The Blue Ridge Blues & BBQ Festival returns to downtown Blue Ridge on Saturday, Sept. 19, for its 15th year, with gates opening at 11:30 a.m. at 400 W. Main St. and music running until 9 p.m. Admission is $20 at the gate. Kids 12 and under get in free. If you live anywhere near West Main, plan for a full day of crowds, smoke and shuttle traffic.
Music starts at noon and runs straight through, five acts deep. Emanuel Casablanca, billed as the "Bad Boy of Blues," closes the night at 7:30 p.m.
| Time | Act |
|---|---|
| 12:00 p.m. | Breaking Point |
| 1:30 p.m. | Leo Belsky Blues Band |
| 3:30 p.m. | The Big Dogs |
| 5:30 p.m. | Cara Grainger |
| 7:30 p.m. | Emanuel Casablanca |
The food side
More than 15 award-winning pitmasters are cooking, alongside a broader lineup of local food vendors. New for the 15th anniversary is "The Market," a curated section with 10 vendors selling BBQ rubs, sauces, custom cutting boards, grilling gear and other specialty items. Organizers are also running 15 free giveaways in the weeks leading up to the festival, including a Traeger smoker.
Parking, and what you cannot bring
Do not plan on finding a space on Main. Parking is $5 at the Blue Ridge Farmers Market, 787 Summit St., and a free shuttle runs to and from the festival grounds from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Organizers added more parking locations this year because of how crowded the event has gotten. The parking money goes to local children's charities.
No coolers, no smoking and no pets are allowed inside the festival. Gates will take credit cards this year, in a separate lane from cash, so the two lines move at different speeds.
It is a three-day weekend, not one day
Saturday is the main event, but the festival now opens on Thursday. A free kickoff party runs from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 17, at the Blue Ridge Farmers Market on Summit Street, with food, drinks and a preview of the weekend.
Friday, Sept. 18, brings BBQ at Old Toccoa Farm, from 5 to 9 p.m. at The Tavern at Old Toccoa Farm, 596 Curtis Switch Road in Mineral Bluff. That one is ticketed separately and benefits local children in need.
Where the money goes
A portion of net proceeds from the 2026 festival goes to a list of Fannin County organizations: Snack in a Backpack, the Fannin County Children's Fund, Shop with a Cop, Habitat for Humanity, Fannin County Family Connection and The Open Arms Home for Children.
Volunteers get free entry, a T-shirt and a meal. Organizers say they simplified operations this year, cutting the number of volunteers needed and moving ticket sales online ahead of time so the entrance gates move faster.
If you are driving in
From the south, the route is I-575 north, which becomes Highway 515 at the Cherokee-Pickens county line near Ball Ground, then 55 miles to Blue Ridge. Turn right at the Burger King, then right onto West Main Street. Locals already know that last stretch of 515 backs up on festival Saturdays in the fall, and this is the weekend that kicks off the season.
Tickets are being pre-sold online, and organizers say more entertainment details and festival updates will be posted as the date gets closer on the festival's official site. Anyone still wanting to work a shift can sign up through the volunteer page there.
For more local coverage, visit Blue Ridge Georgia Community Website, and tell us which act you are actually showing up for over in our Community Forum. You can read more festival and event stories on our events page, or catch up on what else is happening around town in community news.
--- Sources: official festival website (blueridgebluesandbbq.com), local media reports.
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