Blues, Brews, and BBQ

Enjoy live blues music, flavorful beers, and chef-crafted BBQ on a midsummer afternoon.

Spend an afternoon outdoors listening to live performances by Chicago-area blues bands while tasting beers from local craft breweries and savoring the smoky flavors of BBQ.

Blues, Brews, and BBQ will take place on Saturday, June 20, from noon to 3:00 p.m. on the Arboretum’s East Side. Tasting tables will be stationed near Tram Road and Frost Hill.

Highlights

Attend performances by established blues musicians from around the region.

Sample from a diverse selection of craft beers, ciders, and meads from local Illinois and Midwest breweries.

Purchase BBQ and additional beverages from a variety of local food truck vendors.

Upgrade with VIP tickets to receive early access to the tasting, a commemorative tasting glass with a free pour from 93 Octane, and exclusive access to a BBQ menu from Sweet Baby Ray’s.

Tickets

Purchase Blues and Brews event tickets and member tickets online.

Event Ticket
Cost: $68
Member cost: $58

VIP Ticket
Cost: $85
Member cost: $75

Blues, Brews, and BBQ event tickets include 20 3-ounce samples and admission to the Arboretum on Saturday, June 20.

VIP tickets include a commemorative pint-sized tasting glass with a free pour from 93 Octane and early entry at 11:00 a.m.—one hour before general admission—to enjoy the tasting in a more relaxed setting. You’ll also unlock exclusive access to a Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ menu available only to VIP ticket holders.

Arboretum general admission is required for anyone aged 4 and older who is accompanying a Blues, Brews, and BBQ event ticket holder. Designated driver tickets are not available for this event. Nondrinking attendees should purchase Arboretum general admission for Saturday, June 20.

Your ticket purchase helps support the Arboretum’s vision of a greener, healthier, more beautiful world where people and trees thrive together.

Supported in-kind by

Highlights

Live Blues Music

Blues musicians from around the region will perform at the event. A performance schedule will be available closer to the event date.

Craft Breweries

Enjoy 20 3-ounce samples of beers, ciders, and meads from local Illinois and Midwest craft breweries. Nonalcoholic beverages will be available to purchase from concession tents in Arbor Court and on Tram Road.

BBQ Vendors

BBQ from local food truck vendors will be available to purchase during the event. Please note that BBQ is not included with the purchase of regular event tickets and must be purchased separately.

VIP tickets include exclusive access to a BBQ menu from Sweet Baby Ray’s.

Arboretum Admission

All Blues, Brews, and BBQ event tickets include admission to the Arboretum on Saturday, June 20, to spend the day exploring tree-filled landscapes, flower-filled gardens, and extensive walking trails.

Commemorative Tasting Glass

VIP tickets include a pint-size tasting glass that commemorates this year’s Blues, Brews, and BBQ event!

Tickets

Purchase Blues and Brews event tickets and member tickets online.

Event Ticket
Cost: $68
Member cost: $58

VIP Ticket
Cost: $85
Member cost: $75

All Blues, Brews, and BBQ event tickets include 20 3-ounce beer samples and admission to the Arboretum on Saturday, June 20.

Ticket holders must park and arrive at event check-in no later than 1:30 p.m.

VIP Tickets

An exclusive performance by Andrew Diehl and the Nightmen will take place during the VIP hour, from 11:00 a.m. to noon.

VIP ticket holders must park and arrive at event check-in no later than 1:00 p.m. to receive these full VIP benefits.

Nondrinking Attendees

Designated driver tickets are not available for this event. Arboretum general admission is required for anyone aged 4 and older who is accompanying a Blues, Brews, and BBQ event ticket holder.

Nondrinking attendees should purchase Arboretum general admission for Saturday, June 20.

Performance Schedule

Performances take place in the grassy area across from Frost Hill.

11:00 a.m. to noon

Andrew Diehl and the Nightmen

A performance by Andrew Diehl and the Nightmen takes place during the VIP ticket hour.

Andrew Diehl grew up in the mountains of West Virginia, picked up the harmonica when he was nine, and spent his teens wearing the grooves out of Little Walter records. After moving north to Chicago at seventeen, Diehl fell in love with the guitar, and it hasn’t left his hands since.

Noon to 3:00 p.m.

Jimmy Nick

Jimmy Nick is an old-fashioned, guitar-slinging blues prodigy who spent his teenage years being schooled by legendary bluesmen in the famous Chicago clubs of Kingston Mines, Rosa’s Lounge, and B.L.U.E.S. on Halsted.

Brewery Tasting Tables

Table 1 Brother Chimp Brewing

Table 2 Homewood Brewing

Table 3 Skeleton Key Brewery

Table 4 BubbleHouse Brewing

Table 5 Black Horizon Brewing Company

Table 6 Foreign Exchange Brewing

Table 7 Foxes Den Meadery

Table 8 Lake Effect Brewing

Table 9 93 Octane

Table 10 More Brewing Company

Table 11 Standard Meadery

Table 12 Avery Brewing Co.and Founders Brewing Company

Table 13 Real American Beer

Table 14 Prima Cider

Table 15 Obscurity Brewing and Craft Mead

Table 16 Penrose Brewing

Table 17 Pollyanna Brewing Company

Table 18 Carbliss

Table 19 Maplewood Brewery

Table 20 Noon Whistle Brewing

Table 21 Unpossible Mead

Food and Drinks

During the event, BBQ and nonalcoholic beverages will be available to purchase from concession stations and food trucks.

Please note that BBQ is not included with the purchase of regular event tickets, but VIP tickets include one serving of BBQ from Sweet Baby Ray’s.

BBQ Food Trucks

Stout’s BBQ

BABYGOLD BBQ

BBQ Concessions Menu

BBQ Options

Barbecue Beef Burnt Ends Sandwich
Smoked burnt ends served on potato bun, house-made tomato chutney, and side of coleslaw

Smoked Chicken Nachos
Warm tortilla chips with pico de gallo, spicy queso, cilantro-lime crema, and pickled jalapenos

Roasted Portobello and Bell Pepper Nachos
Warm tortilla chips with pico de gallo, spicy queso, cilantro-lime crema, and pickled jalapenos

Tortilla Chips and Spicy Queso

BBQ Sauce Options

Cherry Bourbon
Alabama White
Original Chipotle

Snacks

House-Made Cookies
Gluten-Free Cookies
Bagged Chips

Beverages

Boxed Water™
Canned Soda

VIP BBQ Menu

VIP tickets include exclusive access to a BBQ menu from Sweet Baby Ray’s.

Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ Menu

BBQ Bone-in Chicken
Sweet Baby Ray’s Pulled Pork
Baked Mac ‘n Cheese
Sweet Baby Ray’s Vegetarian Baked Beans
Creamy Coleslaw
Sweet Baby Ray’s Vegetarian BBQ Jackfruit

Ginkgo Restaurant and Café

Food and beverages are available at the Ginkgo Restaurant and the Ginkgo Café in the Visitor Center.

The Ginkgo Restaurant is a sit-down restaurant that offers a full lunch and beverage menu, including freshly made sandwiches, salads, burgers, and assorted alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages. The restaurant is open from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, and from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on weekends.

Freshly made packaged salads and sandwiches, bakery items, espresso beverages, hot tea, and drip coffee are available at the Ginkgo Café, open daily from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.