Blues, Brews & BBQ

Join us for our 9th annual celebration of world-class Blues musicians, a myriad of local craft breweries, and smoking BBQ vendors.

Date

Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026

Time

12:00-6:00pm PST

Where

Washington Park
740 Central Avenue, Alameda

Price

FREE!

VENDOR APPLICATION

Family-Friendly Activities

In addition to the festivities, attendees will have the opportunity to peruse locally-crafted wares from Bay Area vendors. Kids can get crafty and stay engaged at the Family Zone hosted by Ozzy's Music Academy.

The BBQ & Bites

Local pitmasters have included Tante’s Catering, Evergood, T&S Extreme, Smoking Woods, Speer, Pearsons, Stackhouse BBQ–along with Alameda locals C’era Una Volta and Calafia–serving up smoky barbecue and sides, while craft breweries showcase their best seasonal brews.

Smiling young boy with sunglasses hanging on his shirt standing at an outdoor art booth with paper plates and markers. Other children and adults are visible in the background on a sunny day.

Man operating a shiny metal meat smoker at an outdoor market with trees and a blue sky in the background.

Featured Craft Beverages
from 2025 Included:

2025 Sponsors & Partners Included

BECOME A 2026 SPONSOR

We're green!

A man wearing sunglasses, a blue T-shirt, and wristbands is holding a glass of beer and talking, with his arm extended, at an outdoor gathering or festival with several people in the background.

Join WEAD in our commitment to sustainability! In line with Alameda's Disposable Food Ware ordinance and in partnership with Race to Waste Zero, we've banned single-use plastics at our events and have bins to sort recycling and composting!

All food orders come in compostable-fiber service ware for added eco-friendliness! in partnership with Race to Waste Zero

Location

Washington Park
740 Central, Alameda, CA 94501

With acres of green space, easy access, and great facilities, the whole family will love this community park turned live music festival. Want to escape the crowds at the stage? Bring a blanket or lawn chair, take the kids to the playground, or even go take in a view of the breathtaking San Francisco Bay.

People sitting on chairs and on the grass at an outdoor event with booths and tall palm trees against a blue sky.

Festival FAQs

Parking around Washington Park is limited. Where possible, we recommend coming by bike (drop it at our on site Bike Valet). Or take the bus (AC transit line 30 stops 1 block away at 8th and Portola and the line 51 is 2 blocks away). Plan your bus trip here; your destination is 740 Central Avenue, Alameda.
No, the festival is free and open to all. We encourage you to RSVP so that we can send you festival updates and you can be automatically entered to win prizes!
Parking around the Washington Park is very limited, especially while construction work is going on in the area. We will have eight ADA parking spaces reserved along 8th Avenue between Central Avenue and Taylor Avenue between 12pm and 6pm.
Pathways around the park are accessible. If you need any assistance crossing the grass, then one of our volunteers can assist you. They will be wearing a blue festival T-shirt.
We encourage you to reach out to us at info@westendartsdistrict.org if you have specific access requirements and/or questions.
There will be some seating at the event and some shaded areas. Feel free to bring a lawn chair as this is also a public park.
Well-behaved dogs are welcome, in accordance with park regulations they must be kept on a leash. Should they need a bit of exercise, there is a dog park in lower Washington Park.