FACT: Downtown Jackson’s Sunday plans just got smoother. “Grits & Guitars: Yacht Rock Brunch featuring Yacht Rock and Soul” sets sail on Sunday, October 11 at 11:00 AM at the Honky Tonk at Oak + Iron, 151 West Michigan Avenue. The pitch, per the event listing: “Trade your cowboy boots for boat shoes! Brunch, cocktails & live Yacht Rock and Soul for one very smooth Sunday in Downtown Jackson.” Tickets are $25.
The details
- What: Grits & Guitars: Yacht Rock Brunch featuring Yacht Rock and Soul
- When: Sunday, October 11, 2026, 11:00 AM
- Where: Honky Tonk at Oak + Iron, 151 W. Michigan Avenue, downtown Jackson
- Tickets: $25
- Format: Brunch, cocktails, and a live Yacht Rock and Soul band
FACT: Oak + Iron — home of the Honky Tonk — is itself a growing downtown Jackson venue brand; the same address that hosts the Honky Tonk has been building out live-music programming in the Michigan Avenue corridor. The venue sits a short walk from the Michigan Theatre and the rest of downtown’s dining row, which makes the 11 AM Sunday slot an easy anchor for a full downtown morning.
COMMENTARY: The yacht-rock-brunch concept is one of the more durable themed-brunch formats of the last decade, and it’s easy to see why it travels well. It solves brunch’s two classic problems at once: it gives people a reason to show up on time (the music), and it gives the venue a price point above a normal Sunday service ($25 tickets, with brunch and cocktails on top). For the audience, it’s permission to dress up a little and treat an ordinary Sunday like an event. Jackson has a deep bench of talented musicians, so the “Yacht Rock and Soul” billing — smooth ’70s and ’80s hits with a horn-section sheen — is a natural fit for local players who already live in that songbook.
Frequently asked questions
When is the yacht rock brunch in Jackson?
FACT: Sunday, October 11, 2026, at 11:00 AM.
Where is it?
FACT: The Honky Tonk at Oak + Iron, 151 West Michigan Avenue, downtown Jackson.
How much are tickets?
FACT: $25, per the event listing.
What kind of music is it?
FACT: Live Yacht Rock and Soul — the smooth-rock hits of the late ’70s and early ’80s — performed by a live band during brunch.
COMMENTARY: Sunday morning events are quietly one of the smartest plays in local event planning. They capture the weekend crowd that’s slept through Saturday’s early options, they pair naturally with coffee-and-cocktail revenue, and they don’t compete with Saturday-night heavy hitters. For downtown Jackson, a successful Sunday morning format builds a habit that other venues can feed — and brunch-goers at 151 W. Michigan Avenue are exactly the kind of foot traffic the corridor wants.
Why this matters for Jackson
COMMENTARY: Jackson’s music scene has been diversifying its formats — from country headliners at the Michigan Theatre (Sammy Kershaw plays there October 9, per our October 4 coverage) to rock tributes at the Potter Center and now a Sunday brunch band at Oak + Iron. The pattern is a downtown that’s learning to program every daypart, not just Friday and Saturday nights. Themed brunches also travel well on social media — which matters for a city whose event traffic depends on people seeing something cool and deciding to go. If “Grits & Guitars” fills its room on October 11, expect more themed Sunday formats to follow.
Making a day of it downtown
COMMENTARY: An 11 AM brunch with live music is an ideal anchor for a full downtown Sunday. Plan to arrive a few minutes early — themed brunch events typically seat in waves, and the best tables go to early arrivals. Michigan Avenue’s downtown corridor has coffee shops, boutiques, and the Cascades walking trails nearby for a post-brunch stroll, and downtown parking on a Sunday morning is as easy as it gets. One caution worth naming: cocktail brunches at a live-music venue are a great time, but October in Michigan means the walk back to the car can feel very different at noon than it did at 11 AM — dress for the weather, not just the theme.
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