Article Contributed by Shore Fire Media
Published on December 7, 2025
ANTONE’S USHERS IN ITS NEXT 50 YEARS WITH AUSTIN BLUES FESTIVAL 2026 (APRIL 25–26), NEW RECORDINGS, EXHIBITS + MORE
Legendary music venue Antone’s has been celebrating its 50th anniversary throughout 2025, and just last month announced a half-century lease extension, which will allow Austin’s “Home of the Blues” to turn 100 in its current location. As Variety noted: “Few, if any, comparable nightspots…have inked a deal that would guarantee them a home for decades going forward. But few are considered as indispensable to their communities as Antone’s is.” Now, Antone’s is charting the course for its next 50 years, unveiling the lineup for its 4th annual Austin Blues Fest, set for April 25–26, 2026. Performers in Austin’s Waterloo Park next year will include Parliament Funkadelic featuring George Clinton, Adrian Quesada’s Boleros Psicodélicos, The War And Treaty, Eric Johnson, Larkin Poe, and more. For full festival details, visit austinbluesfestival.com.
The new year will also bring a compilation of new recordings celebrating the club’s past, present, and future. Antone’s 50th Presents Chicago Bound will serve as a companion release to this year’s The Last Real Texas Blues Album – an 18-song project which captured how “Antone’s has become the stuff of mythology” (Associated Press) while “pointing the way toward the future of the blues” (Rolling Stone). Among the artists contributing to Chicago Bound will be Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member Billy F Gibbons, who has penned an original song in tribute to the venue’s late founder, Clifford Antone. Gibbons will also close out Antone’s milestone 50th anniversary this year, with performances at the club on December 26 and 27; joined on its hallowed stage by fellow Texas legends Jimmie Vaughan, Chris Layton, and Mike Flanigin. Additional events at Antone’s this month will honor their local arts community, including the release party for Oxford American’s “Austin Issue,” taking place on December 14. “Clifford Antone’s brought 50 years of fantastic entertainment on a blues tip. We’re gonna tip on in with 50 more,” says Gibbons.
As part of the venue’s 50-year lease extension, Antone’s also announced the opening of “Antone’s World Famous Museum of the Blues” – a permanent exhibit of history and artifacts on the club’s second floor, slated to open in 2027. An early preview of the museum will open at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in 2026, contributing to the airport-wide exhibition titled “The History of Music at AUS: A Visual Showcase” – giving music lovers a first look at its offerings. Once open, the museum will celebrate Austin’s blues heritage, foster educational and community programming, and donate a portion of its proceeds to the city’s Rally for Live Music Fund. To support both Antone’s and this forthcoming museum through 2075 (and beyond), the club has also launched the “Antone’s Forever Fund.” Founding donors will be recognized in a permanent installation inside Antone’s foyer – a cast bronze wall created in collaboration with local design firm MuseWork – for more information, including how to contribute, visit AntonesForever.com.
2025 has seen Antone’s celebrate its 50th anniversary with a triumphant slate of live performances, historical exploration, new releases and much more. A five disc box set – Antone’s: 50 Years Of The Blues was released in August (including The Last Real Texas Blues Album), paying tribute to “Austin’s most iconic music venue” (American Statesman) with newly recorded material, long-lost label cuts, rare live performances, an updated photographic and written history of the club and more. Sold-out 50th anniversary celebrations were hosted across the country at iconic venues like New York’s Lincoln Center, The Troubadour in Los Angeles and Third Man Records in Nashville – featuring performances from artists integral to Antone’s past, present and future.
“We had an incredible experience cataloging Antone’s rich history for the boxed set this year, as well as taking our band of Allstars to New York, Nashville, Los Angeles, and the Austin City Limits stage,” said Antone’s Director of Booking and Creative, Zach Ernst. “We captured at least a half-dozen extra songs during last year’s recording sessions that are all incredible, and when Billy told us about his tune, we knew that we could build one more album out of it all. I’m optimistic that more strategic recording projects – and of course the Blues museum – will allow us to continue to honor Clifford’s legacy for decades to come.”
At home in Austin, marquee events included an Antone’s celebration in Zilker Park for 16,500 fans, as well as a Kerr County Flood benefit during the club’s 50th anniversary week featuring Jimmie Vaughan and Gary Clark, Jr. Recently honored as Billboard’s Indie Venue Of The Month, Antone’s has also just celebrated their 50th anniversary on national television – with a special episode of Austin City Limits. The episode features performances from artists across generations like Jimmie Vaughan, Sue Foley, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, Charlie Sexton, Big Bill Morganfield, Lil’ Ed Williams, Grace Bowers, Bobby Rush and Lurrie Bell.
You can watch “ACL & Antone’s Celebrate the Blues” here (available to stream for free through this weekend): https://www.pbs.org/video/
