Every December, a little stone dance hall in Anson fills with long skirts, pressed jeans and boots shined for the occasion. The Texas Cowboys’ Christmas Ball traces its roots to a frontier dance in 1885, and it’s still one of the most charming holiday traditions in the state. The 2026 ball runs Thursday through Saturday, December 17–19.
Anson is the seat of Jones County, about 25 minutes north of Abilene and roughly 3 hours west of Dallas–Fort Worth.
A dance with a long memory
According to the Texas Cowboys’ Christmas Ball Association, the first ball was held in 1885 at the Star Hotel in Anson. A New York writer named Larry Chittenden attended, and a few years later he wrote a poem called The Cowboys’ Christmas Ball about the night. Folklorist John Lomax later helped make the poem known across the country.
The hotel burned in 1890, and the dances faded. In 1934, two local teachers and historians revived the event as a reenactment, and it has been held every year since. Today the ball keeps the old frontier dances alive alongside the Grand March, a newer tradition that has become one of the highlights of each night.
Pioneer Hall
The ball’s permanent home is Pioneer Hall in Anson’s city park, at 2301 Avenue G. It was built between 1938 and 1940 specifically for the Christmas Ball, with the Association borrowing $6,000 in the middle of the Great Depression to pay for it. Workers with the Works Progress Administration supplied the native stone for the front. Inside, the long hall with its diagonal hardwood floor looks much as you’d hope a West Texas dance hall would.
The 2026 lineup
The 2026 Christmas Ball features a different band each night:
- Thursday, December 17: Michael Martin Murphey
- Friday, December 18: Billy Mata and the Texas Tradition
- Saturday, December 19: Jody Nix and his Texas Cowboys
Doors open at 7 p.m. each night, and dancing starts at 8 p.m. The ball’s site lists dancing until 11 p.m. on some nights and until midnight on others, so check the schedule for the night you choose.
Picking a night is half the fun. Each evening brings a different band and a slightly different crowd, so think about whose music you’d most like to dance to. Some folks make it a two- or three-night tradition and come back for every band. If you can only go once, buy your tickets early so you’re not counting on door sales.
Tickets and prices
Tickets are sold online through the ball’s ticket page (via Showpass), and buying ahead saves you a few dollars:
- Adults 18 and up: $25 online, $30 at the door
- Ages 13–17: $10 online, $15 at the door
- Ages 12 and under: Free
There are no refunds, but tickets can be transferred to someone else if your plans change.
What to wear (it matters)
This is the part first-timers need to read twice. The ball has a real dress code for the dance floor. Ladies must wear a dress — no split skirts or pants on the floor. Gentlemen may not wear hats on the dance floor; there’s a check for coats and hats at the door. Put on your best Western Sunday clothes and you’ll fit right in.
If you’re not a confident dancer, don’t let that stop you. Plenty of folks come to watch, visit and soak up the music.
Making a night of it
Most out-of-town visitors stay in Abilene, which has plenty of hotels and restaurants and is a short drive from Anson. Book your room early, since the ball draws a crowd. Give yourself time for parking and coat check before the dancing starts. If you’re building a whole season of Texas Christmas traditions, see our guides to Dickens on the Strand in Galveston and Christmas in Grapevine.
Good to Know
- When: Thursday–Saturday, December 17–19, 2026. Doors 7 p.m.; dancing from 8 p.m.
- Where: Pioneer Hall, 2301 Avenue G, Anson (Jones County), about 25 minutes north of Abilene.
- Tickets: Adults $25 online / $30 at the door; ages 13–17 $10 / $15; 12 and under free. No refunds; transfers allowed.
- Dress code: Ladies in dresses (no split skirts or pants on the dance floor); no hats on the dance floor for men.
- Bands: Michael Martin Murphey (Dec. 17), Billy Mata and the Texas Tradition (Dec. 18), Jody Nix and his Texas Cowboys (Dec. 19).
Hours, dates and prices can change. Check the Texas Cowboys’ Christmas Ball website before you head out.
There aren’t many places left where a whole town still gathers to dance the way their great-great-grandparents did. Shine your boots, press that dress, and go be a part of it this December — y’all will be glad you did.
Featured photo: Larry D. Moore via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0.
