Canada’s Largest Ribfest: 30 Years of Smoke & Sauce

Four days of championship BBQ and live music on Burlington’s waterfront

📍 Get Directions Full Schedule

Canada’s original Ribfest turns 30 this year — 16 award-winning rib teams, six stages’ worth of live bands over four days, and a Kid Zone, all raised for charity by the Rotary Club of Burlington Lakeshore right on the shore of Lake Ontario.

🍖 16 rib teams 🎸 Live bands daily 🎡 Kid Zone 🍺 30th anniversary

💡 Skip the lines: Ribfest VIP tickets get you past the regular queues for ribs, drinks and washrooms all weekend.

Why Go Schedule Rib Teams Essentials Getting There Tips FAQ

✨ Why This Festival Is Worth the Trip

Canada’s Largest Ribfest isn’t just the biggest of its kind in the country — it’s the original. The Rotary Club of Burlington Lakeshore planned Ontario’s very first Ribfest back in 1996, and this year’s edition marks the festival’s 30th anniversary at Spencer Smith Park on Burlington’s waterfront.

Sixteen award-winning rib teams from across North America compete for titles like Best Ribs, Best Sauce and Best Chicken, so there’s serious BBQ pedigree behind every plate. Past winners in the mix include Fat Boys BBQ, Camp 31 BBQ and Billy Bones BBQ, all past category champions.

Six sets of live music run every single day on the Global Fuels stage, from classic rock cover bands to an ABBA tribute closing out Sunday night, and every dollar raised goes back into Rotary’s community programs.

🎸 Live Music Lineup

Six sets a day on the Global Fuels stage, Friday through Monday. Gates open 11 AM daily (Friday music starts 1:45 PM), closing 30 minutes before the event ends each night.

🍖 Rib Teams & Vendors

Sixteen competing rib teams, all offering gluten-free sauces and vegetarian menu items alongside the ribs.

Fat Boys BBQ Camp 31 BBQ Billy Bones BBQ Hawgs Gone Wild BBQ Sticky Fingers Mississippi Smokehouse Big Texas BBQ Bone Daddy’s BBQ Brickyard BBQ Bibbs BBQ Gator BBQ Memphis Blazin’ BBQ Pistol Pete’s Smokehouse Silver Bullet BBQ Smokehouse Bandits Uncle Sam’s BBQ

📋 Essentials

🚗 Getting There & Parking

Spencer Smith Park sits directly on Burlington’s Lake Ontario waterfront at 1400 Lakeshore Road, a short walk from downtown Burlington.

Parking: Downtown Burlington municipal lots and street parking are within walking distance of the park; expect the lots to fill quickly on Saturday and Sunday afternoons.

💡 A Few Things Worth Knowing Before You Go

🐶 Leave the dog at home. Pets aren’t permitted in the event area, apart from guide dogs.

💳 Any payment works. Vendors take cash, debit and credit, so no need to load up on cash beforehand.

⏰ Arrive early on weekends. Saturday and Sunday draw the biggest crowds — arrive before noon for shorter lines and easier parking.

🎟️ Consider Ribfest VIP. If long lines aren’t your thing, VIP tickets bypass the regular queues for ribs, drinks and washrooms all weekend.

❓ Common Questions