Electric car lovers are flocking to Austin for an enormous party Thursday celebrating a new Tesla “gigafactory” in Texas the size of 100 professional soccer fields. Online buzz has swelled ever since Tesla’s colourful but controversial founder and chief executive Elon Musk tweeted word of the event, with reports of perhaps as many as 15,000 guests taking part in the official plant opening. Tesla owners posted plans for cross-country road trips, while others urged the uninvited to just show up and find a way inside. The company has remained mum about details of the extravaganza, but rumours abound, including reports of an open bar and concert at Tesla’s 74-acre home in Texas. Tesla fans have posted drone footage and other video showing sightings of what could be new vehicle models on display at the event. “I got a golden ticket!” Luke Metger, president of a Texas environmental organization, tweeted on the eve of the party, attaching a screen-shot of his invite to the Cyber Rodeo – Giga Texas gala. However, will Texas be Musk’s land of promise? The move to a US state known for conservative Republican politics is seen by some as Musk stepping away from the liberal Silicon Valley culture in which he made his fortune. The South African serial entrepreneur is now ranked the world’s richest man. He founded Tesla in Silicon Valley in 2003, but shifted its headquarters to Texas late last year. Musk has clashed with California regulators, particularly when health precautions mandated at the height of the pandemic closed Tesla’s Fremont plant. California is also investigating whether discrimination took place at Tesla’s plant there. It remains to be seen how Musk will navigate conservative policies in Texas, such as the state’s restrictive new abortion law and limits on seeking health services for transgender children.