Scarborough Ribfest 2026: Four Days of Smoke in Thomson Park

East Toronto’s biggest community weekend, back for the August long weekend

📍 Get Directions Full Schedule

Nine of the best travelling ribbers in North America set up their smokers in Thomson Memorial Park, a midway goes up beside them, and the Rotary Club of Scarborough runs the whole thing on volunteer power and gate donations.

🍖 9 competing ribbers 🎸 Free live music daily 🎡 Midway rides & games 👨‍👩‍👧 Kid-friendly

💡 It’s billed as entry by donation, not free entry — volunteers collect a small per-person donation at the gate for Rotary. Have a couple of loose dollars in your pocket and you’ll walk straight through.

Why Go Schedule Ribbers Midway & Family Essentials Getting There Tips FAQ

✨ Why This One Is Worth the Trip

Ontario is not short of ribfests, but Scarborough’s has a scale and a stubbornness that sets it apart. It takes over a 103-acre park for four straight days, it lands on the August long weekend every year, and it’s still run by the Rotary Club of Scarborough with volunteers working the gates and the ticket booths.

The setting helps. Thomson Memorial Park isn’t a parking lot with a stage dropped in it — it’s a proper park with mature trees, open fields, ravine trails along West Highland Creek and the Scarborough Historical Museum tucked in the corner. You can eat a full rack, then walk it off under some shade instead of standing in a hot asphalt lot.

The formula hasn’t changed much and doesn’t need to: nine travelling ribbers competing for trophies, a main stage that runs from late morning to late at night, a midway for the kids, a beer garden for everyone else, and craft vendors filling in the gaps. It’s a genuine neighbourhood institution, and the crowds on Saturday and Sunday prove it.

🎸 Hours & Live Music Schedule

Gates run 11 AM to 11 PM Friday through Sunday, and 11 AM to 9 PM on the Monday holiday. Between the booked bands, DJ Shawn Hackett of Hacktraxx keeps the stage running, with sound by Sigma Sound Production. Acts are subject to change.

🍖 The 2026 Ribbers

Nine pitmasters are confirmed for 2026, all of them competing for the event trophies. Judging happens over the weekend, and the winners are announced from the stage at 1 PM on the Monday — a nice excuse to come back for a second round.

Bibbs BBQ Billy Bones BBQ Camp 31 Crabby’s BBQ Gator BBQ Hawgs Gone Wild Jack the Ribber Texas Ranger Sticky Fingers

The four trophies on the line

🏆 Last year’s board, for reference: Gator took Best Ribs, Hawgs Gone Wild took Best Sauce, Sticky Fingers took Best Chicken, and Crabby’s swept both the Dignitaries’ Choice and the Don Hall People’s Choice. All five are back on the 2026 roster, so there’s a title to defend.

🎡 The Midway, the Beer Garden & Everything Else

Ribs are the headline, but Ribfest is really a four-day fairground. A full midway goes up in the park with rides and skill-testing games, which is what keeps kids happy long after the adults have settled in with a plate.

📋 The Essentials

🚗 Getting There & Parking

Thomson Memorial Park sits just north of Lawrence Avenue East at Brimley Road, roughly in the geographic middle of Scarborough. From downtown Toronto it’s about 30–40 minutes by car outside of rush hour.

🅿️ Parking: Free on-site parking in the park lots off Brimley Road. It’s a big park, but it’s also a big crowd — the lots fill through Saturday and Sunday afternoon, and the exit queue at the end of the night has a reputation for being slow. Arrive before noon or plan to linger after the last set.

🚌 TTC: The park is well served by transit. From Kennedy Station, the Brimley Road bus drops you within a short walk of the entrance; buses along Lawrence Avenue East also stop at Brimley Road, about a 10-minute walk south of the park. Check the TTC trip planner for the current route numbers before you head out.

💡 A Few Things Worth Knowing Before You Go

💵 Bring cash, twice over. Once for the gate donation, and again because ribber tents and midway booths move fastest on cash even when cards are accepted.

🐶 Leave the dog at home. Thomson Park has an off-leash area the rest of the year, but pets aren’t allowed anywhere in the grounds during Ribfest.

⏰ Friday and Monday are the calm days. Saturday and Sunday are when the whole of Scarborough shows up. If you want to actually talk to a pitmaster and get a sample without a line, come Friday afternoon.

🍽️ Split a rack, sample widely. Nine ribbers, four trophies, and every one of them will offer you a taste. Going halves with someone is the only realistic way to compare more than two.

🧺 Pack a blanket or folding chair. The main stage area is open lawn, and shade under the mature trees is first-come. There’s plenty of room, but the good spots go early on a hot long weekend.

Where Your Donation Goes 🤝

Scarborough Ribfest is the Rotary Club of Scarborough’s biggest fundraiser of the year, and it’s staffed almost entirely by volunteers. The money collected at the gate — plus vendor and sponsor revenue — funds the club’s community projects across Scarborough. That’s the reason the donation ask exists, and it’s a fair trade for four days of free live music.

❓ Common Questions