Experience the hottest new chefs and inventive culinary creations May 22-25, 2025 at Hot Luck Live Food & Music Festival. This annual event—created by MICHELIN-recognized and James Beard Award-winner Aaron Franklin of Franklin Barbecue, Mohawk owner James Moody and Mike Thelin, co-founder of Feast Portland—is a melting pot of the culinary and music worlds. Check out shows spanning all genres, from Americana and bluegrass to indie and R&B in Austin’s most iconic venues. Here's the run down on the weekend's can't-miss activities and events.

Image of a man and woman holding up a large beef rib to their mouths and taking a bite.
Credit Alison Narro.

FOOD EVENTS

Giddy Up
Franklin Barbecue
Hot Luck kicks off the festivities with a taco party unlike any other. Look forward to chefs Amanda Shulman and Alex Kemp of My Loup, Ana Castro of Acamaya, Geoff Davis of Burdell, Lawrence “LT” Smith of Chilte and the one and only Aaron Franklin himself.

Nite Moves
Assembly Hall
Think back to those late nights when the sizzling food of a street food vendor was the only thing that would satisfy your hunger. Hosted at Assembly Hall, stroll through the numerous food stalls and vendors serving up all the late night comfort foods. The Austin chefs in attendance include Sarah Lim of OMG Squee, Ariana Quant of Uchi and Tracy Malechek-Ezekiel of Birdie’s.

Al Fuego
Jester King
Al Fuego is a casual backyard cookout, but better. This is an open-air, behind-the-scenes look at what’s really going on in the kitchen of your favorite restaurants. With more than 20 chefs on display, this event will be packed with a diverse range of eats. Some of the award-winning Austinites you can look forward to seeing are Edgar Rico of Nixta Taqueria, Todd Duplechan of Lenior, Xose Velasco of Discada and many more.

Camp Sunnyside
Fair Market
Enjoy a slow Sunday morning with Camp Sunnyside, an all things brunch escape. With slow-and-low cooked favorites, grab a cup of coffee and some carbs and hangout while Camp Sunnyside 'counselors' prepare a grand campfire feast. Austinites will be in good company with Fermin Nunez of Este and Suerte, Mariela Camacho of Comadre Panaderia, Beto Robledo of Cuantos Tacos and more.

Image of a band onstage at Mohawk with the main man holding his hand up and singing into the microphone.
Credit to Chad Wadsworth.

LIVE MUSIC

Past festivals have featured some of Austin's top venues like Mohawk, Antone's and Hotel Vegas. Listen to a little bit of everything from jazz fusion and blues to cover bands and indie rock. The 2024 festival featured local artists like Porcelain and The Ugly Beats, as well as rock bands Calexico, Lightning Bolt, The Mummies and Big Business. 

Check back closer to the festival for the full 2025 music lineup to be announced.

TICKETS

Purchase your "Whole Enchilada Pass" today and get access to all the food events, every music show and more, but don't wait long because these passes typically sell out! If you're just interested in attending one or two of the food events you can also purchase tickets to the individual food events here. To get more information on ticketing and prices visit hotluckfest.com.