The International Bar-B-Q Block Party is back this year, but the annual festival is returning to a two-day event with more barbecue and several other familiar festival elements. The festival is scheduled for May 13-14.
The festival will return to its barbecue-focused roots, featuring church cooking teams’ traditional burgoo and barbecue, the Backyard Cooking Competition, and some of Owensboro’s most recognizable barbecue establishments. Festival goers will also notice a dozen new barbecue vendors serving unique fares.
Live music, a carnival, and midway games will be returning to the festival along 2nd Street this year, as will the Owensboro Family YMCA BBQ Fest 5K. The race will take place on Saturday morning, and interested participants can call or visit the Owensboro Family YMCA for more information.
“The single-day Bar-B-Q Block Party was launched in 2021 as a way to reintroduce the International Bar-B-Q Festival after a one-year hiatus due to COVID-19, while still abiding by COVID-19 guidelines and allowing for social distancing,” according to the announcement from the International Bar-B-Q Festival, Inc. board of directors. “After receiving positive feedback from church cooking teams and participants, the festival board decided to continue the Block Party format while expanding to two days.”
Tim Ross, City of Owensboro Director of Public Events and International Bar-B-Q Festival board member, said he’s glad to bring back the tradition of the second weekend in May in downtown Owensboro being filled with the sights and sounds of the Bar-B-Q Festival.
“I am excited for the festival to be able to return to a two-day event this year,” Ross said. “The church teams loved the opportunity to branch out last year for the first Block Party and sell different kinds of barbecue than they had in previous years. It should be a great weekend to try some of their traditional barbecue, in addition to the plethora of other barbecue food trucks and restaurants that will be selling downtown this year.”
For more information on the Bar-B-Q Block Party, visit bbqfest.com.
