Badu Park
Llano, Texas
Stay Tuned for 2026!
Tickets go on sale at 9:00 AM, Monday, February 2, 2026 at the
Llano Chamber of Commerce.
For your convenience, call to charge your tickets & pick up at the Cook-Off between 10:30 and 11:00 AM! 325-247-5354
Llano River Chuck Wagon Cook-off is a 501(c)(3) organization.
2015: Named “Best Chuck Wagon Event” by American Chuck Wagon Association
2014: True West Magazine’s Reader’s Choice for “Best Chuck Wagon Cook-off“
Starting in 2005, and each year since, a group of chuck wagon enthusiasts get together on the banks of the Llano River in Llano, Texas and go back in time to an era when the west was settled.These enthusiasts use traditional cooking methods from that era, wear traditional dress and experience traditional neighborly fun as they compete for prizes in a number of categories.
Thursday,April 2, 2026
Noon – Wagons arrive and set up
Friday, April 3, 2026
Morning – Wagons must be set up
Noon – Wagon Authenticity Judging (can begin earlier if wagon is ready)
Afternoon – Continue Authenticity Judging
Afternoon – Cook Teams receive food supplies
6:00 pm – Host Wagon Dinner for Wagon Teams, Sponsors, VIP’s and invited guests only
Saturday, April 4, 2026
The competing teams begin preparing some of the tastiest chuck wagon fare imaginable!
10:00 am – 3:00 pm – Live music
Noon – Food is sent to the judges
Noon – Public meal is served
3:00 pm – Announcement of Results
