W.C. Handy Blues & Barbecue Festival
June 14 – 17, 2023

The W.C. Handy Blues and Barbecue Festival is free to the public and supported entirely by donors and volunteers.
This year’s presenting sponsor is Field & Main Bank.

Volunteer Sign Up
It’s that time again! Calling all WC HANDY FEST VOLUNTEERS to come out and make this Festival a success! ✨Sell Half Pot tickets ✨Make Java Shakes ✨Volunteer Sign In Please take a look and see if you can help us out here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080f48a5a622aaf94-handy4/52599984#/ Thank you all! #wchandyfest #hendersonky

W.C. Handy Blues and Barbecue Festival releases artist lineup for 2021
By Ally TsimeklesRiver City Weekend Dust off your lawn chairs and blankets, here’s the lineup for the 2021 W.C. Handy Blues & Barbecue Festival in Henderson, Ky! The news was announced in a Facebook post. The free festival is set for Wednesday, June 16, 2021, through Saturday, June 19, 2021 at Audubon Mill Park in Henderson, KY. Wednesday, June..

Street Strut 5k coming to W.C. Handy Blues & Barbecue Festival
By William Putt HENDERSON, Ky. (WFIE) – A new event announced for this year’s W.C. Handy Blues and Barbecue Festival in Henderson. The Downtown Henderson Partnership is hosting the Street Strut 5k on Wednesday, June 16 at 6 p.m. Runners start at Red Banks Park, dart along the Ohio River and cross the finish line near..

Henderson’s W.C. Handy Blues & Barbecue Festival schedule, lineup
John T. Martin – Henderson Gleaner HENDERSON, Ky. — Brian Bishop recalled the pre-pandemic “good old days,” when the only thing W.C. Handy Blues & Barbecue Festival organizers had to worry about was rain. COVID-19 has changed all of that. The festival is going forward for 2021 after the pandemic forced its 2020 cancelation, and Bishop, the event’s..

Handy Fest’s annual Street Strut returning to Henderson with new energy this year
Chuck Stinnett – Special to The Gleaner When the inaugural W.C. Handy Blues & Barbecue Festival kicked off in June 1991, it introduced an event unlike anything ever seen in Henderson before: The Street Strut. The Mardi Gras-inspired event invited folks to turn out on a Saturday morning and parade through downtown with heavily decorated..

Handy Committee Working on 2021 Festival
W.C. Handy Blues & Barbecue Festival slated for summer 2021 Organizers sorting out public safety measures, working with city and regional health department By Evan Gorman | January 29, 2021 at 10:57 PM CST – Updated January 29 at 10:58 PM HENDERSON, Ky. (WFIE) – Celebrating 30 years, Henderson’s W.C. Handy Blues and Barbecue Festival is slated..

Blues & Barbecue Fest days away
W.C. Handy Blues and Barbecue Fest is days away; here’s the lineup By Beth Smith – The Henderson Gleaner HENDERSON, Ky. — Henderson is just days away from kicking off a festival that started 29 years ago and draws upwards of 40,000 people annually. The W.C. Handy Blues and Barbecue Festival runs from June 12-June 15..

‘They’re All Main Acts’
‘They’re all main acts’ 2019 Handy Festival artist lineup announced By Douglas White – The Henderson Gleaner HENDERSON, Ky. – The music lineup for the 29th annual W.C. Handy Blues and Barbecue Festival was announced on Monday, and it offers four consecutive days of stellar entertainment at absolutely no cost. “They’re all main acts when it comes..

2019 Music Lineup Announced
W.C. Handy Blues & Barbecue Festival Announces 2019 Music Lineup HENDERSON, Ky. (April 8, 2019) – The music lineup for the 29th annual W.C. Handy Blues and Barbecue Festival was released today by the festival planning committee. This year’s artists will perform on stage in Audubon Mill Park on the Henderson riverfront on June 12-15. The..

Handy Festival Recognized as Top Event!
The best events across the Southeast compete to receive the prestigious Top 20 Events designation. Through a nomination process, Southeast Tourism Society chooses the Top 20 events in the Southeast for each month of the year and publishes this list of winners quarterly. The W.C. Handy Blues & Barbecue Festival was named a Top 20 Event..
Help Us Keep It Free!
W.C. Handy Blues & Barbecue Festival has become one of the largest FREE music festivals in the nation.
The Henderson Music Preservation Society is a nonprofit organization, 100% of all proceeds are used to fund the next years show.