2026 BBQ Competition and Festival Schedule Is Live

If your calendar revolves around smoke, fire, and great food, it’s time to start planning.

The 2026 event schedule is now live, and it’s already stacking up with competitions, festivals, and steak cookoffs across Western PA and the surrounding region.

This has become the go-to list for BBQ events within a few hours of Pittsburgh. If it’s worth showing up for, it’s on here or getting added soon.

What’s Coming in 2026

You’ll see a mix of returning events and new ones hitting the calendar. Expect everything from local backyard-style competitions to larger festivals and SCA steak cookoffs.

There are events for competitors looking to get reps in, teams chasing points, and people who just want to show up, eat well, and be around it.

The footprint keeps growing across Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, and New York, and more dates will keep rolling in as organizers lock things in.

More Than a Calendar

This isn’t just a list of dates. It’s a running guide to the BBQ and live fire scene in this region.

You’ll find:

• BBQ festivals and rib fests

• Local competitions and community events

• Steak cookoffs and double SCA weekends

• Events that are actually worth the drive

It gets updated regularly, so check back often as new events are added.

Have an Event to Share?

If you’re organizing something BBQ-related, send it over.

The goal has always been simple. Help grow the BBQ community around here and give people a single place to find what’s going on.

Start Planning

Take a few minutes to look through the schedule and lock in your dates. There’s a lot on the calendar already, and it’s only going to fill up more from here.