The highly anticipated event in Lockhart features the BBQ World's Fair and the Top 50 Picnic, which will have forty restaurants from the magazine's new Top 50 list.

AUSTIN, TX / ACCESS Newswire / October 15, 2025 / One of the biggest barbecue festivals in the Lone Star State is back-Texas Monthly BBQ Fest, benefiting Feeding Texas, in Lockhart. This year's two-day event in the Barbecue Capital of Texas will bring together pitmasters and fans to celebrate the big, wide world of 'cue-and will provide a chance to sample dishes from dozens of the restaurants on Texas Monthly's new Top 50 BBQ list.

The mouthwatering festivities begin with the BBQ World's Fair on November 1, in historic downtown Lockhart, from noon to 7 p.m. The free street festival will feature live-fire cooking demos, a bustling marketplace with a variety of artisan and apparel vendors, and food and drinks for purchase from a curated barbecue-vendor lineup showcasing the diverse flavors across the barbecue world. The featured joints are BBQ Fiends, Black Board Bar B Q, CM Smokehouse, Eaker Barbecue, Harlem Road Texas BBQ, Jimenez y Friends Barbecue y Taqueria, Khói Barbecue, the Original Black's Barbecue, Parish Barbecue, Smitty's Market, and Smoke 'N Ash.

There will also be live music from the two-time Grammy-winning group Lost Bayou Ramblers, Texas Country Music Awards 2023 Female Artist of the Year Summer Dean, the award-winning Croy and the Boys, Garrett T. Capps & NASA Country, and Hondo.

On November 2, the highly anticipated Top 50 Picnic will take place at Lockhart City Park from 1-4 p.m. Forty of the barbecue joints from this year's Top 50 list, including three Michelin-starred restaurants, will be there to help attendees experience why Texas barbecue is king. There will also be performances from the Austin Music Awards Best DJ nominee Mixer Rogers and the award-winning Selena tribute band Bidi Bidi Banda.

The featured joints at the picnic are 1701 Barbecue, 2M Smokehouse, B4 Barbeque, Bar-A-BBQ, Brendyn's BBQ, Briscuits, Burnt Bean Co., Cattleack Barbeque, Dayne's Craft Barbecue, Evie Mae's Pit Barbeque, GW's BBQ Catering Co., Helberg Barbecue, Interstellar BBQ, Jay's BBQ Shack, KG BBQ, LaVaca BBQ, La Barbecue, Leroy and Lewis Barbecue, LJ's BBQ, Miller's Smokehouse, Mimsy's Craft Barbecue, Mum Foods Smokehouse and Delicatessen, North Texas Smoke BBQ, Panther City BBQ, Pinkerton's Barbecue, Redbird BBQ, Reese Bros Barbecue, Rejino Barbeque, Rosemeyer Bar-B-Q, Rossler's Blue Cord Barbecue, Sabar BBQ, Slow Bone BBQ, Smoak Town BBQ, Smokey Joe's BBQ, Snow's BBQ, Stiles Switch BBQ, Sunbird Barbecue, Teddy's Barbecue, Truth Barbeque, and Yearby's Barbecue & Waterice.

VIP tickets for the Top 50 Picnic have already sold out, but general admission passes are still available, at $135 per person. All tickets, which can be purchased here, include food. A portion of the ticket proceeds will be donated to Feeding Texas and its network of food banks across the state.

Texas Monthly thanks its 2025 sponsors, Aviation American Gin, Balcones Distilling, Bud Light, Casamigos Tequila, Chief Firewood, the City of Lockhart, Coca-Cola Southwest Beverages, Deloitte, Freshfields, Greater Texas Credit Union, Jim Beam, La Vieille Ferme, Liquid Death, Mill Scale Metalworks, Nomad Grills, Perry Homes, Prasek's Family Smokehouse, Republic Services, Rodeo Austin, Sendero Provisions Co., San Pellegrino, Texas Tech University, Tito's Handmade Vodka, Trialmed, True Texas BBQ, Turtlebox, Visit Cedar Park, and Yeti.

To speak with Texas Monthly's barbecue editor, Daniel Vaughn, or request media passes, contact us at press@texasmonthly.com.

To stay updated on BBQ Fest news, subscribe to the Texas Monthly barbecue newsletter or follow the @tmbbqfest Instagram account, the BBQ Fest Facebook page, or Vaughn, on X and Instagram.

SOURCE: Texas Monthly