Austin's East 12th Street corridor fills with blues, jazz and gospel music this weekend as the Eastside Kings Festival returns October 17-18, 2026, celebrating the Black musicians who shaped the city's sound for generations. The festival includes a Saturday night jam session at the King Bee, where local and visiting artists are expected to share the stage.
Eddie Stout, a board member of the Eastside Kings Foundation, joined Sierra Waggoner on We Are Austin to talk about the weekend, according to a report from KEYE. Stout is also the founder of Dialtone Records, which he started in 1999 to record Austin's Black blues artists, many of whom had never set foot in a recording studio, according to the Austin Chronicle. That same year, Stout recorded the Eastside Kings album that would eventually give the festival its name, as KUTX has reported.
A Festival Born From a Record
The idea for an actual festival didn't take shape until 2013, when Stout — a bassist, producer and longtime fixture of the Austin blues scene — launched the event, per the Texas Standard. Jason Moeller, a co-founder of the festival and former drummer for the Fabulous Thunderbirds, helped bring the vision to life alongside him, the Austin Chronicle notes. KEYE's report frames the festival's purpose simply: preserving Austin's musical legacy while introducing new audiences to the artists who built it.
East 12th Street holds a special place in that history, according to KEYE's report, and the corridor remains the festival's spiritual home. Stout has recalled discovering blues music himself at East Side Lounge and Chester's, per the same KEYE segment, memories that trace back to an era when the neighborhood's clubs were the beating heart of Austin's Black music scene.
The Musicians Who Shaped the Sound
T.D. Bell and Henry L. “Blues Boy” Hubbard are credited with influencing Austin's distinctive blues sound, according to KEYE. Hubbard, a mainstay of the Austin blues scene for decades, began playing at the legendary Victory Grill while stationed at Bergstrom Air Force Base, according to the Texas Music Museum. His band, The Jets, went on to become one of the biggest draws on Austin's East Side.
Past festival lineups have reflected that same lineage, with performers including Lavelle White, Blues Boy Willie, Jewel Brown and Tomar and the FC's gracing the stage over the years, according to the Texas Standard. The festival's reach has widened over time, too — organizers have said its musical circle expanded over nine years to include artists from Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Georgia, the Austin Chronicle reported in 2021.
From East Austin to the World Stage
The Eastside Kings Foundation does more than host a weekend of music. The nonprofit helps local artists gain exposure and pursue opportunities beyond Austin through grants, sponsorships and international connections, according to KEYE. In 2025, the foundation brought roughly 20 people to Switzerland for performances, part of an ongoing effort to connect Austin's blues musicians with audiences overseas.
Festival promoters and journalists who attend the event also play a role in that mission, helping musicians connect with new audiences beyond the 12th Street venues where they perform, KEYE's report notes. Stout has described the festival's atmosphere as one of relaxed camaraderie, with musicians simply playing together rather than competing for a spotlight.
One attendee, Jasmine Peters, told Hilltop Views that attendance seemed to shrink each year following the pandemic, saying, “Every year, it gets smaller and smaller.”
Even so, the festival has drawn recognition for its cultural work, earning the Austin Chronicle's Best Cultural Preservation award in 2018. Create Austin has described the 13th annual festival as spanning five venues near East 12th Street and Chicon; KXAN reported five venues in historic East Austin for the 2025 festival. KXAN also reported that more than 20 bands and artists would play at the 2025 festival, according to KXAN.
For the 2025 festival, wristbands cost $25 per day and VIP badges cost $100 per day, KXAN reported. Beyond the music, attendees can expect local vendors, classic cars and soul food vendors lining the streets, according to Create Austin's event listing — a scene organizers hope keeps drawing Austinites back to the corridor where the city's blues story began.
