Feels Like Home Festival 2025: A Texas Tradition in the Making

(photos and article by Meagan Sullivan)

There’s a line that floats around Texas music circles: “If you build it, they’ll come — as long as there’s brisket.” That spirit pretty much sums up the Feels Like Home Festival in Brownwood, Texas — a young event that already feels like an old tradition.

Held at the Brownwood Event Center and its surrounding Reunion Lawn, the festival brings together two of the state’s most sacred traditions: live country music and barbecue. In only its second year, Feels Like Home has carved out a niche that’s part small-town homecoming, part honky-tonk throwdown, and part smoke-filled food pilgrimage. And somehow, it works.

From the moment you walk in, there’s a certain unpretentious warmth to the place. The signage isn’t flashy, the merch tables are modest, and the smell of mesquite hits you before you even hear the first chord. It’s clear this isn’t trying to be ACL or Stagecoach — it’s trying to be Brownwood.

Families wander through the lawn balancing BBQ samples on paper trays. Old friends in ballcaps nod along to a local band covering Turnpike Troubadours. Teenagers snap photos in front of the “Feels Like Home” backdrop, while toddlers dance in cowboy boots three sizes too big.

For an event so new, it has an uncanny sense of belonging — like it’s been here for decades and everyone just forgot until now.

Lineup Highlights: Legends, Rising Stars, and Regional Vibe

One of the biggest tests for a young festival is whether it can draw names that turn heads and still support the up-and-comers. Feels Like Home nailed that.

On the main stage, veterans like Randy Rogers Band, Pat Green, Josh Abbott Band, and Stoney LaRue carried the evening with swagger and familiarity. These are names that feed Texas country lore — when each one played, there was a sense that we were witnessing tradition rather than just another concert.

But perhaps even more compelling were the earlier acts:

• Bottomland (Conroe, TX) brought fresh energy and new songs that had people leaning forward.

• Graham St. Clair Band (from Waco) proved themselves ready for bigger exposure, with solid musicianship and stage presence.

• Joe Peters had the early crowd nodding along, warming up the day with his brand of rootsy storytelling.

On the secondary “Pioneer Tap House” stage, local and regional acts added texture: The Cadillac Thieves, Ripken, Brian Pounds, and Mason & the Mercenaries each got their spotlight, helping preserve the festival’s community roots even as it scales.

By the time Randy Rogers Band took the main stage late evening, the crowd felt well-warmed both musically and socially. The set wasn’t just a headliner show — it felt like the culmination of a day designed around the love of Texas music.

Smoke, Sauce & Sizzle: BBQ as Center Stage

It’s not hyperbole to say that the aroma of barbecue was as much part of the festival’s identity as the guitars and stages. This year, the BBQ lineup was seriously ambitious: ten of Texas’s top pitmasters brought their A-game: Victorians Barbecue, Rossler’s Blue Cord, Hurtado BBQ, Hill City Chop House, Pody’s, Brantley Creek, Olmos, Up in Smoke, The Original Roy Hutchins, and Bosque River Taphouse.

The “unlimited tasting” ticket window from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. was the highlight for many. There was a competitive joy in sampling brisket from one pit, switching to ribs from another, and comparing sauces in real time. The festival wisely chose not to sell individual BBQ plates, pushing attendees toward the tasting experience — smart move to ensure people circle back, not just graze once and leave.

I overheard people say “I came for the music, but I stayed for the smoke” more than once, and that rang true. The BBQ component didn’t feel additive — it felt core.

Feels Like Home Festival isn’t trying to compete with the massive multi-stage spectacles down in Austin or Dallas. It’s doing something far more interesting — building a festival that celebrates where it’s from.

The mix of heartfelt country music, world-class BBQ, and genuine Texas hospitality makes it one of the most promising new additions to the state’s festival calendar. Give it a few years to grow into its boots, and this little event in Brownwood might just become a must-stop pilgrimage for anyone who believes music and brisket belong together.

Check out the full photo gallery here!