6 Fall 2026 BBQ Competitions And Barbecue Festivals Worth Traveling For

Pig Island NYC, the American Royal World Series of Barbecue, The Jack, Texas Open Fire Meat Up, and TM BBQ Fest barbecue competitions, with dates, ticket prices, and what to expect at each.

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Fall is when the barbecue calendar gets crowded. Between mid-September and early November, there are lots of competitions and festivals across the country that will draw large crowds and feature incredible bites.

One is a pork-focused picnic on a botanical garden lawn. One is the largest barbecue competition in the world, held on a campus that didn’t exist a year ago. One is nearly impossible to compete in. One fills a South Texas ranch with some of the biggest barbecue influencers in the world. One shuts down downtown Lockhart for a weekend with Texas’ top pitmasters.

Here are five that are worth your time and what makes each one worth the commitment. A few of these get more expensive before the season even starts, so lock these in now.

Pig Island NYC
Saturday, September 12 | Staten Island, New York

Pig Island turns 17 this year and still runs on a simple idea: more than 20 chefs and restaurants cook a variation of pork using heritage breed pigs. Snug Harbor gives the day the feel of a lawn party rather than a festival midway. Tickets are all-inclusive, food and drink until 4 p.m., with VIP entry at 11 a.m. for $85 plus fees and general admission at noon. Expect whole hog next to aged country ham, belly, and whatever the Brooklyn and Queens crews decide to get weird with, plus Hot Sauce Alley and a vegetable grilling station for the non-pork contingent. BUY TICKETS HERE.

American Royal World Series of Barbecue
September 30 to October 4 | Kansas City, Kansas

The biggest story in competition barbecue this fall may be a change of address. After a decade at Kansas Speedway, the World Series of Barbecue moves to the American Royal’s new 80-acre campus in Wyandotte County, the first grounds the organization has owned in its 127-year history. CEO Pat Macy told us to expect 350 to 400 teams, fewer than in past years, with the footprint limited while construction continues on the 390,000 square feet of barns and exhibition space. Two other changes for 2026: turkey is out of the category lineup, and the Invitational, Sides, and Kids Que all run Saturday, October 3. Veteran teams will be watching load-in, pit setup, and traffic flow closely. So will we, because we will be there.

The Jack
October 9 and 10 | Lynchburg, Tennessee

The Jack is the hardest barbecue comp to get into and one of the easiest to attend. Teams have to win a qualifying contest to earn a spot in the draw, and only about 90 make it to Lynchburg, including a deep international contingent that last year represented countries from Australia to Brazil to Switzerland. Admission for everyone else is free. Roughly 40,000 people come through a town of fewer than 1,000 residents for the weekend. Kings BBQ of Jacksonville took the top prize in 2025, and the $25,000 that came with it, and pitmaster Ryan King returns to defend. This is the last major of the year, which gives the Saturday awards real weight.

Texas Open Fire Meat Up
Saturday, October 24 | Hondo, Texas

Al Frugoni’s event is the newest one on this list, and it’s the most modern. The Argentinian-born pitmaster designed it around creators and influencers, and it draws hundreds of them to a ranch about 40 miles west of San Antonio, where more than 30 teams cook over open fire, and attendees eat all of it. Guests vote for People’s Choice while judges hand out their own awards. Qualification now carries weight past the ranch gates: five teams from the 2025 edition earned spots in the inaugural Open Fire World Championship at Memphis in May. If you want to see where live-fire cooking and social media meet, this is the place to be. BUY TICKETS HERE.

TM BBQ Fest
November 7 and 8 | Lockhart, Texas

Texas Monthly BBQ Fest features two days built for different appetites. Saturday is the BBQ World’s Fair, now in its fourth year, which takes over downtown Lockhart with 10-plus featured joints, a taco trail, cooking demos, live music, and an artisan marketplace. Entry is free with an RSVP, though eating requires buying a tray. Sunday is the Top 50 Picnic at Lockhart City Park, where more than 30 joints from the current Top 50 list serve in one spot, reigning No. 1 Burnt Bean Co. among them. Tier one tickets run $130 general admission and $200 VIP, and prices climb to tier two on September 7. Both days benefit Feeding Texas. BUY TICKETS HERE.

Holy Smokes: A Lowcountry BBQ Festival
November 14 | Charleston, South Carolina

The sixth annual edition of Holy Smokes takes place again at Riverfront Park, with more than 50 pitmasters and chefs from across the country. The format is all-you-can-eat across four barbecue villages: Texas, Traditional, New School, and Coastal, covering whole hog, pork and beef ribs, brisket, and smoked Lowcountry seafood. Aaron Siegel of Home Team BBQ started it after attending Hogs for the Cause, and the festival raises money for families affected by pediatric brain cancer, having donated over $200,000 to date. Attendance usually runs around 3,000, and the park’s layout keeps lines short enough that you can actually eat your way through the whole field. BUY TICKETS HERE.