A Central Texas country festival in its second year is setting itself apart with a sophisticated food program and an expanded lineup. The Cattle Country Festival will be held in Gonzales — about an hour and a quarter east of San Antonio — from April 10-12. Local chef Jason Dady and performers Midland, Julia Cole, and others are newly on board.
Even music festivals that take special pride in their food program usually don't publicize an official chef, so by doing so, Cattle Country is setting itself apart. It chose San Antonio's Jason Dady, whose restaurant group currently includes Range, Jardin, Tre Trattoria, Two Bros BBQ Market. His newly opened Italian restaurant, Roca & Martillo, is up for Best New Restaurant in CultureMap's upcoming San Antonio Tastemaker Awards.
The chef's other accolades include a semifinalist nomination in the James Beard Awards, a best chef title from the San Antonio Current, appearances on Food Network shows like Beat Bobby Flay and Iron Chef Gauntlet.
Dady's role at the festival will be to curate all the food being sold at the festival, so attendees can expect to see vendors with a top chef's stamp of approval.
The food is important here because this festival will draw country fans from around Texas who will be staying overnight, many of them onsite in camping accommodations. Gonzales is also an hour and a quarter from Austin and two hours from Houston, and the ranch covers 400 acres.
There will be regular camping, glamping, and RV parking for attendees who want to stay in the action, and the festival website lists 11 hotels around Gonzales. VIPs will also get access via round-trip shuttle service up to 125 miles.
There are also some newly announced musical acts accompanying this news: the Dripping Spring band Midland continues taking over the festival circuit, along with Julia Cole from Nashville, Tennessee; Angel White from Dallas; and The Ransom Brothers from Austin.
The rest of the lineup, which was already announced, is as follows:
- Parker McCollum
- Nickelback
- Tanya Tucker
- Clint Black
- Wyatt Flores
- Chase Rice
- Clay Walker
- Reckless Kelly
- Aaron Watson
- Pecos & The Rooftops
- Giovannie & The Hired Guns
- 49 Winchester
- Wade Bowen
- Drake White
- Shenandoah
- Ty Myers
- Ray Wylie Hubbard
- Tyler Halverson
- Black Pistol Fire
- Sophia Scott
- Josh Ward
- Cameron Sacky Band
- Logan Mize
- Late-night sets by Ghostland Observatory
Finally, some newly announced theme nights offer fashion ideas. Thursday calls for "Western Legends," referencing Western icons; Friday is for "Outlaws and Angels," referencing outlaw country and its associated styles; and Saturday is served for the "Neon Cowboy," encouraging bright colors and disco influence.
Tickets (starting at $109 for a single day) are on sale now, with prices increasing February 21 at midnight.