Thousands braved the Texas heat for Willie Nelson’s 1979 picnic, held on a golf course he bought himself. Here’s how it all went down.
SPICEWOOD, Texas — On the Fourth of July in 1979, country legend Willie Nelson gave thousands of Texans something to sing about.
With venue challenges threatening the future of his annual Independence Day tradition, Nelson decided to go all in—literally. He bought the old Briarcliff Yacht & Golf Club near Austin for $250,000 and renamed it the Pedernales Country Club, transforming the former golf course into the site of that year’s Fourth of July picnic.
The 7th annual Willie Nelson picnic featured a packed lineup that included Leon Russell, Johnny Paycheck, Ernest Tubb and Ray Wylie Hubbard. While the music drew fans from all over, it was the setting and the heat that defined the day.
Temperatures soared into the upper 90s, and medical crews treated dozens of cases of heat exhaustion and a few drug overdoses. Some fans took shelter under water trucks spraying streams across the course. Others made their way to cool off on the makeshift festival grounds, where fairways had turned into footpaths and sand traps into dance floors.
Promoters estimated about 25,000 people attended—half of what the 78-acre site could handle. Despite the heat and even an ongoing gas shortage, many fans called it the best picnic yet.
“I’ll find some [gas],” one woman told WFAA at the time. “Willie’s worth it.”
In the report that aired on WFAA, reporter Carol Kneeland highlighted the atmosphere: The mix of country charm, summer celebration, and a little chaos that had come to define Willie’s picnics.
While the event’s size would continue to grow and evolve, 1979 marked a turning point. With full control over the land, Nelson set the foundation not only for future picnics but for his broader vision—including a personal recording studio and other creative projects on the property.
