine Knob/Clarkston (June 20), Jones Beach (Aug 1) and Alpine Valley (Sept 19) [1] [2] [3] [4]. Local venue pages and promoters across the U.S. advertise specific Outlaw Festival dates featuring Willie Nelson headlining with rotating guests including Bob Dylan, Wilco, Sheryl Crow, Billy Strings and others [5] [6] [7].
1. Outlaw Music Festival is the central event — and Willie is billed as a headliner
Multiple national music outlets reported that Willie Nelson and Bob Dylan reunite as co‑headliners for the 2025 Outlaw Music Festival tour; Billboard and Rolling Stone published full tour rollouts and lineups showing Nelson (as Willie Nelson & Family) on the 34–35 stop itinerary running May–September 2025 [7] [1]. Promoters describe the tour as the festival’s 10th anniversary and advertise Willie Nelson as the festival founder and principal draw [8] [9].
2. Concrete festival dates and examples where Willie appears
Reporting and venue calendars list specific festival stops that include Willie Nelson. Rolling Stone’s published dates show May 25 at The Gorge Amphitheatre (Quincy, WA) and June 20 at Pine Knob Music Theatre (Clarkston, MI) with Willie Nelson & Family on the bill [1]. Venue pages for Jones Beach (Aug 1), BankNH Pavilion (Aug 3) and Alpine Valley (Sept 19) also list Outlaw Festival lineups that close with Willie Nelson [3] [5] [4].
3. The Outlaw tour uses rotating guest lineups — expect variation by city
Coverage emphasizes a rotating, star‑studded supporting roster: Bob Dylan appears at many dates, but other guests (Billy Strings, Wilco, Sheryl Crow, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, The Avett Brothers, Lucinda Williams, etc.) appear selectively across the tour. Billboard and JamBase both supply per‑date or per‑leg lineup details showing different supporting acts at different venues [7] [2]. Local listings confirm the practice of varied lineups per stop [6] [10].
4. Local cancellations and weather postponements matter to single dates
At least one Outlaw date tied to the tour was canceled or postponed because of severe weather, and outlets reported affected ticketing and rescheduling plans; USA Today covered a July cancellation tied to an “extreme weather event” and noted the tour intended to resume [11]. That illustrates why checking the venue’s event page or the festival’s official channels matters before travel.
5. Discrepancies in aggregator sites vs. primary reporting — why some calendars show ‘no dates’
Ticket platforms and aggregator services do not all reflect the same information; while Rolling Stone, Billboard, JamBase and venue pages list Outlaw Festival dates with Nelson, some ticket/venue aggregators or artist trackers at times show no Willie Nelson dates (examples include Songkick and some later ticket pages) — likely due to delayed syncing, different data sources, or removal after date changes [12] [13]. Available sources do not mention a comprehensive explanation from the festival about why third‑party calendars diverged, only that major music press and venue pages list the Outlaw Tour dates [1] [7].
6. How to verify a Willie Nelson festival appearance for a specific date
Primary verification steps in current reporting: check the festival or promoter page (Blackbird Presents / Outlaw Music Festival pages) and the local venue event listing (e.g., BankNH Pavilion, Jones Beach, Riverbend, SPAC) — these pages explicitly list Willie Nelson & Family on the bill [6] [5] [3] [10] [14]. Rolling Stone, Billboard and JamBase published the official tour announcement and per‑date lineups [1] [7] [2]. Also watch for local notices about weather postponements or lineup swaps [11].
7. What this means for fans and ticket buyers
If you want to see Willie Nelson at a 2025 festival, the Outlaw Music Festival tour is the clear route: press releases, national music media and venue pages consistently list Willie Nelson & Family as the headlining act across dozens of dates [1] [7] [5]. Because the festival rotates guests and some dates can be postponed, confirm the exact lineup and status directly with the venue or official Outlaw/Blackbird ticketing channel before purchasing travel or nonrefundable accommodations [8] [11].
Limitations: this summary uses available reporting and venue listings; where third‑party ticket calendars or artist trackers conflict, available sources do not provide a single reconciled database explaining every discrepancy [12] [13].