Willie Nelson will be celebrating Independence Day with his 41st Annual Fourth of July Picnic, helping country fans celebrate the firework-laden holiday with a boom.

Shotgun Willie is continuing this holiday tradition in the historic Fort Worth Stockyards, also known as the "North Forty," right outside of Billy Bob's Texas -- a country and western nightclub known as the World's Largest Honky Tonk.

Included in the festivities will be a highly anticipated, all-day outdoor concert with nonstop entertainment from noon until night. Two stages and special areas, including a VIP Tent and Sky Box, will add to the concert-going experience, providing attendees a place to relax and stay cool in the midst of the blazing Texas heat.

"Beginning in 1973 in Dripping Springs, Texas, Willie's Fourth of July Picnic has become a Texas tradition unlike any other," says Concho Minick, President of Billy Bob's Texas. "We are thrilled to play a part in the 41-year history of the picnic and do it in the Fort Worth Stockyards. The artist lineup and festival environment this year will be the best in Picnic history. When you see it you will agree."

Nelson founded the annual festival more than 40 years ago when he decided to hold an event in a field in Dripping Springs with his buddies Kris Kristofferson, Waylon Jennings and Tom T. Hall headlining the show. After that inaugural run, the picnic continued to hold steady, moving around to various cities until 2004, when he announced he was bringing the tradition to settle in one of his boyhood homes of Fort Worth.

Public tickets for the event go on sale Friday (Feb. 28).

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