The Texas Tribune, a statewide publication tracking politics and policy, has announced the full lineup for its annual TribFest, held November 13-15 in downtown Austin.
Despite wide ideological gaps between the United States’ two main political parties, the Texas Tribune maintains a non-partisan approach to festival programming, including political figures ranging from the lesser-known to the widely celebrated and controversial. Some entertainers, culinary professionals, and other less explicitly political guests are on the lineup, too.
The festival does not present headliners, but it does provide a selection of guests it deems notable in a press release announcing the finalized lineup:
- Tim Walz, Minnesota governor and 2024 Democratic nominee for Vice President
- Bill Kristol, Editor-at-Large at The Bulwark
- Vicente Fox, former President of Mexico
- Carol Alvarado, State Senator, D-Houston
- Ruth Simmons, Distinguished Presidential Fellow at Rice University
- Christine Brennan, Columnist for USA Today
- Pete Buttigieg, Former U.S. Secretary of Transportation
- Vanessa Fuentes, Austin Mayor Pro Tem
- Alberto R. Gonzales, Former U.S. Attorney General
- Ro Khana, U.S. Representative, D-California,
- Paula Kerger, President and CEO of PBS
- Caroline Fairly, State Representative, R-Amarillo
- Eric Holder, former United States Attorney General
- Aaron Reitz, 2026 Republican candidate for Texas Attorney General
- Amy Klobuchar, U.S. Senator, D-Minnesota
- John Mulaney, comedian, actor, and writer
Speakers at the festival will appear on panels and in one-on-one conversations addressing a range of topics. The Tribune calls these “the issues that matter most to Texans.”
Attendees will listen in at various venues around the downtown area. There will also be a day of programming on Congress Avenue on November 15 that anyone can attend for free.
The festival-within-a-festival, called “Open Congress,” will be held between 7th and 11th Streets, and will tackle topics including “arts and culture, faith, education, food, how Gen Z is shaping the future, and more.” There will also be live performances, interactive showcases, and other two-way activations that allow attendees to directly participate.
TribFest has more than 80 sponsors and media partners. The presenting, premiere, and major sponsors are as follows: JPMorganChase, BlackRock, bp America, Builders | TX, Chevron, Methodist Healthcare Ministries, PMI, Raise Your Hand Texas, Visit Fort Worth, Airbnb, Amazon, American Airlines, Baylor Line, Beyond Petrochemicals, Capital Factory, Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority, Dallas College, Educate Texas, HCA Healthcare, Houston Endowment, Intersect, Robert Woods Johnson Foundation, Sixth Street, Texas Monthly, Texas Woman’s University, The Commit Partnership, The Sumners Foundation, and Western Governors University. A full list of sponsors is available toward the bottom of the festival’s home page.
Tickets (starting at $269 for general admission and $65 for students and educators) are available at festival.texastribune.org.