Tacos and Tequila Festival 2026: T.I., Fat Joe, Too $hort, Petey Pablo, Frankie J, and Murphy Lee

The Tacos and Tequila Festival once again returned to Winnipeg on August 22, 2026, for its third exciting year, bringing together tacos, tequila, old-school hip-hop and R&B, lucha libre wrestling, and one very competitive Chihuahua pageant for a uniquely chaotic summer celebration at the city's Blue Cross Park.

This year's lineup was stacked with names spanning several generations of hip-hop and R&B, which included many heavy hitters in T.I., Fat Joe, Too $hort, Petey Pablo, Frankie J, and Murphy Lee. The festival successfully blended the feel of a music festival with the atmosphere of a giant block party, giving attendees plenty to see even when they weren't standing in front of the main stage.

Murphy Lee. Photos by Samuel Stevens Photography

Murphy Lee got the party moving with a set that leaned heavily into the St. Lunatics era. He was also joined onstage throughout the performance by fellow St. Lunatics member Kyjuan, making the set feel more like a genuine reunion rather than a solo nostalgia trip. "Air Force Ones," "My Shoes," "Shake Ya Tailfeather," and "What Da Hook Gon Be" were among the highlights of his quick set, with the crowd instantly recognizing the hooks and lyrics that defined the early 2000s.

Frankie J. Photos by Samuel Stevens Photography

Frankie J brought a different energy to the stacked lineup. He shifted the mood toward smooth R&B and Latin-infused pop. His performance of Extreme's "More Than Words" offered a stripped-back change of pace, while "Obsession (No Es Amor)" and "Suga Suga" connected with fans who grew up with the songs. Marking his first time in Winnipeg, his set was a reminder of just how prominent Latin-influenced R&B and pop were during the 2000s.

Chihuahua Pageant. Photos by Samuel Stevens Photography

Away from the music, the festival's wildly popular Chihuahua pageant proved to be one of the day's most entertaining distractions. Six Chihuahuas took the stage dressed in different costumes, each trying to win over the crowd for the grand cash prize. The audience enthusiastically cheered for its favourite, turning what could have been a novelty attraction into a surprisingly competitive part of the afternoon. Petey Pablo then brought the energy back up again with a set built around his biggest hits. "Goodies," "Freek-A-Leek," and "Raise Up" had the crowd singing along with every single word. However, "Raise Up," in particular, remains one of those songs capable of immediately turning a crowd into one giant chant.

Petey Pablo. Photos by Samuel Stevens Photography

Too $hort delivered exactly the kind of veteran West Coast hip-hop set fans came to hear. I also believe it was his first time in the city; he ran through a set that included "Ain't Gone Do It," "Shake That Monkey," "Blow the Whistle," "Bitch," and "Freaky Tales," among many other songs. The set showcased the longevity of an artist whose influence stretches across many decades. Rather than trying to reinvent the performance, Too $hort embraced the party atmosphere and let the songs speak for themselves.

Too $hort. Photos by Samuel Stevens Photography

Fat Joe followed with one of the day's most comprehensive performances. Once again, another major artist who has never been to Winnipeg, he opened with "New York," and he quickly moved through "We Takin' Over" and "Victory Lap." After "Victory Lap," Joe made a special announcement to the Winnipeg audience: his new album, Organized Rhyme, will be released on August 28, 2026, just six days after the festival.

The set continued with "Twinz," "Take Me Home," "Sunshine," "We Thuggin'," "Make It Rain," "Get It Poppin'," "What's Luv?," and "Another Round." Joe also took the crowd on a nostalgic trip with a cover medley featuring Biz Markie's "Just a Friend," The Notorious B.I.G.'s "Big Poppa," and Tupac's "California Love" before bringing it all back home with the big one, "Lean Back."

Fat Joe. Photos by Samuel Stevens Photography

By the time T.I. took the stage, the festival had already established itself as a celebration of hip-hop history, but the Atlanta superstar gave the night its biggest headline moment. His second time in the city in twelve years, his set covered multiple phases of his career. His set featured many of his biggest hits from "What You Know" and "I Don't Know Me" through "My Love," "Dead & Gone," and "Whatever You Like."

Sprinkled throughout the set were a plethora of deep cuts in his hour-long set. However, "Big Shit Poppin' (Do It)," "Shoulder Lean," "Live Your Life," and "About the Money" kept the crowd moving, while "LET 'EM KNOW" helped close out a performance that demonstrated why T.I. became one of the defining voices of Southern hip-hop in the 2000s and 2010s.

T.I. Photos by Samuel Stevens Photography

The festival's inclusion of lucha libre wrestling added another layer to an already eclectic event. Between the wrestling, Chihuahua pageant, food, drinks, and six-act musical lineup, there was never really a shortage of entertainment at all.

What makes the Tacos and Tequila Festival work is that it doesn't try to be a traditional music festival. It is deliberately a little bit of everything—a food festival based around tacos, a party, a throwback celebration, a live entertainment event, and a gathering built around the kind of larger-than-life personalities that defined an era of popular music.

For its third year, the Winnipeg festival showed that the combination of tacos, tequila, wrestling, adorable dogs, and some of hip-hop's most recognizable names is a formula that can deliver a memorable summer afternoon and night. With T.I. and Fat Joe providing heavyweight co-headline performances and veterans like Too $hort, Petey Pablo, Frankie J, and Murphy Lee bringing their respective hits to the stage, the 2026 edition gave Winnipeg plenty to raise a glass—and a taco—to.