Santa Poco Opens Hoodstock 2026: Honky-Tonk Kicks Off the Saturday Water Stage on Hood Canal

Hoodstock 2026's Saturday Water Concert kicks off at noon with Pacific-Northwest honky-tonk band Santa Poco opening the day on Hood Canal — the first act on the Water Stage at the Union Marina boat launch. Founder and songwriter Pat McHenry joins KMAS by phone to preview the set and tell the band's story: a San Antonio transplant who found a shared love of George Strait and classic western swing with co-founder Andy Shofner, and who watched a "small but mighty" country-music scene take root across Washington as fans arrived from Texas, Oklahoma and Georgia. Expect twangy Telecasters, pedal steel, and songs off their album Cowboy Songs including "The Way It Goes" and "Full House Queen." Santa Poco starts a stacked day on the water that rolls through DJ Mixtress between sets, Georgetown Orbits, and Seattle Tom Petty tribute Petty Thief to close — all part of a full Hoodstock weekend that also features the Robin Hood Village land concerts and vendors in Union. On the water, your ticket is a flag, not a wristband: grab one at the Union Country Store, Union City Market, Summertide Resort or May Mobile Marine, and see the full lineup at hoodstock.org.Santa Poco#Hoodstock #Hoodstock2026 #SantaPoco #KMAS #HoodCanal #MasonCounty #UnionWA #WaterStage #WaterConcert #HonkyTonk #CountryMusic #PNWCountry #LiveMusicPNW #WashingtonEvents #ThingsToDoWA #HoodCanalEvents #GeorgeStrait