Chicago’s biggest country-music-meets-barbecue blowout just added another megawatt reason to block off your entire July. Windy City Smokeout announced that Blake Shelton will close out the 2026 festival on July 12, 2026, joining an already stacked lineup that includes nostalgic '90s acts and modern Nashville heavy hitters alike.
The five-day festival returns July 8–12, 2026, to its home outside the United Center, where the parking lots become a smoky, rowdy, star-packed sprawl that reliably sells out and has twice been named the Academy of Country Music’s Festival of the Year. This year kicks off with a Wednesday night concert headlined by Treaty Oak Revival, supported by Braxton Keith and Sterling Elza, while over 20 pitmasters from around the country prepare the slow-smoked lineup for the days ahead.
From there, the headliners read like a crash course in country music across generations. Hootie & the Blowfish take over Thursday with a full-throttle '90s singalong. Friday brings reigning CMA and ACM Entertainer of the Year Lainey Wilson, while Jordan Davis joins the fun on Saturday night. And then Shelton closes the whole thing out on Sunday, bringing nine Grammy nominations’ worth of hits to what’s already billed as the festival’s biggest night.
As always, the daytime hours are packed with rising stars and acts programmed to keep the music going from open to close. And Smokeout doesn’t stop at music: the festival leans into its food identity with special events like the biggest happy hour of the summer on Friday and a bottomless BBQ brunch on Sunday. That brunch, running from 11:30am to 1pm, offers unlimited mimosas and Bloody Marys, plus a pitmaster buffet stacked with favorites (like an entire bacon bar!), though you’ll need both a brunch ticket and a Sunday or four-day pass to get in.
Wristbands start at $60 for Wednesday and run through $85 for Sunday general admission, with VIP and platinum tiers offering premium perks. The full daily schedule and pitmaster lineup are still to come but, given the festival’s track record—and the size of this year’s headliners—expect another sellout summer.
Smokeout devotees can snag early-bird deals by joining the festival’s email newsletter or mobile club.