DETROIT (WXYZ) — The annual celebration of BBQ, whiskey and music is returning to metro Detroit — this time with a new home in one of the city's most iconic neighborhoods.
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The Pig and Whiskey Festival kicks off Friday evening in Corktown, marking the first time the event will be held in Detroit after years in Ferndale.
"The festival's about great music, great BBQ, good whiskey and community," said Alex Riley, co-owner of Lager House and event director for the Pig and Whiskey Festival.
The festival first launched in 2009, spending years in Ferndale before organizers canceled the event in 2025, citing regulations and costs as factors.
Staff at Lager House in Detroit stepped in to revive it.
"I was really disappointed to hear that it had been paused and so I just sent a message saying we'll take it in Corktown. Corktown could really use a fun neighborhood festival," Katelyn Burkart, talent buyer at Lager House, said.
The festival runs Friday through Sunday, with the epicenter in the area behind Lager House on Michigan Avenue.
Jesse Shepherd-Bates, event coordinator with the Pig and Whiskey Festival, said the new location will feel familiar to longtime attendees.
"It'll feel really similar but with just the Detroit skyline in the background. Awesome BBQ," Shepherd-Bates said. "And we have over 100 whiskeys for people to sample. Please don't sample them all, even if you come all three days."
Thirty-eight bands will also perform across two stages throughout the weekend.
"We have some exciting headliners. We have Reverend Horton Heat on Friday, Ben Kweller on Saturday and The Verve Pipe on Sunday," Burkart said.
Organizers say they hope the festival becomes a long-term fixture in the neighborhood.
"We're ready for it. You know, it's got that Lager House energy, that Corktown spirit. It's going to be very Detroit," Riley said. "We're hoping to bring a signature festival to one of Detroit's signature neighborhoods."
Tickets for the Pig and Whiskey Festival can be purchased online. Admission to Lager House itself is free all weekend.
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