Mustang Week Texas 2026: Five Days on the Coast

Mustang Week Texas returns to the Gulf Coast April 14–18, 2026, with five days of events across Galveston and the Houston area. Presented by Monster Energy and Late Model Restoration, the 2026 edition is billed as one of the most stacked lineups Mustang Week has put together, with track days, drag racing, drifting, cruises, and a massive weekend show at Moody Gardens. RTR Vehicles is heading to Galveston for the run, with Vaughn Gittin Jr. and Ben Hobson on hand all week and their 2026 RTR Spec 5-D Mustangs in the drift exhibition April 16–18. RTR grew out of Gittin Jr.’s Formula Drift career (he’s a two-time champion) and an official Ford partnership that’s been putting dealer-backed Mustangs and parts in enthusiasts’ hands since 2009—so having them on the pad for the Texas drift show is a natural fit. For anyone who’s followed Mustang Week or RTR, the combination is a real draw: proven event teams and serious hardware. Registration is open for attendees and participants; the official site has the full schedule, ticket tiers, and car show info.

From Seawall Kickoff to Moody Gardens Mayhem

The week starts Tuesday, April 14, with the official kickoff at the Galveston Historic Pleasure Pier parking lot next to Fish Tales Restaurant on the seawall (2501 Seawall Blvd), 6:00–9:00 p.m. It’s a free meet-up with live music, food, official merch, and VIP package pickup. Earlier that day, Space City Mustangs runs a lunch party at Walk On’s in Webster (12:00–3:00 p.m.), with a cruise from there to the kickoff. Wednesday shifts to Motor Speedway Resort Houston in Angleton: a full track day (10:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m.) with HPDE, Roush Performance–presented autocross, karting including the Mustang Week Karting Cup ($20 to enter, $500 to win), and MSR track experience ride-alongs. That evening, Northside Mustang Club hosts a party at The Spot on the seawall in Galveston.

Thursday is All-Ford Drag Day at Houston Motorsports Park (11620 N Lake Houston Pkwy), noon–8:00 p.m., with Tremec as presenter. The lineup includes open test-and-tune, grudge racing, True Street (30-mile cruise then three back-to-back runs on the .400 Pro Tree), oval fun runs, and the crowd-pleasing Pizza & Beer class (winner takes two pizzas and a 12-pack). Pro drift ride-alongs on the HMP oval are available; sign-up is onsite. Coffee & Camshafts at Mainland City Centre in Texas City (8:00–11:00 a.m.) serves as the pre-party with giveaways and a cruise to the strip; BoomerJacks in Webster hosts a Speed Advocates car meet that evening.

Friday and Saturday anchor at Moody Gardens (1 Hope Blvd, Galveston). Friday is the All-Ford Meet-Up presented by LMR: cruise-in, 60+ vendors, DJs, drift ride-alongs, open dyno runs and Tuner School dyno challenge, and a street burnout contest with $750 to win and $250 runner-up. Saturday noon brings the official Mustang Week Texas car show—over 1,000 cars—with awards at 5:00 p.m. At 6:00 p.m. the pad turns into “Mustang Week Mayhem”: drifting exhibition (including RTR’s Spec 5-D demos), Smoke Show: Ford vs. The World burnout competition presented by Summit Racing with a $15,000 purse ($10K / $4K / $1K), FMX stunt show, DJ and light show, and a fireworks finale. Moody Gardens Resort is the official host hotel; book with code “Mustang Week” or call 409-683-1299. Full details, ticket levels, and rules for track day, drag day, and burnout contests are on the event site.

Why This One’s Worth the Drive

Mustang Week has built its reputation on a mix of serious track and strip action and a big, inclusive car-show weekend. The Texas iteration keeps that formula and spreads it across venues that already have a following: MSR Houston for road course and autocross, HMP for drag and oval, and Moody Gardens for the main show. Adding RTR and names like Gittin Jr. and Hobson for the drift exhibition gives the weekend a clear headline act without turning the event into a single-brand show. RTR’s “Ready to Rock” ethos and its history of pro-driven, OEM-grade Mustang builds make the Spec 5-D demos more than a sideshow—they’re a direct link to the same team that runs Formula D and factory-style Ford personalization. The drift exhibition window (April 16–18) lines up with the move from Houston-area venues to Galveston and the buildup to the Saturday car show and evening mayhem. Monster Energy as presenting sponsor and the breadth of other partners (LMR, Tremec, Roush, Summit, Tuner School, Turn 14, etc.) suggest the kind of support that keeps logistics and programming solid. For media, Mustang Week handles access only through their media request form; RTR can be reached separately for interview or quote requests.

Mark the Calendar

Mustang Week Texas 2026 is shaping up as the kind of week that rewards planning: register for the days you want, book the host hotel early, and use the Tuesday kickoff and the various meet-ups to get into the rhythm before the big weekend at Moody Gardens. The teams behind Mustang Week and RTR have run this kind of thing before, and the combination of a full schedule and a focused drift/show weekend should make it a strong draw for Texas and out-of-state Mustang and Ford fans. Worth marking the dates and submitting a media request if you’re planning to cover it.

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