Popular Lexington music, food festival expands to larger venue for more acts
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Houndstock Music + BBQ Festival rebrands, replaces Bluegrass BBQ Fest and moves venues.
- The two-day festival at Gatton Park on May 15-16 features 15 acts and two music stages.
- Amphitheater will host music while a pitmaster row features local barbecue vendors.
A popular spring festival has rebranded itself and moved to a larger location for its two days of Americana, bluegrass, country and blues music, paired with a big helping of barbecue.
The first Houndstock Music + BBQ Festival is May 15-16 at Gatton Park on the Town Branch in downtown Lexington. The music and food festival, put on by Smiley Pete Publishing, replaces its Bluegrass BBQ Fest, which started in 2017 and was mostly held at the Moondance Amphitheater in the city’s Beaumont neighborhood.
Organizers say they realized they needed to move to a bigger venue for the festivals two big draws, music and barbecue.
“With the success of the Bluegrass BBQ Fest, we realized something important: The music wasn’t just a backdrop to the BBQ — it was an essential part of the experience,” said Amy Eddie, a director of operations at Smiley Pete. “The two belong together. Houndstock is our take on that perfect pairing, celebrating the powerful connection between great food and great music in a way that feels fresh, intentional, and uniquely Kentucky.”
How is the Houndstock Festival different from Bluegrass BBQ Fest?
Like its predecessor, the Houndstock Festival will feature up-and-coming blues, country and bluegrass artists, along with a pit master row that includes at least six local barbecue restaurants.
But the rebranded festival will take advantage of its new location at Gatton Park, which opened in Aug. 2025 after nearly a decade of fundraising and two years of construction. The park is the result of one of the largest fundraising campaigns in the city’s history, earning $55 million in donations to redevelop a former parking lot by Rupp Arena into a 12-acre green space.
The new festival will use the park’s 5,000-seat outdoor amphitheater, which is larger than Moondance’s 2,000. Plus there will be nearly double the bands from last year’s music festival.
Tickets are more expensive than last year, but there will be two stages for music acts. Plus, patrons can also visit the park’s play area, splash pad and Bloom, a new illuminated art installation.
Also new this year: Dogs are allowed. But they must be leashed on the park’s lawn or in the dog park.
Who is playing at the Houndstock Festival?
The concert lineup for the two-day festival features 15 acts, headlined by Treyvon King Band (day one), Bee Taylor with the Lexington Philharmonic and Tee Dee Young (day two).
Taylor will pair her New Orleans-inspired piano style with a classical string quartet from the philharmonic, which made headlines late last year by saying the venue was too expensive for smaller, local performing artists.
The festival also features indie, rock and alt-country, acoustic and bluegrass acts including Eric Bolander, Stoll Vaughan, Sydney Adams, Low Gap and Corduroy Brown.
BQQ restaurants, other food and drink at the Houndstock Festival
To go with all that live music, organizers say they are planning food and drinks that celebrate the Bluegrass region.
Meats will be smoked on site from local barbecue restaurants such as Red State BBQ, LX BBQ, Oaken BBQ and more.
Some food trucks and vendors will also be on site offering non-barbecue options like Eddie’s Roasted Corn and Jasmine Rice Thai & Vietnamese Restaurant.
Organizers say there will be a selection of local craft cider, independent beer and rare bourbons from Kentucky distilleries.
How much are tickets to Houndstock Music Festival?
General admission ticket prices can be purchased online and start at $20.80 for Friday, $25.08 for Saturday. A two-day pass is $33.65.
The local festival is for all ages, and children 10 and younger are free with a paid adult.
