Windy City Smokeout Adds Fifth Day for 2026 Festival With Blake Shelton, Lainey Wilson

The Windy City Smokeout is coming back to Chicago in 2026 with a more extensive five-day format than previous years. Running from Wednesday, July 8, to Sunday, July 12, the Windy City Smokeout will be held at the United Center and will feature the largest number of performances and vendors to date. The new scheduling will allow the festival to play a larger role in Chicago's summer live music offerings.

The 2026 lineup includes both established artists whose songs have reached number one on a Billboard chart and new artists just beginning to gain mainstream popularity. Treaty Oak Revival, Hootie & the Blowfish, Lainey Wilson, Jordan Davis, and Blake Shelton anchor the bill, joined by Warren Zeiders and more than 15 additional country artists spanning mainstream, independent, and alt-country scenes. Carter Faith appears on the weekend lineup, making her Windy City Smokeout debut and adding to the festival's emphasis on rising artists.

Music programming is paired with an expanded barbecue experience. The organizers expect to have at least 20 of the best barbecue master chef teams attend, thus expanding the regional types of barbecue vendors and giving our attendees the opportunity to listen to a concert each day. The festival continues its long-standing focus on balancing premium live country music with nationally recognized barbecue offerings.

Special programming highlights the event's food-and-fun identity. Friday hosts the Biggest Happy Hour of the Summer, while Sunday features a bottomless BBQ Brunch with a Pitmaster Buffet, bacon bar, and unlimited mimosas and Bloody Marys.

The five-day schedule opens Wednesday with a new kickoff show led by Treaty Oak Revival, joined by Braxton Keith and Sterling Elza, emphasizing honky-tonk and country-rock influences. Performances build through the weekend and culminate on Sunday with Blake Shelton and Warren Zeiders closing out the festival.

There are a variety of ticket options for the event, including four-day general admission passes beginning at approximately $299, one-day passes, and premium VIP and Platinum experiences. All tickets can be purchased directly on the event's website, as well as through Ticketmaster and StubHub; attendance is also available via other third-party ticket resellers.

Windy City Smokeout has previously earned ACM Festival of the Year recognition and continues to position Chicago as a key market on the national country music festival circuit by blending top-tier performances with standout barbecue experiences.