HENDERSONVILLE, TENNESSEE, 10/4/2026— Long time Hendersonville residents Jeff Jarrett and members of Diamond Rio are set to kick off
Hendersonville Pig Fest October 22-24, 2026, at Veterans Park in Hendersonville TN.
“Pig Fest was started out of necessity and the work of our staff, Holiday Fest and Live Love Nashville to make sure we saved Christmas 4 Kids during the pandemic
of 2020. Now, thanks to the support of our entire community, Pig Fest is one of the largest BBQ Festivals in Tennessee, and one of the only city-managed special
events in the State of TN that raises so much money for tremendous causes. Without our great partner in Holiday Fest of Sumner County, we would not be able to
pull this event off each year. They do great work in our community and Pig Fest allows us all to play a part.”
– Hendersonville Parks Director – Andy Gilley
Pig Fest presented by Gary Force Acura will be held at Veterans Park in Hendersonville on October 22-24. On Thursday night October 22, Professional Wrestling
Hall of Famer Jeff Jarrett will make only his second ever appearance in his hometown of Hendersonville as he celebrates 40 years in professional wrestling with
‘Jeff Jarrett’s All Star Super Slam’ A full night of wrestling and entertainment action will mark Jeff’s second appearance in his hometown and his 40th year in the
wrestling business. “Having Jeff Jarrett be a part of Pig Fest last year was a bucket list thing for many reasons. Jeff has been involved in the Hendersonville
community for such a long time. He is one of the most popular professional wrestlers of all time, and his family means a lot to our city. To see the success of last
year’s event and for Jeff to want to come back and help us once again while celebrating 40 years is a special thing.” – Hendersonville Parks Director Andy Gilley
Friday night October 23 the Pig Fest Kick Off Concert will feature a special edition of the Hendersonville Hometown Jam powered by Raised Rowdy. The legendary
Diamond Rio will headline the show. They will be joined by Hendersonville’s own Jesse Keith Whitley, Tim Watson, Eric Blakenship, DJ Cliffy D and newcomer
Juilanna Rankin. “To have Diamond Rio headline our Friday night Kickoff Concert is a dream come true for many of us. Several members of their band and crew
have called Hendersonville home for a long time so it’s great to have them be part of this marquee event for our city. We worked hard this year to get a true
Hendersonville lineup and having Jesse Keith, Eric and Tim, along with DJ Cliffy D and Julianna made that happen. These folks perform all over the place but call
our city home, this is what the Hometown Jam was made for.” Gilley shared
On Saturday October 24, and free to the public is the main event – a cooking competition featuring over 50 BBQ cook teams competing in five categories for
$10,000 in prize money, highlighting the Saturday portion of Pig Fest. “The BBQ Competition has gained now national attention as we have teams from all over
the Southeast, and we can’t wait to see what these teams come up with this year. Without the teams supporting us year after year there would be no Pig Fest. They
really embrace the competition, but also, the fact that all the proceeds are going to charity. The teams are what make this event great.” In addition to the BBQ
teams, the event will once again feature the live pig races, which are a huge hit every year with all the attendees and we’re excited to bring that back” added Gilley.
The event will once again feature vendor booths, a Kids Zone with bounce houses, a cornhole tournament, a par-3 contest, food trucks and college football on the
big screen all day long. A special addition to this year’s festivities will be a pickleball tournament hosted by Dinkville – the first tournament to be played on the
new city pickleball courts and an art contest for students in Sumner County Schools!
“As one of the marquee events that HolidayFest supports each year, the Hendersonville Pig Fest has become one of our favorite community events! We are honored
to continue to work with these groups to help these great causes. This year, to be able to help Mary’s Magical Place, Grace Place Ministries, and Christmas 4 Kids
while putting on a tremendous event for our community is a win for everyone, “shared HolidayFest President, Larry Phillips
“We have received the support of over 90 sponsors in our community, thanks in large part to the work of our Pitmaster Sponsor, Kenny Burd and his companies
TN Pool Supply and EXS Group. I have never seen one man devote an entire year to making a charity event so special like Kenny has. He has been passionate
about these causes and this event since day one. He has brought in many other sponsors and been to visit so many supporters in the community, we could not have
pulled this off without him and his team, along with the Holiday Fest folks. To have Gary Force Acura jump on board as our major presenting sponsor this year is
special. Keb Barrett and the team at Gary Force are first class and we are thrilled to have them as our presenting sponsor this year. Local festivals like this don’t
often get corporate help like this so we are grateful that folks are starting to see this event as the great event that we do. These events that we bring to the community
are only great because of the support they have, and we at the Hendersonville Parks Department are grateful to be able to play a small role in bringing smiles to a
lot of faces” – Andy Gilley
Hendersonville Pig Fest was named “Special Event of the Year in 2022 by the Tennessee Recreation and Parks Association. Last year alone, the event raised
$74,000 for local charities and schools.
For tickets to all events and all the information about the three-day event can be obtained by visiting the Pig Fest website at www.pigfesttn.com. Follow us on our
social media pages on Facebook and Instagram @PigFestTN