Music City Hot Chicken Festival

Start: Saturday, July 4, 2026 10:30AM
End: Saturday, July 4, 2026 3:00PM

The Music City Hot Chicken Festival, presented by natural gas provider Spire and in support of Nashville’s public parks, is returning to East Park on July 4 for its 20th anniversary celebration of hot chicken and the community it calls home. The free, family-friendly event will take place Saturday, July 4, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. As always, the festival will kick off with a parade of antique fire trucks and specialty vehicles at 10:30 a.m. After that, East Park will open for the crowd to enjoy hot chicken from a variety of vendors, the annual amateur cooking competition, a beer garden from Yazoo Brewing Company, family-friendly activities, and music all afternoon. This year’s music lineup includes performances from Colombian electronic artist Animaleja, whose music is heavily influenced by music from the Latin American and Caribbean diasporas; local 90s and 2000s tribute band Fly2K, whose performances span pop, rock, hip-hop and R&B; and East Nashville-based instrumental cinematic soul outfit Mount Worcester. We still need volunteers to help us make this festival the best one ever! Sign up to work a quick shift and receive a volunteer-only shirt and two free beer tickets. Sign up at www.hot-chicken.com/#home-volunteer