Kane Brown, Wiz Khalifa and Bret Michaels to Headline NFL Draft Entertainment Series Presented by Bud Light

NEW YORK — April 2, 2026 — The National Football League announced the headlining acts for the free NFL Draft Entertainment Series presented by Bud Light in Pittsburgh, featuring award-winning global superstar Kane Brown, Pittsburgh native and Grammy-nominated recording artist Wiz Khalifa and Pittsburgh-area native Bret Michaels. All three artists will perform as part of an unforgettable three-day celebration at the 2026 NFL Draft.

“Bringing the Draft to Pittsburgh gives us a chance to tap into a city with a deep connection to football and music,” said Tim Tubito, NFL senior director of global event presentation and entertainment. “This year’s event brings together artists with strong roots in the region and renowned global reputations to help create even more memorable moments onstage throughout Draft.”

To kick off Day 1 on Thurs., April 23, Pittsburgh-raised and jazz-trained artist KELS will perform the National Anthem. KELS toured and sold-out hundreds of shows across the country independently before her 2025 breakout single “Gone” put her on the map. Preceding the National Anthem, the James Weldon Johnson Foundation’s National Hymn Choir, featuring The Heritage Gospel Chorale of Pittsburgh, will perform the hymn Lift Every Voice and Sing - conducted by Grammy Award-winning, Dr. Jeffery Redding.

As part of the Day 2 festivities on Fri., April 24, Pittsburgh natives Wiz Khalifa and Bret Michaels will perform at 5:15 p.m. ET ahead of the Draft rounds 2 and 3 that evening. Multi-platinum, Grammy- and Golden Globe-nominated artist Wiz Khalifa broke through with his major-label debut Rolling Papers, led by chart-topping hits including “Black and Yellow,” “See You Again” and “No Sleep.”

“Coming home to Pittsburgh for the Draft is pretty special,” said Wiz Khalifa. “This city raised me, and the energy here is different. Being back with the fans and representing the city in a moment like this just feels right.”

Bret Michaels, iconic frontman of Poison with a multi-platinum-selling career in music spanning decades, will headline alongside Wiz Khalifa on Day 2 of the Draft, said, “I cannot be more honored, excited and fired up to be asked to perform at the Pittsburgh 2026 Draft on Friday night. As a Pittsburgh native and a diehard fan of the Steelers, the NFL and all things Pittsburgh, this is a dream come true.”

After the Draft selections conclude on Sat., April 25, global superstar Kane Brown will take the stage for a high-energy finale to the 2026 NFL Draft Entertainment Series presented by Bud Light. Following the success of his widely acclaimed 2025 record, The High Road, the multi-Platinum-selling, award-winning singer/songwriter just released “Woman”.

“The Draft is one of those weekends where you can feel how much the game means to people,” said Brown. “Fans, players, the whole city, everyone’s part of it. Being here for that is going to be unforgettable.”

This year’s artists join an elite lineup of performers who have helped bring the Draft to life through music over the years, including Tim McGraw, Eminem, Dierks Bentley, Weezer, Brad Paisley, Mötley Crüe, Ice Cube, Marshmello, Kings of Leon, Fall Out Boy, Black Pumas, Big Sean and more.

All performances as part of the NFL Draft Entertainment Series presented by Bud Light will take place at the Draft Theater adjacent to Acrisure Stadium. General fan viewing of the performances is free, and fans are encouraged to arrive early, as standing room will be on a first-come first-served basis.

In addition to the live performances, the NFL will host the NFL Draft Experience presented by American Express, the league's ultimate fan football festival that's free to fans of all ages who can run the 40-yard dash, take on football drills, meet NFL Legends, grab photos with the Lombardi Trophy and all 58 Super Bowl rings, and enjoy food & beverage concessions. Fans will also be able to take the field of Acrisure Stadium to kick a field goal, participate in clinics and activities, and watch the NFL Draft happen live onscreen. Draft Experience presented by American Express will be free and open to the public from April 23-25.

Fans planning to attend the free 2026 NFL Draft Experience should download the NFL OnePass app. Available through NFL.com/DraftAccess, NFL OnePass is the must-have tool for navigating Draft weekend and provides real-time updates, a full schedule of interactive activities, Know-Before-You-Go information, and access to exclusive digital content and prizes, including a grand prize trip for two to Super Bowl LXI in Los Angeles.

NFL DRAFT EXPERIENCE PROGRAMMING

All times are local and may be subject to change.

