A crowd of people dancing and enjoying at an outdoor event with tents and palm trees in the background. A colorful sign reads 'Eighth Annual Blues Brews & BBQ'.

Blues, Brews & BBQ

Join us for our 8th annual celebration of world-class Blues musicians, a myriad of local craft breweries, and smoking BBQ vendors.

Date

Sunday, Sept. 21, 2025

Time

12:00-6:00pm PST

Where

Washington Park
740 Central Avenue, Alameda

Price

FREE!

  • A group of musicians posing with their instruments, all wearing face masks, standing in front of a dark, rocky background.

    MJs Brass Boppers

    5:00-6:00pm
    Authentic New Orleans singing and swinging Second Line brass band fusing traditional NOLA standards, funk, jazz, modern pop, and more.

    Learn More

  • Side profile of a woman with dark hair, a pink flower in her hair, wearing a heart-shaped necklace and earrings, and a white fur coat, in front of colorful posters and artwork.

    Lavay Smith

    & Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers
    3:30-4:30pm
    Performing classics and obscure gems from the golden age of jazz, blues and R&B.

    Learn More

  • Black and white photo of a man with dark wavy hair playing an electric guitar and leaning into a microphone on a stage with curtains in the background.

    HowellDevine

    2:00-3:00pm
    Deftly mix rural blues with wildly syncopated rhythms to create a rollicking sound that stands in stark contrast to the typical blues heard these days.

    Learn More

  • A man wearing a black and white western-style jacket holds a white electric guitar against a gray background.

    Jinx Jones

    12:30-1:30pm
    A San Francisco-based guitar virtuoso that moves from rockabilly to jazz to twang, sometimes in the same song, and a must-see live performer.

    Learn More

Get Involved!

  • Festival Raffle

    Festival Raffle

    During the festival, buy Raffle Tickets for chances to win one of 15+ Prizes (valued at over $2000)!

    Prize List

  • Second Line

    At 6pm, follow MJs Brass Boppers as they lead a musical procession down Webster Street.

    Learn More
  • Volunteer

    Volunteer

    Get drink tix, snacks, cool festival T-shirt, and our undying love; bring friends and family with you!

    SIGN UP

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 including Tante’s Catering, Evergood, T&S Extreme, Smoking Woods, Speer, Pearsons, Stackhouse BBQ–along with Alameda locals C’era Una Volta and Calafia–will be 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

Sponsors & Partners

BECOME A SPONSOR

In Town for the Festival?

Our partner Hawthorn Suites is just five minutes walk from Blues, Brews & BBQ, Webster Street restaurants, and all the West End fun!

Their hotel offers spacious studio suites that will make you feel at home, plus free breakfast! Be sure to ask about their free bike sharing program so you can get to the festival and explore Alameda in style.

A group of four smiling friends, three women and one man, enjoying drinks at an outdoor event. The image is in black and white, with two women wearing sunglasses and one wearing a hat. The man is wearing a beanie. In the background, there's a building with a sign that reads "Marriott" and some street signs.
Logo for Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham featuring a stylized hawthorn flower in orange and maroon with the text in bold maroon and orange.

1628 Webster Street
Alameda, CA, 94501
wyndhamhotels.com

We're green!

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.

  • When the festival ends at 6pm, join the Second Line Procession as it heads down Webster Street to the newly named Webster Park and The Fireside Lounge. Learn more here and see a list of dining and entertaining locations nearby for your evening plans.

View the 2024 Festival