Fall Festival Guide

6 hottest fall music festivals around Texas

UPDATE: Sound on Sound Fest, scheduled for November 10-12 in McDade, Texas, has been canceled. The story has been updated.

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Feel that? It’s the waning of summer. Admittedly our fall isn’t as glorious as that of our friends to the north, but cooler temperatures sure do have us feeling a lot more like being outside. All the better if it includes live music. Here are our picks for fabulous fall music festivals around the state.

Utopia Fest
Utopia, September 22-24
Now in its ninth year, this festival has managed to retain the magic of its first year. With a cap on attendees, a BYO policy, a cool artisan market, late-night acoustic events at Tank Good Times, and a lineup that spans everything from Dr. John to Suzanna Choffel, it’s no wonder that Utopia Fest inspires cult-like devotion. This is the final year it will be at Four Sisters Ranch. Limited tickets are still available, and it’s kid-friendly.

Trans-Pecos Festival of Music + Love
Marfa, September 28-October 1
This weekend is an amalgamation of music, camping, star gazing, art, and magical mystery under the big stars of Marfa. The festival happens at El Cosmico and reflects the bohemian nature of the place — think Burning Man meets the Wild West. Workshops; free Topo Chico; and the opportunity to stay in a yurt while listening to the likes of Jenny Lewis, Roger Ellis, and Lee Ann Womack.

Gruene Music & Wine Festival
Gruene, October 5-8
Gruene is that small town with mass appeal. An hour's drive from Austin, it’s the kind of place you stroll around, glass in hand. The music is Americana and Texas country, featuring Ray Benson, Cory Morrow, Walt Wilkins, Jack Ingram, and a host of other similar artists. You can buy into the whole weekend or pick a day. Wine lovers will want to hit up Tastings and Tunes, while craft beer aficionados may prefer Sunday. Proceeds benefit the United Way and Hurricane Harvey victims.

Austin City Limits
Austin, October 6-8 and October 13-15
Two jam-packed weekends with multiple stages of music, vendors, booze, Austin food trailers, and a lot of out-of-town visitors. And who wouldn’t want to descend upon Zilker Park to laze about in the sun and listen to some sweet jams? Approximately 450,000 folks attend the festival each year, and the headliners just keep getting bigger. Jay-Z, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and The Killers close out both weekends.

Houston Open Air
Houston, October 14-15
Sister to Chicago Open Air, the recently debuted Houston Open Air is every metalhead's dream. This year, the high-profile lineup features Avenged Sevenfold, Mastodon, Five Finger Death Punch, Prophets of Rage, Marilyn Manson, and lots of headbanging heavy rockers at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion.

Mala Luna Music Festival
San Antonio, October 28-29
San Antonio brings us a Halloween weekend rap and EDM fest at Nelson Wolff Stadium. Only in its second year, Mala Luna attracts big acts like Future, Lil Wayne, Wiz Khalifa; multiple food vendors; and art installations. As you might expect, attendees get creative with costumes, especially those inspired by Dia de Los Muertos. A portion of the proceeds benefits the Network for Young Artists (NYA.)

ACL Fest returns October 6-8 and 13-15.

Austin City Limits Festival ACL 2014 Weekend One Day Three Shirin Ravandi Carly Stripling Ranjani Panda Neli Sabour Noura Moayyad

Photo by Shelley Neuman

ACL Fest returns October 6-8 and 13-15.

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lets go camping

Llama ranch near Dallas roams onto America's 50 favorite camping spots

Courtesy of Hipcamp

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A family-owned, llama roaming ranch just an hour outside Dallas was just declared one of America's 50 favorite camping spots in 2026.

The field guide was compiled by online marketplace Hipcamp following a review of campsite ratings from users, regional trends, cultural relevance, and a "spirited debate" of Hipcamp experts. Campgrounds were chosen from 35 different states and organized into seven regions: the Pacific Northwest; California and Hawaii; the Southwest; the Mountain West; the Great Plains and Midwest; the Northeast; and the Southeast.

Llama Land Ranch in Tool, Texas was one of nine total campgrounds featured in the Southwest region. The ranch is the perfect place for families to go on core memory-making excursions like meeting the free roaming llamas or watching out for other wildlife like wild boars. The ranch spans 101 acres, and a 50-foot deep creek also flows along the property lines for fishing and swimming.

"The llamas will come to greet you and so will many more things in this wonderful place," the ranch's listing says. "We are conveniently located in a secluded area, but just a short drive from many local conveniences."

The listing also specifies that the pastures are only mowed three times a year and some of the property is on rough terrain, so campers are welcome to bring their own machetes if they want to explore the area thoroughly.

There are 14 sites available for guests to set up camp, with a mix of tent-only, RV/tent, and RV-only sites. The ranch is also very affordable; sites can be booked for as little as $15 per night.

Many reviewers enjoy getting out into the country to reconnect with nature, and many also praise the ranch's owner, Judy, who says the ranch has been in her family since 1987.

"I went with a group of women for an overnight camp at the pond," one reviewer wrote. "It was so beautiful and a much needed break from city life. The host was wonderful and kind. She was also very accommodating to our group."

A second Dallas-Fort Worth-area campground tucked away in Texas' newest state park was also highlighted in the report. Warbler Ridge Campground, located in Palo Pinto Mountains State Park, was the only other Texas representative on the list.

The pet-friendly campground's listing doesn't offer many details, but it says there are 22 RV and tent campsites for visitors, as well as showers, toilets, potable water, and picnic tables. There are activities galore for visitors, including a 68-acre lake for swimming, fishing, and boating, and over 16 miles of trails for hiking, biking, and horseback riding.

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department says campsites at Palo Pinto Mountains State Park start at $13 per night (plus a daily entrance fee) for hike-in primitive sites. Walk-in campsites with water are $15 per night and campsites with electricity are $30 per night.

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