Bluegrass BBQ Fest, a two-day local celebration of all things barbecue, founded and produced by Smiley Pete Publishing, the publishers of this website, returns to kick off the summer season June 8-9, 2018 at the Robert F. Stephens Courthouse Plaza in Lexington, Kentucky.
Last year's inaugural Bluegrass BBQ Fest saw more than 15,000 attendees, with even more folks expected to attend this year’s event. The festival will feature more than a dozen BBQ pitmasters including local favorites Red State BBQ, J. Render’s Southern Table & Bar, Edley's Bar-b-que, City Barbeque and Kentucky Strong BBQ, regional BBQ powerhouses Staxx BBQ and Hogfathers BBQ & Catering, and a handful of additional favorite local restaurants, including Lockbox, Brasabana, Fida's Caribbean Cafe and Bear & the Butcher. A variety of beer – including West Sixth’s newest brand, Cerveza – will be available to pair with the handcrafted barbecue, as will various fine Kentucky bourbons, including Evan Williams, Larceny and Elijah Craig. Festival cocktails such as the Spiked Palmer featuring Evan Williams and the Daydrinker with Deep Eddy Vodka will infuse a summertime vibe.
A full schedule of live blues and bluegrass music performances will add to the festivities. Morehead-based Short & Company will be coming off a Bonnaroo festival performance to play the blues on the Bluegrass BBQ Fest stage on Friday evening, along with Tall Boys, Danny Dean & the Homereckers and Joslyn & the Sweet Compression, who will headline on Friday. On Saturday, June 9, local acts Small Batch, Soupbone & the Cornbread Horns, Maggie Lander, The Swells, G. Busy Blues Revue, DeBraun Thomas, and Blind Corn Liquor Pickers will take the stage, with Lexington blues powerhouse act Tee Dee Young closing out the 2018 event on Saturday night.
Hours for the family-friendly festival are 5-11 p.m. on Friday, June 8 and 11a.m-11 p.m. on Saturday, June 9. Admission to the downtown festival is free for everyone, with parking available in multiple parking lots and city-owned garages. VisitLEX, Beyond Grits, Clark Distributing, G & J Pepsi, Heaven Hill and Traditional Bank are partnering with festival producers Smiley Pete Publishing to bring this unique, soulful experience to downtown Lexington.