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A Look Back at 25 Years of Blues BBQ

The sound of soulful blues music and the enticing scent of barbecue carrying on a river breeze. Golden hour light glows on the Hudson River as New Yorkers sway to the music, savor delicious food and enjoy one of the highlights of the year in Hudson River Park. This is Blues BBQ Festival, and this year marks 25 years of New Yorkers coming together to celebrate legendary Blues music, fantastic local barbecue and summer in NYC.

As we look forward to this year's milestone Blues BBQ Festival on Saturday, August 16 at Pier 76, we're sharing a look back at Blues BBQ Festivals from the past quarter century all across Hudson River Park.

Blues BBQ's Early Years

When we celebrated the first Blues BBQ Festival 25 years ago, Hudson River Park was still taking shape, and the vision for a world-class waterfront park was still in its early chapters. But from the start, the idea behind the festival was simple: bring people together through the universal languages of music and food. Pair popular pit-masters with award-winning blues musicians, set them against the backdrop of the Hudson River, and make it all free for New Yorkers. The rest, as they say, is history. Here's a glimpse of the festival's early years on Pier 84, before it was rebuilt and transformed into green space.

The Celebration Continues

Over the past 25 years, many of the empty concrete piers that once hosted this annual celebration have been transformed into green, active Park spaces. But that hasn’t stopped the music! Park piers that played host to this annual tradition range from Tribeca to Hell's Kitchen, including Pier 26, Pier 54, Pier 84 and Pier 97.

Blues bbq patrons enjoy the music
A band performs onstage at the Blues BBQ Festival on Pier 97

The View from Pier 76

In 2022, Blues BBQ Festival moved to its current home on Hudson River Park's Pier 76, and we've enjoyed welcoming thousands of music lovers. Check out photos from our most recent celebrations.

A guitarist holds his guitar vertically while playing in front of a backdrop that reads "Blues BBQ Festival" at a free music festival in NYC
Audience members at the Blues BBQ Festival cheer after a performance
A cook smiling and posing next to a grill at the Blues BBQ Festival
Ed Cherry and Marvin Sewell playing guitar on the Blues BBQ Festival Second Stage
A cook grilling meat in front of a line of customers at the Blues BBQ Festival on Pier 76
Sheryl Youngblood sings on the Blues BBQ Festival stage

Looking Ahead

This year, we celebrate this milestone event with a lineup that bridges blues traditions old and new, plus returning favorite pit-masters and some special anniversary surprises. Whether it’s your first time or your 25th, we can’t wait to see you at Pier 76.

Were you there in the early days? Have a favorite Blues BBQ memory? Share your stories and photos on social and tag us @hudsonriverpark.

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