FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
HUNTSVILLE, AL – [October 6, 2025] – A 21-year North Alabama tradition, the WhistleStop BBQ Festival, returns to the MidCity District for the third year, promising two days of music, food, and community. Presented by the Apollo Coalition, the festival will be held on Friday, October 17, and Saturday, October 18, in a new location on the southeast side of the district. Weekend passes for the event are $25 per person, or $15 for a single-day pass. Children 12 and under enter the event free of charge.
The festival will fill the air with the smoke of competitive barbeque and the sounds of local talent. The two-day event features an amateur barbeque contest sanctioned by the Kansas City Barbeque Society. More than 40 teams from across the southeast will compete for the Grand Champion prize of $2,000 cash. The competition categories include ribs, chicken, and dessert. Registration for the dessert competition is open to the public.
Local bands will take the festival stage throughout the weekend. On Friday, the music kicks off with The Envied at 5:30 p.m., followed by The Michael Goldsmith Band at 7:00 and The Dawn Osborne Band closing out the evening at 9:00 p.m. Saturday’s entertainment begins at 1:00 p.m. with bluegrass band The Grasstronauts, followed by Bluejay and the Breeze at 2:30 p.m.. Singing duo Emma Klein and Amber Schmidt will take the stage at 4:30 p.m., followed by Nashville rock band YearB4. Local favorite JUICE will close out the festival with a 90-minute set beginning at 8:30 p.m.
WhistleStop’s general admission tickets grant entry to the event to enjoy live music and local vendors. They also provide access to the Pigpen, where young attendees can enjoy fun all weekend long. Tickets do not include complimentary barbeque to all attendees; however, attendees can receive free barbeque tastings by participating in the People’s Choice competitions, available while supplies last. After trying wings and pulled pork from the barbeque teams, attendees vote through a QR code available throughout the festival. People’s Choice tastings are complimentary with festival admission.
Presented for two decades by EarlyWorks Children’s Museum, this marks the Apollo Coalition’s first year running the event. The Coalition is a 501 (c) (3) that exists to build community through culture and innovation. Presenting major events at MidCity is one part of the Coalition’s programming. The group also manages NextGenHSV - a program for student engineers – and funds gener8tor Huntsville, a tech accelerator that has helped more than 60 businesses get their start in North Alabama.
"The WhistleStop BBQ Festival is a fantastic example of the Apollo Coalition’s mission brought to life," said Joanna White, Managing Director of the Coalition. "It’s where food and music combine to showcase the creativity of our community, whether in front of a grill or on the stage."
The festival will open to the public at 4:00 p.m. on Friday, October 17, and 11:00 a.m. Saturday, October 18. Tickets are available now at www.whistlestopweekend.com. Individuals interested in supporting the event can also register to volunteer on the website. Volunteers receive complimentary entry to the festival and a t-shirt while supplies last.
WhistleStop is made possible through the support of many sponsors, including Window World, Pepsi, Redstone Federal Credit Union, RCP Companies, Shelby Construction, Tito’s/Love, Tito’s, the Huntsville/Madison County Convention and Visitors Bureau, The Prewitt Group, Hiller, Huntsville Hospital, and LeafHome. Entertainment at the event is sponsored in part by the Huntsville Music Office. The City of Huntsville, Gordon Food Service, Arctic Kings, HEMSI, and Thompson Tractor provide in-kind goods and services for the event, and Octo Hospitality, MidCity, and The Camp partner with the Coalition on this and other major events in the District.
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About the Apollo Coalition
Launched by RCP in 2021 as the MidCity Accelerator Foundation, the now-named Apollo Coalition is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit focused on building community through culture and innovation. The Coalition offers events, education, and mentorship with opportunities for entrepreneurship and careers in the technical and creative fields, ensuring equal access for all to thrive through creativity and collaboration.
About MidCity District
MidCity is a $1.5 billion mixed-use district emerging as the go-to cultural destination for the Tennessee Valley. Located at the main intersection of Cummings Research Park and Redstone Arsenal, this district revitalization project is transforming what was once a regional enclosed mall into a robust community with exceptional uses and offerings. MidCity District offers first-to-market entertainment, retail, and dining, and when complete, will offer unparalleled office space, 1,650 residential units, 650 hotel keys, and outdoor gathering spaces – including the world-class Orion Amphitheater, capitalizing on the region’s acclaimed music and cultural scene. Within this rapidly growing and highly educated regional market, MidCity is positioned to fill a high-demand niche for an urban 10-Minute City at district scale in Huntsville. Learn more at MidCityDistrict.com.
Please contact Joanna White, Managing Director, Apollo Coalition, Inc.
joanna@apollocoalition.org or 256-665-6418 for additional information.
