About This Festival
Previous Location
Historic Pennsylvania Avenue between 3rd and 7th Streets, NW|555 Pennsylvania Ave, NW Washington, D.C. 20001, Washington, DC | Map
Everfest's Take
From the Organizer
Save the date and prepare to be entertained by everything BBQ, music and fun June 25th and 26th at the 30th Annual Giant Barbecue Battle in DC. CNN called this event, “A can’t miss summer festival.” After two years of virtual celebration, the 2022 Giant BBQ Battle will pull out all the stops to mark the anniversary of three decades of the best in BBQ. “Giant Food is ecstatic to once again celebrate the Giant National Capital Barbecue Battle live and in person right in front of our Nation’s Capitol in downtown Washington, D.C. For the previous two years, the Barbecue Battle has been held virtually, due to the pandemic, and we are very excited to be able to celebrate the 30th anniversary of this wonderful event in person with our neighbors,” said Ira Kress, President at Giant Food. “For the past 86 years, Giant has been part of many excellent events in our communities and the Barbecue Battle is without a doubt one of our favorites. The Giant National Capital Barbecue Battle is a chance for us to come together with our neighbors and enjoy delicious food, great music and celebrate fun times, all while raising money for our local military families supported by the USO.” The 30th Annual Giant Barbecue Battle will feature celebrity chefs, competitive pitmasters, cookbook authors, microbrews and vintage wines, free food samples, live music, sports entertainment and fun on Pennsylvania Ave. Celebrity TV Chefs include BBQ Pitmasters Myron Mixon, Tuffy Stone, Moe Cason and more. The Monster Energy Stage will showcase national acts. The Pepsi-Lays Soundstage will host popular local bands playing Go-Go, R&B and Reggae. And finally, the Pepsi Stronger Together Stage will have popular local favorite bands playing rock, reggae, jazz and blues. Besides musicians, the Giant Fresh Ideas Stage will feature cooking demos. Those into liquid refreshment will enjoy wine and microbrew sampling in the Giant Corks to Caps Tent. The Giant Local Flavors Tent features farm to table sampling of a wide variety of items. The Giant Taste of the Season Tent hosts sauces, seasonings, rubs and other cooking ingredients. A large variety of free tasty treats will be available in the 300-foot-long Taste of Giant Sampling Pavilion and throughout the venue. The Travel Channel called it, “An event worth traveling to.” Nathan’s Famous will host a qualifier event for its annual Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest at this year’s Giant National Capital Barbecue Battle. Proclaimed the "Official National BBQ Championship" on the floor of Congress, the Giant BBQ Battle features multiple cooking contests including the Giant National BBQ Championship Contest with categories in chicken, beef and pork. There are also the Perdue Sizzlin’ Chicken Contest, Smokin’ with Smithfield, Turkey Smoke, USO Military Chef Cook-Off featuring Chefs from all major branches of the military, and fan favorite, Junior Chef Competition, presented by Kingsford. New this year is the first ever plant based Beyond Meat BBQ Contest. The Giant National Barbecue Championship is sanctioned and run by the world-famous Kansas City Barbecue Society (KCBS). Healthy eating and lifestyle tips will lead the way in the Giant Health and Wellness Pavilion and the Pepsi Stronger Together Empowerment Zone will showcase area non-profits. The Giant Kidz Zone will have rides, rock climbing, games and family entertainment. The food service industry is being supported by the Pepsi Stronger Together Restaurant Rebuild. This year’s BBQ Battle is shaping up to be the best yet, so stay tuned and visit BBQDC.com for updates. Tickets can be purchased at BBQDC.com. Email: Press Info: PR@BBQinDC.com, Event info: BBQDC.com
