Blues, Brews and BBQ Returns to Alameda Sept. 20, 2026
The West End Arts District's free festival is back for its 9th year, with Chris Cain headlining an afternoon of music, BBQ, and craft beer.
By The Alameda Pulse
Mark the calendar. The 9th Annual Blues, Brews and BBQ takes over Washington Park on Sunday, September 20, 2026, from noon to 6 p.m. It's free, it's outdoors, and it's one of the easiest afternoons on the West End.
Washington Park is at 740 Central Avenue, right next to Crown Beach. Bring a blanket or a lawn chair. That's the whole vibe.
Who's playing
The West End Arts District books this one seriously. Three sets across the afternoon:
- Aki Kumar Blues Jam, 12:30 to 3 p.m., with Jules Leyhe and Marina Crouse sitting in
- Terrie Odabi, 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.
- Chris Cain, 5 to 6 p.m.
Cain closing is the headline booking. He's a Bay Area blues guitarist with a long national reputation, and he's playing a free park show in Alameda.
The food is the other headliner
This isn't a couple of food trucks. Past years have brought a real pitmaster lineup, including Tante's Catering, T&S Extreme, Smoking Woods, Speer's, Pearson's, and Stackhouse BBQ, plus Alameda's own C'era Una Volta and Calafia.
Evergood runs sausages in the food court, and 2026 is the company's 100th year, so expect them to make something of it.
On the beer side, breweries that have poured in past years include Alameda Brewing, Drake's, and Sierra Nevada, and Alameda's own Faction is on the festival's brewery list too. Wines, spirits, and non-alcoholic options are around as well, so nobody's stuck.
Worth noting that Alameda Brewing just took a national gold medal, so that pour is a better deal than it looks.
Bringing kids
The Family Zone is hosted by Ozzy's Music Academy, the Webster Street music school, with hands-on music and craft activities. Swings & Wings, the indoor playground on the island, is pitching in too.
It's a park, so there's also just space to run around. This one's built as a family afternoon, not a beer festival that tolerates children.
Local artisans sell handmade goods throughout, if you want to browse between sets.
Quick details
- When: Sunday, September 20, 2026, noon to 6 p.m.
- Where: Washington Park, 740 Central Avenue, Alameda
- Cost: Free
- Host: West End Arts District
One heads up on getting there: Central Avenue has been under construction all summer. Read our piece on Central Avenue construction if you're driving over, though the signal work should be finished well before September.
More things to do around the island are on our Alameda events calendar.
