Sammy Hagar’s annual Birthday Bash returns to Cabo San Lucas next month, and this time Barrelassin’ is packing a bag.

We’ll be in Cabo during Birthday Bash week and attending the celebration at Cabo Wabo Cantina—something that has been on our rock-and-roll bucket list for quite a while.

The 2026 Bash is set for three nights, October 9, 11 and 13, with Sammy Hagar & Friends taking over Cabo Wabo. The October 13 finale falls on Hagar’s 79th birthday. Doors are scheduled for around 7 p.m., with shows beginning at 9:30.

But calling this simply a three-night concert run doesn’t really explain the Cabo Birthday Bash.

For years, Redheads have made the trip to Cabo whether they have tickets for every show, one show—or sometimes no show at all. Birthday Bash week spills outside the walls of Cabo Wabo, with fans gathering around town before, between and after the official shows.

And then there are the surprises.

Sammy’s official description calls the Bash an open invitation to his friends, which means announced and unannounced guests can turn up. In other words, knowing who might walk onto that Cabo Wabo stage is part of the fun.

From a Little Cabo Cantina to a Rock-and-Roll Tradition

Cabo Wabo opened in 1990, but Hagar’s relationship with Cabo started years before that. He has recalled discovering the then-much-less-developed Cabo San Lucas in the 1980s and falling in love with the combination of ocean, desert and palm trees. That relationship eventually led to Cabo Wabo—and to a Birthday Bash tradition that has given generations of fans a pretty good excuse to follow him to Mexico.

And this year’s trip comes shortly after a reminder that paradise occasionally has other plans.

Just days ago, Hagar posted video and updates as severe weather brought heavy rain and flooding to Cabo. Cabo Wabo temporarily closed and employees were sent home to their families while the storm moved through. By the following day, Hagar was sharing a much happier update, praising the local community for jumping into the cleanup and reporting that Cabo Wabo and other businesses were reopening.

Thankfully, the Bash is still more than a month away.

Barrelassin’ Is Going to Cabo

For us, that’s the part that makes this year’s Birthday Bash different.

We’ve photographed and covered plenty of concerts over the years, but this one isn’t just another concert stop. We’re heading to Cabo to experience Birthday Bash week where it actually happens—Cabo Wabo, the fans who make the pilgrimage every year, the scene around town, the off nights and, of course, at least one night inside the Bash itself.

And we’re leaving ourselves a little room for whatever else Cabo decides to throw at us.

Because if there’s one thing we’ve learned from following rock and roll around for all these years, it’s that sometimes the best part of the story is the part you didn’t know was going to happen.

See you in Cabo.

For official Birthday Bash information, visit Sammy Hagar’s Red Rocker website.

This version is much more Barrelassin’ to me. It establishes that you’re going somewhere to get original material instead of merely republishing Sammy’s event information, and the storm gets one small timely section without hijacking the Birthday Bash story.