Longhorn City Limits presented by Hollister is set for a Halloween return on Saturday, October 31, with Uncle Kracker headlining the pregame concert at LBJ Lawn before Texas Football meets Mississippi State at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium.
The free concert series will feature the multi-Platinum singer, songwriter and performer as the main act, with special guest Julianna Rankin opening the afternoon. Uncle Kracker’s set is expected to bring the kind of easygoing, singalong energy that has carried him through more than two decades in music.
His career took off after he emerged as a key collaborator in Kid Rock’s Twisted Brown Trucker Band and then broke out on his own with 2000’s Double Wide. That album went double-Platinum and introduced “Follow Me,” his No. 1 breakthrough hit.
He kept rolling with No Stranger to Shame, which went Gold and included “In A Little While” and his version of “Drift Away,” a song that spent a then-record 28 weeks at No. 1 on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart. He later teamed with Kenny Chesney on the chart-topping “When the Sun Goes Down” and added another double-Platinum single with “Smile.”
“Halloween night at DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium is going to be something special,” said Chris Del Conte, Vice President and Lois and Richard Folger Athletics Director. “We're looking forward to an incredible afternoon of live music pregame with Uncle Kracker performing on the Forty Acres for Longhorn City Limits, alongside all the pageantry and traditions of gameday fun before we head inside to cheer on the Horns!”
Rankin will get the day started. The Texas singer-songwriter, who grew up on classic country and the blues, draws from influences including Keith Whitley, Bobbie Gentry, Waylon Jennings, Bonnie Raitt, Carole King and James Taylor. Her debut, “Bad Habits and Good Horses,” was featured in the season finale of Landman, and her catalog also includes “XYZ71s,” “Little Miss Behavin” and the steel-soaked honky-tonk track “Dusty Boots,” which was named one of Holler's new music discoveries.
The Tito’s Tailgate and Bulleit Frontier Lounge will open at 2 p.m. on October 31. Rankin is scheduled to perform at 3 p.m., and Uncle Kracker is expected on stage at approximately 4:30 p.m.
Longhorn City Limits will also continue offering its usual fan experiences throughout the 2026 season. The Tito’s Tailgate, located at the entrance to LBJ Lawn, is free to the public for fans 21 and older and includes Tito’s cocktails on tap for purchase, shaded views of the performances, tailgating games and giveaways while supplies last.
The Bulleit Frontier Lounge returns as a shaded space for fans 21 and older with specialty cocktails and limited-edition swag. Fans can also grab award-winning barbecue from Pinkerton’s BBQ, which Texas Monthly has recognized as one of the state’s premier barbecue spots.
In Other News...
Trevor Goosby News Leaves Texas Facing A Bigger NFL Reality
Trevor Goosbys season has come to an abrupt end after the Texas left tackle underwent successful surgery to repair a torn patellar tendon, a procedure performed by orthopedic surgeon Dr. Daniel Cooper. The Longhorns will have to move on without one of their most important blockers the rest of the way, but the bigger picture around Goosby still points well beyond this year.
Even with the injury, he is still projected as a top pick in the 2027 NFL Draft, which says plenty about how scouts view his long-term ceiling. The expectation is for a full recovery with no residual effects, so while Texas has to absorb the immediate loss, Goosbys next chapter remains very much on the radar. [Read more 🡒]
Texas May Have Found A New 2027 WR To Watch Closely
A fresh recruiting target is set to spend time in Austin this weekend, and it could give Texas a better sense of where things stand with one of the more intriguing receivers in the 2027 class. Jacob Thomas, a three-star wideout currently committed to Pittsburgh, plans to visit for the Longhorns game against Mississippi State, giving Steve Sarkisian and his staff a chance to host a top-100 prospect who has already drawn interest from several other programs.
Texas has not offered Thomas yet, but the visit creates a useful window for both sides. He gets a closer look at the program and the atmosphere around game day, while the Longhorns can decide whether his profile is worth a scholarship push as the 2027 board starts to take shape. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Fans May Not Expect How Reachable This Halloween Game Feels
The appetite around Texas football has not cooled at all, even with the calendar still pointing toward the back half of the season. Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium sold out all of its 2026 home games before the year even began, extending a run of full houses to five straight seasons and underscoring just how hard it is to find a seat in Austin once the Longhorns are on the schedule.
Still, the upcoming Texas-Mississippi State matchup is one of those rare games that feels a little more reachable than the average sellout. Tickets are only showing up on resale sites, but the going prices are relatively modest for a Texas home game, with some listings starting under $100 depending on the platform. For fans who want a shot at Halloween weekend in the stadium, this one may be easier on the wallet than most of what comes through Austin. [Read more 🡒]
