AMARILLO, Texas (KAMR/KCIT) – As announced by the city of Amarillo, the inaugural Texas Route 66 Festival began Thursday and will run through June 10, kicking off years of celebrations before the centennial anniversary of Historic Route 66 in 2026. Events across the 10-day festival are expected to include car shows, bus tours, cattle drives, parades, live music, and a grand finale festival.

Organizers highlighted keystone festival events, including:

• Coors Cowboy Club Ranch Rodeo – June 1-3 at the Amarillo National Center
• Route 66 Celebration Block Party with the Sod Poodles – 4 p.m. on June 2 at Hodgetown Stadium
  • UPDATE: According to an announcement from the Sod Poodles, the block party event and jersey auction have been postponed “to a later date” due to the threat of rain in the area.
• Brett Young Live – 8 p.m. on June 2 at the Starlight Ranch Event Center
  • Officials with the Starlight Ranch Event Center announced that the doors for Friday’s Brett Young show have been pushed back to 8 p.m. Officials said that Tyler Rich will now open the show on the covered Moon Palace stage while Young is still expected to perform on the main stage after.
  • “We’re doing our best to make the show happen tonight and thank y’all for your patience,” a Facebook post on the Starlight Ranch Event Center’s Facebook page read. “…In the event of any further delays this evening, please keep an eye on our Facebook and Instagram page for updates.”
• Amarillo Coors Cowboy Club Cattle Drive & Parade – 10 a.m. on June 3 in Downtown Amarillo
  • UPDATE: For more information on the Amarillo Cattle Drive Photo Contest visit their website.

• Route 66 Bus Tour East – 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. on June 7, covering Groom, Jericho, McLean, and Shamrock
• Route 66 Bus Tour West – 8:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. on June 8, covering Vega, Adrian, and Glenrio
• The Green Book: The Untold Story of Route 66 featuring Candacy Taylor – 7 p.m. – 9 p.m. on June 8 at the Amarillo College Concert Hall
• Amarillo National Bank’s Route 66 Celebration – 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. on June 10 in the Amarillo Route 66 Historic District

While the published schedule for the festivities remains, Amarillo and its surrounding areas have seen sustained rain and storm conditions throughout the last few weeks that are expected to continue through the beginning of June and may cause changes or cancelations for some events.

However, as of Friday morning, the Coors Cowboy Club noted on social media that its Saturday cattle drive and parade event is expected to continue as planned.