The Triangle Blues Society’s annual Triangle Blues Challenge is a regional competition to select acts that will represent TBS in the Blues Foundation’s 42nd International Blues Challenge (IBC) in Memphis, Tennessee January 19 – 23, 2027. More than 250 acts from around the world converge on Beale Street to perform before the music industry searching for new talent, with the chance to win recognition and prizes that include major festival performances and more. This year’s TBS Blues Challenge is taking place from 1-6 p.m. on Sunday, November 1, 2026, at The Blue Note Grill in Durham, NC.
Categories include solo, duo and bands playing any and all kinds of blues (and nothing BUT the blues, please!). At least half of any performing band (or one, if a band of three), and at least one from a solo or duo act, must be legal residents of North Carolina as of November 1, 2026. At least one member of the act must be a member of the Triangle Blues Society.
Location
Durham, NC
Fees or awards
$15 admission fee