The King of Country Music, George Strait, is officially making Austin one of the biggest stops on his 2026 calendar. What began as two announced dates at the Moody Center has now expanded to four total shows, following overwhelming demand and massive ticket queues in the Live Music Capital of the World.

Strait will now perform in Austin on April 9, April 11, May 15, and May 16, 2026.

The announcement follows presale activity that reportedly pushed online queues past 135,000 people, prompting organizers to add more dates while inventory remains extremely limited. The April shows will feature William Beckmann, while the newly added May dates will include Carter Faith as the opening act.

The April and May 2026 dates mark George Strait’s first Austin performances since 2022 and return him to the Moody Center, the city’s premier indoor arena. With just over 15,000 seats per night, these shows are far more intimate than the football stadium events Strait frequently headlines.

William Beckmann’s role as the opening act reinforces the Texas-centric tone of the run, pairing one of the state’s most influential country artists with a younger performer rooted in traditional country sounds.

Shortly after the initial announcement, Strait confirmed via Instagram and other social platforms that two additional Austin dates were added for May 15 and May 16, 2026. The decision came after presales generated queues exceeding 135,000 people, making it clear that two nights would not come close to meeting demand.

Even with the added shows, each date remains a limited-capacity arena performance, meaning competition for tickets is still expected to be intense.

George announced on his social Media:

Demand for these shows became clear almost immediately when presales opened on January 26 at 10 a.m. Central Time.

Pricing quickly reflected the pressure.

With the public sale set for January 30 at 10 a.m. CT, expectations are that remaining inventory will be limited, especially for lower bowl seating.

George Strait’s ticket demand in Austin mirrors his national draw. In recent years, he has consistently ranked among the largest single-show ticket sellers in U.S. history.

That context helps explain why a 16,000-seat arena show in Austin is creating six-figure queue traffic. Fans who have seen Strait sell out football stadiums know these smaller-scale shows are rare.

Strait helped launch the Moody Center with sold-out shows on April 29 and April 30, 2022, sharing the stage with Willie Nelson. Those concerts weren’t just performances; they were a statement that Austin’s new arena had arrived.

In October 2021, Strait headlined Austin City Limits Music Festival, performing on October 1 and October 8. It was one of his rare festival appearances and introduced his catalog to a broader, multi-generation Austin audience.

Before Moody Center, Strait was a regular presence at the Frank Erwin Center, performing 13 shows between 1987 and 2018. Those concerts spanned nearly his entire career arc, from early mainstream success to late-career icon status.

Four nights at Moody Center represent a rare moment where The King of Country Music is meeting Austin demand head-on, rather than limiting the city to a single stop. Even so, the arena setting keeps each show feeling exclusive.

makes these concerts feel less like routine tour stops and more like destination events.

For longtime fans, this is a return to the scale of Strait’s earlier Austin concerts. For newer fans, it may be one of the few chances to see him in a venue this size again.

The addition of the May 15 and May 16 dates confirms what the initial presales made obvious: Austin’s appetite for George Strait remains massive. With record-setting queue numbers, rising prices, and four nights that still barely scratch the surface of demand, these shows are shaping up to be one of Austin’s defining live music moments of 2026.

Landing a ticket means more than just attending a concert. It means being part of a rare, multi-night Austin run from an artist whose live draw continues to rival anyone in modern music, even decades into his career.