Cattle Baron’s Ball 2026: Chris Stapleton and a Night to Soar Higher

How a 1974 ranch barbecue became the American Cancer Society’s largest single-night fundraiser – and why its 53rd edition at Southfork Ranch carries a little more weight.

Every great Dallas party has a dress code. The Cattle Baron’s Ball has a philosophy: boots instead of black tie, and millions for cancer research by the end of the night. On Saturday, October 17, the Cattle Baron’s Ball 2026 returns to Southfork Ranch, just outside Dallas, with Chris Stapleton on the main stage and a theme – «Soar Higher» – that the committee describes as Jackson Hole and Aspen by way of vintage Ralph Lauren.

The fringe and the feathers are not the point. They are the price of admission to a night that has raised more than $111 million for cancer research since 1974, most of it for work carried out in North Texas.

This October, the night also carries an absence. Jacque Wynne, who co-founded the ball, died in October 2025, one week before last year’s edition. That evening the forecast looked miserable; about 15 minutes before the Southfork gates opened, the downpour moved on and a rainbow appeared over the ranch. The 53rd ball is the first since her death.

From Star Brand Ranch to Southfork: The Night Two Women Invented

The idea began with a complaint about tuxedos. In 1974, Jacque Wynne and her friend Patti Hunt, both new members of the Park Cities branch of the American Cancer Society, decided that Dallas men had endured enough black-tie evenings. They proposed a Western barbecue instead and held it at Star Brand Ranch in Kaufman County, which belonged to her husband’s family, the Wynnes.

Each man who arrived that night was handed a Stetson. «We called them the barons of the ball,» Wynne told D Magazine in 2010. About 500 guests came, the country star Charley Pride climbed onstage for an unplanned performance, and the evening raised $56,000.

The formula traveled. Within a couple of years, the American Cancer Society asked the founders to teach other cities how to do it, and today there are more than two dozen Cattle Baron’s Balls across the country. The Dallas original remains the largest.

The ball moved from ranch to ranch, then spent several years under a giant tent at Gilley’s Dallas, before returning in 2022 to Southfork Ranch – the filming location of the television series Dallas – where it has stayed. Over five decades its stage has hosted Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson and Clint Black; more recently, Carrie Underwood in 2024 and Post Malone, who grew up in nearby Grapevine, in 2025.

Cattle Baron’s Ball 2026: Soar Higher at Southfork Ranch

Co-chairs Cynthia Everitt and Paige Westhoff lead a committee of 100 volunteer women who run every part of the ball, from underwriting to the raffle. Their theme reads like a brief for the whole evening. Westhoff describes the look as Western in the manner of Jackson Hole or Aspen – «very vintage Ralph Lauren-esque,» in her words. The announcement leaned on the image of birds in flight, with a feather backdrop in the reveal video and a nod to the feather-adorned hat that has become Stapleton’s signature.

The headliner fits the brief. Chris Stapleton, the Kentucky-born singer and songwriter with 12 Grammy Awards, released an album titled Higher in 2023. He takes the main stage at 10:30 p.m., after a live auction that organizers say raises more than $1 million every year, with lots that run from $25,000 to priceless.

More than 3,200 guests are expected across 150,000 square feet of food, cocktails, music and dancing. Beyond the silent auction and the raffle – with prizes donated by names including NorthPark Center, Eiseman Jewels + Pomellato and Lela Rose – the night includes a sports lounge, a glam room and a poker room. Everitt sums up the paradox plainly: «Our cause is serious, but the party is fun.»

Why the Cattle Baron’s Ball Matters Beyond the Dance Floor

Last year’s ball raised $6,002,095 and pushed the lifetime total past $111 million. Organizers say most of that money stays close to home: the ball’s own records list American Cancer Society grants to researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center studying lung, bladder, kidney and skin cancers, among others.

The emotional center of the evening is the paddle raise. In 2026 it honors Colin Fitzgibbons, a husband, father of three and youth sports coach who died of colon cancer on November 21, 2025, at 46. Funds raised in his name will support cancer research in Texas aimed at earlier detection and better treatment – a reminder that every bid placed under the tent has a destination.

Westhoff sees the committee’s work as an inheritance, passed from the two women who first set out the barbecue tables.

«This was established long ago by some wonderful women, Patti Hunt and Jacque Wynne, and we are lucky enough to all carry the torch forward.»

What to Wear to the Cattle Baron’s Ball

The dress code has barely moved since the Stetsons of 1974. The ball still calls itself a «boots and jeans» event and asks guests for their best Western chic. In practice, that range runs from crystal-studded boots to tailored denim and fringe; last year, when the committee tented the grounds against the rain, a small fortune in Lucchese and Miron Crosby boots stayed dry. For 2026, the committee points toward the mountain West of vintage Ralph Lauren.

A few practical notes: the ball is for adults 21 and over, valet parking is available, and organizers encourage ride-sharing or a shuttle for the easiest arrival. In early October, a limited number of seats remained in the gold and silver sections.

In 1974, every man at Star Brand Ranch was handed a Stetson and a new title. On October 17, the hat everyone will be watching sits on the main stage at 10:30 p.m., trimmed with a feather – and the barons, more than half a century later, will be asked once again to raise their paddles a little higher.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a Cattle Baron’s Ball?

A Cattle Baron’s Ball is a Western-themed fundraiser for the American Cancer Society, built around boots-and-jeans attire, auctions and live country music. The original was held in Dallas in 1974; today more than two dozen cities host their own, and the Dallas ball remains the largest, with more than $111 million raised for cancer research.

Who started the Cattle Baron’s Ball?

Jacque Wynne and Patti Hunt founded the Cattle Baron’s Ball in 1974 as a Western-themed alternative to Dallas’ black-tie galas. The first ball, a barbecue for about 500 guests at the Wynne family’s Star Brand Ranch in Kaufman County, raised $56,000 for the American Cancer Society.

What to wear to the Cattle Baron’s Ball?

The ball has always been a boots-and-jeans event, and organizers ask guests to wear their best Western chic attire and cowboy boots. For 2026, co-chair Paige Westhoff says the «Soar Higher» theme leans toward a Western look inspired by Jackson Hole and Aspen, in a vintage Ralph Lauren spirit.

Discover more of Dallas’ most celebrated evenings in our Luxury Living section.