HENDERSONVILLE, TENNESSEE, 10/3/2025— Long time Hendersonville residents Jeff Jarrett and The Oak Ridge Boys are set to kick off Hendersonville Pig Fest October 23-25, 2025, 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 the second largest BBQ Festival in Middle 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 DUDE Wipes will be held at Veterans Park in Hendersonville on October 23-25. On Thursday night October 23, Professional Wrestling Hall of Famer Jeff Jarrett will make his first ever in-ring appearance in Hendersonville as he has put together ‘Jeff Jarrett’s All Star Super Slam’ A full night of wrestling and entertainment action will mark not only the first time that Jarrett has wrestled in his hometown, but also the first time that the city has hosted professional wrestling in the park.. “Having Jeff Jarrett be a part of Pig Fest this year is 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. It is going to be a tremendous sight to watch every match that he has put together and then to see Jeff himself perform will be something super special.” – Hendersonville Parks Director Andy Gilley
Friday night October 24 the Pig Fest Kick Off Concert will feature a special edition of the Hendersonville Hometown Jam powered by Raised Rowdy. For the first time in many years, Country Music Hall of Fame Members The Oak Ridge Boys will take the stage in their hometown of Hendersonville. They will be joined by the legendary Exile, along with Eric Blakenship and DJ Cliffy D. “To have The Oak Ridge Boys headline our Friday night Kickoff Concert is a dream come true for many of us. We have worked very hard to find a way to get The Boys the perfect date and event to bring them HOME and this seemed like perfect timing as we will be naming a major bridge in our city after them the Tuesday before Pig Fest. To have Exile join the line up is going to be something that all attendees will be looking forward to as well. The Hometown Jam was started for events like this where we get to bring these guys home and provide a platform for some of our local residents like Eric Blakenship and DJ Cliffy D who perform all over the place but call our city home. This is what the Hometown Jam was made for.” Gilley shared.
On Saturday October 25, 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 also 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 a cornhole tournament!
“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, Live Love Nashville, 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 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 DUDE Wipes and Gary Force Acura jump on board this year has been a huge deal. 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 wea 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 $58,000 for Christmas 4 Kids, Grace Place Ministries, Live Love Nashville and Mary’s Magical Place Playground.
For tickets to all events and all the information about the three-day event can be obtained by visiting the Pig Fest website at pigfesttn.com. Updates and event information are also available on Facebook and Instagram @PigFestTN.
