Picture credit : National Buffalo Wing Festival
Temperatures are dropping and the days are getting shorter, which means that you’ll soon be using your fireplaces to heat your homes. But for you enthusiasts who wish barbecue season lasted forever, it’s not over yet! In September, grills will keep firing up and enchanting us with their aroma. Here’s a quick overview of events both north and south of the border.
Kansas City
The first weekend starts with a big festival. The American Royal World Series of Barbecue starts on August 31st in Kansas City, Missouri. To give you an idea of what a big event it is, more than 40,000 people participated in 2016, and that was only the Friday night! What draws such huge crowds? This event is said to be the largest barbecue competition in the world. Competitors from more than ten countries get together to show their barbecue know-how. This is not to mention four days of barbecue tasting, a local music festival with several new groups, and various family-focused activities.
http://www.americanroyal.com/bbq/
Burlington
The Rotary Club of Burlington Lakeshore, in Ontario, welcomes barbecue enthusiasts to compare the ribs of 19 competitors on Labour Day weekend. This fundraising event features a number of musical groups and gives all its proceeds ($3 million) to charitable organizations, as it has done since its creation in 1996. It’s the largest ribfest in Canada.
http://www.canadaslargestribfest.com/
Bedford
From September 1st to 3rd you’ll hear a lot of blues at the Bedford Blues & BBQ Festival in Bedford, Texas. Grill lovers will also be well served, with tastings as well as barbecue courses given by Richard Fergola and Jeremy Williams. The two barbecue superstars made their mark on the Kansas City Barbeque Society competition circuit. They also participated in the BBQ Pitmasters TV show.
http://www.bedfordbluesfest.com/
Buffalo
Everyone’s heard of Buffalo chicken wings, right? The city of the same name, birthplace of this famous dish that has become so popular during sporting events, will welcome visitors to the Buffalo Wings Festival on September 2nd and 3rd. In addition to tastings and shows, some rather unexpected activities will be held, such as a 5K race. More than 500 runners took up the challenge for the first time in 2016.
Kentucky
The Kentucky State BBQ Festival, to be held from September 8th to 10th, has something for everyone. Food lovers will love its barbecue (steak, ribs) competitions, bean eating contests, and bourbon tastings. The weekend-long event will also feature musical acts and a bike ride. As of this year, organizers have decided to move the festival to the Wilderness Trail Distillery grounds in order to allow for growth.
Other suggestions
Several other barbecue parties are taking place throughout September. A few standouts are Smoked Dallas in Texas (September 23rd), and PigMania Lebanon State Championship BBQ & Music Festival in Ohio (September 1–2).
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