On any other night, watching patrons rip open pull tabs at a bar in Wisconsin would not be news. The pull tab action on tap Feb. 11 at the 410 Bar in Eau Claire, however, will actually be of big interest to Upper Midwest music fans.
The 410 is hosting the lineup unveiling party for the newly relaunched Eaux Claires music festival, curated by Eau Claire’s own Grammy-winning indie-rock star Justin Vernon of Bon Iver fame. Artists’ names for the festival will be revealed at the sold-out party via special edition pull tabs being stocked at the bar.
As we’ve been reporting for several months, the Eaux Claires fest is returning from an eight-year hiatus July 24-25. More details on Eaux Claires 2026 have been trickling out this week ahead of the lineup announcement, including the new location for the festival.
It will take place at Carson Park, a city-run sports complex and picnicking hub on a peninsula just across the Chippewa River from downtown Eau Claire — much more in the heart of town than the event’s previous location, Foster Farms.
Tickets will go on sale Feb. 13 for fans who sign up for a presale access code via eauxclaires.com. There also will be an in-person presale option for locals on Feb. 12 at various locations in Eau Claires, including the Joynt, Revival Records and Leona’s Pizzeria. Ticket prices have not yet been revealed.
First, though, comes the lineup reveal. Vernon himself and Bon Iver band member Asher Weisberg will be on hand to serve as “umpires” for the pull-tab contest that’s doubling as the lineup announcement. The event also will feature live music from local acts the Golden Band and Sloslylove.
Originally co-curated by Vernon with the National’s Aaron Dessner (who doesn’t appear to be directly involved this year), Eaux Claires took place four summers in a row, 2015-18, on the outskirts of its namesake city, drawing thousands of music fans from 90 minutes away in the Twin Cities each year. Among the artists to play the festival during that original run were Paul Simon, Chance the Rapper, Wilco, Mavis Staples, Spoon, the Indigo Girls, Erykah Badu, Feist and then newcomers Phoebe Bridgers and Sturgill Simpson, along with Bon Iver and the National.
Check back to startribune.com the morning of Feb. 12 for an update on who’s playing Eaux Claires 2026.
