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A new outdoor music and food festival is coming to Dripping Springs on March 28, and organizers say it’s shaping up to be exactly the kind of community event the area has been missing.
Swampy Tonk Mudbugs & Music kicks off at noon at Pig Pen BBQ. The event blends Texas Red Dirt and country music with authentic Cajun cooking in what organizers are calling a full-sensory Hill Country experience. Ian Evilsizor of Evilhawk Entertainment, which is organizing the show, said the idea grew out of a gap left by recent closures in the local music scene.
“One of my partners is from East Texas, so he grew up eating crawfish and Cajun, all that stuff. He really liked the idea of doing something around crawfish season,” Evilsizor said. “So we brainstormed and came up with the name Swampy Tonk, Mudbugs and Music, and it just kind of snowballed from there.”
Mudbugs from Buda will be on site serving up crawfish, and Pig Pen will also be serving up barbecue. There will also be a variety of drinks, both alcoholic and nonalcoholic.
“We’ve put a cap on the venue at 1000 people. We’re right about 500 so we’re looking good,” Evilsizor said. “We figured more ticket sales would come into play in this last 10 or 15 days, when people could actually see a forecast.”
Saturday is shaping up to be partly cloudy with highs around 77 degrees.
”I’ve lost sleep over the weather, and that seems to be ironing itself out. I lost sleep over parking, which the local community has really stepped up and helped out with,” Evilsizor said. “I think it’s gonna turn out to be just a great day.”
All VIP tickets are sold out, but General Admission tickets are available for $35. Food and beverages are not included. Evilsizor has teamed up with a lot of local sponsors, and part of the event’s proceeds will be going to Hill Country Rally for Kids, a local nonprofit.
The music lineup features a mix of national names and homegrown talent. Headlining the evening is Uncle Lucius, the Austin-based band currently launching their 20-year anniversary tour — with Swampy Tonk serving as the official kickoff. The band is perhaps best known to recent audiences for their song “Keep the Wolves Away,” which was featured on the hit TV series Yellowstone.
Singer-songwriter Adam Hood rounds out the top of the bill. Though his name may not be immediately familiar to casual listeners, Hood has written for some of country music’s biggest names, including Chris Stapleton, Miranda Lambert, Whiskey Myers, Cody Jinks and Kid Rock.
Curtis Grimes, a Texas country staple who has appeared on The Voice and scored multiple number-one hits on Texas and Christian country radio, is also on the bill.
Local acts round out the lineup, chosen from hundreds of submissions Evilsizor received after putting out an open call. The Cunningham Sisters will perform just before Grimes. Logan Papp, another Dripping Springs resident, and Noah Derek, out of Temple, are also set to perform.
For tickets and information, visit www.outhousetickets.com.
