BBQ, Cornhole, and a Mega Country Music Star: Don’t Miss Madison’s Inaugural Railyard BBQ and Music Festival

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September 22, 2021

The smell of barbecue, the sound of laughter, the feeling of an October Saturday in the south, and the sight of friends and family coming together to enjoy a day full to the brim with food, music, and fun.

This is exactly what I envision is going to happen in downtown Madison on Saturday, October 23rd, 2021 when the inaugural Railyard BBQ and Music Festival rolls around, and you do not want to miss being a part of it. I know I sure won’t!

Several Madison business owners are immensely proud to present a long-awaited festival of this stature to the city of Madison. The Railyard BBQ and Music Festival will be held next door to Old Black Bear Brewing Company on Martin Street in an expansive five-acre field that looks to be made exactly for an event like this.

Click here for a Google view of the festival field.

The event will consist of a BBQ competition, a cornhole tournament, and an afternoon/evening of live music that concludes with award-winning country artist Rodney Atkins.

Railyard BBQ Brawl and Music Festival | Madison, Alabama

Take a walk through downtown Madison early Saturday morning and you’ll already be delighted with the smells of dozens of competitors on a quest to win first place in the KCBS sanctioned BBQ event.

Register to compete in the BBQ competition

Registration is now open to enter your team into the competition. The fee is $250 per team, and in order to place in the competition, all entrants must submit ribs and chicken to be judged. Various prizes will be up for grabs for the top BBQers!

Each team will be given four wristbands which will allow full access to the field beginning Thursday, October 21st at 4 p.m. This gives ample time to all teams to set up, begin cooking, and then enjoy the full day of food and music before take-down that night or Sunday morning. Teams are also welcome to bring in beer prior to 8 a.m. on the day of the festival.

Water, electricity, and ice will be available on-site for BBQers.

The meat turn-in for the competition is at 4 p.m. on Saturday, the 23rd.

What if I’m not part of the BBQ competition? Can I still come be involved?

Absolutely! Traditional KCBS sanctioned BBQ events consist of tents set up across a large area with competitors camped out with friends and family. Ticket holders are invited to show up as early as 11 a.m. to walk around and enjoy the sights and smells of this inaugural festival.

Food trucks will line the streets with all kinds of delicacies to enjoy throughout the day, so bring your whole family for a day of fun.

The concert field will open at 9 a.m. for ticket holders to place lawn chairs, blankets, etc. if they’d like before going to walk around the BBQ portion.

Are you ready to register your team? Click here to do so!

Cornhole Tournament

Are you the master of cornhole when you play with family and friends? If so, it’s time to register for the inaugural open cornhole tournament where the winning team takes all! Register your team of up to four players for $200/team and compete to win big prizes! Cornhole tournament players also receive wristbands to enjoy the rest of the day’s events as well.

Gather your teammates and click here to register today!

Tell me about the music festival!

When the sun begins going down, the music will begin turning up!

Four artists will play through the afternoon and evening, so sprawl out on your blankets and lawn chairs and enjoy! Click here to listen to a sampling of each artist!

4 p.m. – The Beasley Brothers

5 p.m. – Alyssa Palmer

6 p.m. – Adam Hood

7:30 p.m. – Rodney Atkins

Canned beer, wine, and spirits will be sold at the event. The event is cashless, and each drink is one token. Each token is $7 and will be sold at the event.

Advanced tickets are on sale now for $35. Children five and under are free!

Remember that BBQ and Cornhole teams each receive four tickets to the day’s events. Individual tickets are for sale to those who are not entering these two competitions.

Railyard BBQ and Music Festival in Madison, Alabama | The event will consist of a BBQ competition, a cornhole tournament, and an afternoon/evening of live music that concludes with award-winning country artist Rodney Atkins. — via

Parking for the event is available a short walk away (0.5 miles) at Madison City Schools stadium. Complimentary busses will be running from the stadium throughout the day to take guests to and from the festival.

Are you interested in being a VIP sponsor of this inaugural Madison event? If your business is interested in playing a part in seeing this event be the best it can be, please click here to inquire about sponsorship opportunities.

From two of the event organizers of the Railyard BBQ and Music Festival in Madison, Alabama:

When asked what motivates him to put on an event of this scale, Old Black Bear owner Todd Seaton says that he genuinely enjoys seeing people gather together in a setting like this and that he can’t wait to see the community come together and have some fun at this festival.

Champy’s owner and fellow event organizer Eugene Jung shared that everyone involved in spearheading this event is involved in businesses throughout Madison and lives in Madison. He says that this festival “is about building up our community. Madison needs this.”