Who doesn’t love a good music festival featuring some of the best names and acts in the business? If you don’t, you’re probably on the wrong page.
If you do, and you’re one of those lucky music lovers who reside deep in the heart of Texas, you are in luck. And if you don’t reside there, you might take a train. You might take a plane. But if you have to walk, you should get to Austin just the same.
The Austin Blues Festival is less than two weeks away over the weekend of April 25 and 26 in the Moody Amphitheater at Waterloo Park in Austin, TX. The lineup includes Jimmie Vaughn, Eric Johnson, Houston-Tillotson Jazz Orchestra, Larkin Poe, Parliament Funkadelic featuring George Clinton and many others.
The Festival recently announced Gary Clark Jr. will be joining Jimmie Vaughan & Friends during their headlining performance on Saturday, April 25.
And there is more good news.
To kick off the Festival weekend, Antone’s Nightclub, Austin Blues Festival, and the Downtown Austin Alliance will Live! From Downtown, Texas with Chaparelle on Wednesday, April 22 at the Indeed Tower Plaza. This free, open-to-the-public event offers an early preview of the sounds and spirit of the festival, bringing live music directly to the heart of downtown Austin.
The Austin Blues Festival was the brainchild of Clifford Antone, who started the eponymous nightclub, Antone’s in 1975. The legendary club became a mecca for blues lovers, featuring elite artists such as B.B. King, Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, and Pinetop Perkins. The club also helped launch careers of Stevie Ray Vaughn, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Gary Clark, Jr., and others.
Clifford Antone’s love of the blues led him to start the Antone’s Blues Festival in 1999. The festival ran for three years, featuring Buddy Guy, Ray Charles, and John Lee Hooker. Clifford passed away in 2006. Will Bridges, present-day co-owner of Antone’s, and talent broker Zach Ernst, revived the festival under its current name as a one-day event in 2023.
To learn more about the 2026 Austin Blues Festival, including scheduling and ticket information, check out the website here.
