The dance floor might be empty and the mechanical bull powered down, but that’s not stopping Billy Bob’s Texas in Fort Worth from celebrating 39 years of providing honky-tonk entertainment.

Instead of its usual birthday party, the venue is hosting a live concert watch-party at 7 pm tonight on its Facebook page.

Keitha Spears is Billy Bob’s marketing director. She said Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price will kick the party off, followed by a history lesson about how the largest honky tonk in the world got its start.

Then, the live music will get started. Spears said viewers can expect the same type of artists they’d see in person at Billy Bob’s, but they also wanted to include other genres to be inclusive of all creatives.

“We’ve got a nice line-up of local musicians, kind of ranging from what you’d traditionally see at Billy Bob’s – that rock-country singer song-writer feel,” she said. “We have expanded beyond genres you might typically see, so that’s really exciting.”

While the event is free, it’s also asking for donations to support the Creative Industry Relief Fund. It’s an initiative to help financially support local artists, musicians and filmmaker who’ve lost work because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Spears says with bars closing and shows being cancelled across the country, artists are struggling.

“We were hearing from all of those folks that are so important to our business and our overall experience about just how this a detrimental experience for so many of them.”

The hope is to raise $20,000 for these artists. Spears said nothing is on the books yet, but patrons can expect the same great music and community from Billy Bob’s Texas through more virtual events like these.