George Strait might have walked away from long tour runs after his Cowboy Rides Away tour in 2014, but the King has still been hitting the stage. The King has not stopped touring but has cut back significantly on the number of shows he’s performing each year, this year doing a limited number of shows with Chris Stapleton, which the two did back in 2024 as well.

During his 2024 run, Strait actually set the record for the largest single-ticketed concert in U.S. History and a new record for Texas A&M Kyle Field, with 110,905 fans in attendance for George Strait. The record-breaking performance was one of only 10 live shows from Strait last year, which also included a stop at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas for his 37th Strait to Vegas residency show.

While Zach Bryan has since beaten Strait for the record of the largest single-ticketed concert in U.S. History, his setting the record in 2024 proves that, although he might be touring based on a smaller number of runs, the demand is higher than ever to see George Strait in action, bringing together country music lovers of all generations.

However, based on a cryptic recent post from George Strait, country fans think he has a big surprise up his sleeve for 2026.

In the post, George Strait shared a poster from his 1998 Chevy Truck Country Music Festival, which featured a star-studded lineup of supporting artists, including Tim McGraw, The Dixie Chicks, Kenny Chesney, Jo Dee Messina, Mark Wills, and Asleep at the Wheel. The festival itself ran for five years, hitting various cities across North America, and had a similar atmosphere to Willie Nelson’s Outlaw Music Festival, if you had to compare it to something happening today.

In a press release announcing one of these music festivals hosted by Strait, it shared that the festival was a fair-like atmosphere:

“In addition to the tremendous lineup of talent, the festival will also feature ‘Straitland’, a fair-like atmosphere outside the arena where fans can spend time before the show and during set changes. StraitLand will consist of exhibitor booths, games, food, and two stages that will feature new national country music acts.”

Man, what I would have done to go back in time and go to one of those…

The post is captioned:

“Gearing up for a 2026 announcement. Here’s a clue! Let us know your guess in the comments.”

Is George Strait bringing back his country music festival? Is he creating a lineup that features a similar or identical star-studded lineup? Mark Wills sure hopes that some aspect of this is true, dropping a comment on the post:

“We’re getting the band back together?? YES!”

While the comments section filled up with guesses and general excitement, some fans hope this is his way of teasing that Strait has replaced Bad Bunny as the Super Bowl halftime performer. Country fans started online petitions hoping that Apple Music would hear their cries and bring The King to our screens on Super Bowl Sunday.

One petition on Change.org described the purpose of the petition as follows:

“The Super Bowl halftime show should unite our country, honor American culture, and remain family-friendly, not be turned into a political stunt. Bad Bunny represents none of these values; his drag performances and style are the opposite of what families expect on football’s biggest stage. Again, George Strait embodies unity, tradition, and the timeless American music that truly deserves the 2026 Super Bowl spotlight.

Join us in urging the NFL and related decision-makers to honor American music heritage by selecting George Strait for the 2026 Super Bowl halftime show. Sign this petition to make your voice heard and support a halftime performance that celebrates the legacy of American country music.”

Will anything ever come from these petitions? Probably not. But this throwback poster has fans wondering if another country music-charged Super Bowl performance is in the works, similar to the glorious 1994 performance that featured Tanya Tucker, Travis Tritt, The Judds, and Clint Black.