Because of the great success seen last year, Birmingham’s Cask & Drum music festival is due to be back this year bigger and better in October. The event will take place in the Lakeview district of Birmingham across from Electric Supply Company in a field seemingly made for an outdoor music festival. The event will be presented by WBRC FOX 6 and benefit Magic Moments, an organization that fulfills the non-medical wishes of chronically 
ill children.

Last year, more than 2,000 people attended, ensuring a strong foundational base of attendees this year. If word of mouth hasn’t caught the attention of new festival goers, this year’s lineup surely has.

Openers include Girl Talk and Drive-By Truckers, with other featured artists like Drew Holcomb and The Neighbors, Lucero, Houndmouth, Wild Cub, The Apache Relay, Jamestown Revival and Lee Bains and the Glory Fires.

With a hype-like Youtube video release of the festival lineup on July 8, many people have had their calendars marked for months. Tickets went on sale July 11. Three types of tickets are being sold: general 
admission for $35, which gives access to the Wing Fest, Reg’s Coffee House Live and the main stage; “Cask Pass” for $100, allowing holders to have access to Wing Fest, Reg’s Coffee House Live and main stage with the addition to take part in the wine and beer tastings; and VIP for $200/$250, which gives ticket buyers access to all GA and “Cask Pask” commodities, along with free drinks, yummy treats and a special viewing area during the shows.

Cask & Drum was dreamt up a year ago by a group of six musicians and festival professionals to strongly appeal to a thriving community of music, beer and wine lovers.

Although seemingly small because it’s a one-day, two-stage festival, Cask & Drum has teamed up with Magic Moments to create a collaborative effort that supports both the festival and the non profit organization by incorporating the infamous Magic Moments’ Kick’n Chick’n Wing Fest into the festival.

The Southern-eclectic rock/Americana music festival vision for last year’s Cask & Drum was a success with artists like Dwight Yoakam, Kopecky Family Band and Shovels and Rope, but this year the lineup shows a bit more diversity with a headliner like Girl Talk. It will be interesting to see an easy going, feel-good festival evolve into something way different with the likes of such 
high-intensity performers.

Other cool features of the festival include a family fun area, free children’s admission and a college football viewing tent. Birmingham’s progressive revitalization will be exemplified through this event, no doubt.

For more information and an expanded lineup, you can follow @caskanddrum on Twitter and Instagram, check out the website or on Facebook.