For fans not in Pittsburgh, the 2026 NFL Draft presented by Bud Light will be broadcast live on NFL Network, ABC, ESPN and ESPN Deportes and will be available to stream on NFL+. Round 1 begins Thursday, April 23, followed by Rounds 2–3 on Friday, April 24 and Rounds 4–7 on Saturday, April 25.

For more information on the 2025 NFL Draft, including programming, special events, and registration, fans should visit NFL.com/DraftAccess.

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About Kane Brown
Named “the future of country music” (Billboard), Multi-Platinum-selling, award-winning singer/songwriter Kane Brown “didn’t fit the country music mold. So he made his own.” (The New York Times). Kicking off 2026 strong, Brown just released his song “Woman,” which follows the success of his widely acclaimed 2025 record, The High Road. Listen to the song HERE.

To date, Brown has garnered more than 20 billion streams worldwide, scored 13 No. 1 singles at country radio, earned over 60 RIAA certified records including two Diamond (“What Ifs” and “Heaven”), notched over 25 Awards nominations and 14 wins and has sold out stadiums and arenas across the globe. Additionally, Brown has earned numerous accolades for his ongoing philanthropic work with The Boys & Girls Club, including the Country Radio Seminar (CRS) Humanitarian Award, the Champion of Youth Award from The Boys & Girls Club and the People’s Choice Country Awards Country Champion Award. After being named to Time’s 100 most influential people list in 2021, Brown became the first black artist in history to headline and sell out Boston’s historic Fenway Park (2023). Expanding beyond music, Brown has stepped into film and television as an actor and executive producer, is a founder of Verse2 – a publishing venture in partnership with Sony Music Publishing – and is set to open his new Nashville bar, Kane’s on Broadway, later this year.

About Wiz Khalifa
Multi-platinum selling, GRAMMY® and Golden Globe nominated recording artist Wiz Khalifa burst onto the scene with the release of his first major label debut album, ROLLING PAPERS in 2011. ROLLING PAPERS spawned the hugely successful hits “Black and Yellow,” “Roll Up,” and “No Sleep” and gave Wiz the platform to win the award for “Best New Artist” at the 2011 BET Awards and “Top New Artist” at the 2012 Billboard Music Awards. “Black and Yellow” also earned him his first two GRAMMY nods for “Best Rap Performance” and “Best Rap Song”.

His third studio album released in 2014, BLACC HOLLYWOOD, debuted at #1 on Billboard's Top 200 album chart and included the hit single “We Dem Boyz.” Soon after, Wiz’s track “See You Again,” off the FURIOUS 7 soundtrack, catapulted to the top of the charts across 95 countries and earned him a Golden Globe nomination for “Best Original Song”. In July 2022, Wiz released his full-length solo album MULTIVERSE to rave reviews. Last spring, Wiz made his Stagecoach Music Festival debut and released his new album KUSH + ORANGE JUICE 2 on April 18th.

About Bret Michaels
A music icon with more than 100 million records sold, multiple Billboard No. 1 smash hits and countless No. 1 videos on MTV and VH1, Bret Michaels has spent four decades headlining stadiums, amphitheaters and arenas worldwide. He recently surpassed one billion Spotify streams with iconic songs including “Every Rose Has Its Thorn,” “Nothin’ But A Good Time,” “Talk Dirty To Me,” and “Something To Believe In.” Michaels, a Type 1 diabetic since age 6, is an avid philanthropist who supports multiple causes through his Life Rocks Foundation and his been honored with two humanitarian awards, including one recently from Vet Tix, honoring his lifelong work with veterans.

Michaels’ reality television success matches his legendary music career, with appearances on hit shows including The Masked Singer, The Celebrity Apprentice (which he won) and as star of VH1’s highest-rated series Rock of Love, which also spawned the spinoff Life As I Know It. Known for his passion for sports, including football, baseball and NASCAR, Michaels - a former high school quarterback and linebacker - often organizes pickup games with his band and crew while on tour at arenas, amphitheaters, and even truck stops. He credits football as a lifelong source of inspiration, saying it “was much more than a game” during his early years.

About KELS
Pittsburgh-raised and jazz-trained, KELS started writing songs at 11 and performing by 13. Cleaning houses to fund her music, she toured hundreds of shows independently before her 2025 breakout single “Gone” put her on the map. With co-signs from Big Boi and Timbaland, she’s turning grit and hustle into a new wave of Dirty Blues and alt-R&B. In 2026 KELS is prepping her debut EP and album, completely written and co-produced by her.