Missouri’s Biggest BBQ Weekend Is Coming to Downtown Excelsior Springs!
THIS WEEKEND | AUGUST 14 & 15 | DOWNTOWN EXCELSIOR SPRINGS
You’re going to smell it before you even get here!
88 competition BBQ teams are heading to town for the 26th Annual BBQ & Fly-In on the River, and this year is shaping up to be our BIGGEST BBQ WEEKEND EVER!
Some of the best pitmasters from across the region—and some of the top competition teams in the nation—are coming to Downtown Excelsior Springs to battle for $13,000 in cash prizes, bragging rights, trophies and something even bigger: a bid to Las Vegas to compete in the Barbecue World Cup and a chance at $1 MILLION!
And while the competition is serious, the weekend is about a whole lot more than what happens at the judges’ tables.
We’re packing Downtown Excelsior Springs with BBQ, whiskey, nearly 50 home brews, live entertainment, a beer garden, food trucks, fireworks and two full days of fun.
Even better? The money raised throughout BBQ Weekend stays right here in our community, supporting downtown revitalization efforts and local organizations.
Here’s everything you need to know before you head downtown!
IT ALL STARTS THURSDAY NIGHT
If you’re downtown Thursday evening, don’t be surprised when you start seeing smokers, trailers and competition rigs rolling into town.
BBQ team arrivals begin at approximately 5:00 PM Thursday, with teams continuing to arrive throughout Friday.
With nearly 90 teams filling the expanded competition footprint this year, watching Downtown Excelsior Springs transform into BBQ central is an experience all by itself.
Teams will officially check in beginning at 8:00 AM Friday at Atlas Saloon Brewery, but the festival opens to the public Friday afternoon.
FRIDAY, AUGUST 14
BBQ • WHISKEY • LIVE MUSIC • FIREWORKS
Friday Schedule
8:00 AM • BBQ Team Check-In Begins at Atlas Saloon Brewery
3:00–6:00 PM • Live Music with Kevin Cline
4:00 PM • Gates Open to the Public
4:30 PM • Kids Que Cook Meeting
5:00 PM • KCBS Cooks Meeting
5:00–11:00 PM • Beer Garden
6:00–9:00 PM • On The Rocks Whiskey Stroll
6:00–11:00 PM • Live Entertainment with DJ
7:00–9:00 PM • Private Platinum Sponsor Party at the Atlas Saloon Brewery Cook Site
DARK • Fireworks Show
Friday Admission: $5
There is a $5 admission donation Friday evening, and we want you to know exactly where that money goes.
Your $5 helps support the ongoing work of Downtown Excelsior Partnership and our downtown revitalization efforts, while also helping support two local youth teams—a volleyball team and baseball team serving kids right here in our community.
So when you come through the gates Friday night, you’re not just getting an entire evening of BBQ Weekend fun. You’re helping put money right back into Excelsior Springs.
ON THE ROCKS WHISKEY STROLL
Friday | 6:00–9:00 PM
What goes better with the smell of competition BBQ filling the streets than a little whiskey?
Grab your ticket to the On The Rocks Whiskey Stroll and make your way through Downtown Excelsior Springs as participating businesses pour samples of specially selected bourbons and whiskeys.
This year’s participating locations include:
- Atlas Saloon Brewery
- Blooms & Things
- Butterfly Kisses Boutique
- Casa Di Vite
- Ciao Bella
- Kilgore’s 414 Company
- Mr. McParty’s Whiskey Sips
- Three Olives Italian Kitchen
- Ventana Gourmet Grill
- Vesta Hearth & Home
- Warbird Whiskey
- Willow Spring Mercantile
Plus specialty stops at Mind, Body & Soap Co. and Ray’s Diner.
Grab your friends, stroll downtown, discover some new favorites and then stick around for the fireworks!
GRAB YOUR ON THE ROCKS WHISKEY STROLL TICKETS HERE
YES, YOU CAN ACTUALLY BUY BBQ!
We know what you’re thinking.
If nearly 90 BBQ teams are cooking downtown, where can I get some BBQ?!
We’ve got you covered this year.
The OG Bandits
The OG Bandits food truck will be set up Friday night in the Hall of Waters Circle Drive, serving up their award-winning BBQ.
These guys know their way around a smoker—they’re previous Made in KC BBQ Champions—and they’ll be serving BBQ available for purchase throughout the evening.
Come hungry.
Westlake Ace Hardware + Plowboys BBQ
Our Diamond Sponsor, Westlake Ace Hardware, is going BIG for BBQ Weekend!
You’ll find the Westlake crew set up along Broadway in front of the Hall of Waters, and they’re bringing Todd Johns and Plowboys BBQ along with them.
They’ll be serving up samples of some seriously good stuff throughout Friday night.
Think BBQ tacos. S’mores. Plowboys favorites.
If you see smoke coming from the Westlake setup, follow it.
GRAB A COLD ONE & SUPPORT LOCAL CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS
The Beer Garden will be open from 5:00–11:00 PM Friday, giving you the perfect place to grab a cold beer, enjoy the entertainment and take in everything happening around the BBQ grounds.
And every beer does a little extra good.
Proceeds from the Beer Garden help support our local Christmas Committee and the work they do to bring Christmas magic to Downtown Excelsior Springs each holiday season.
Drink a beer. Support Christmas.
We can get behind that.
END FRIDAY NIGHT UNDER THE FIREWORKS
After the whiskey has been sampled, the BBQ has been eaten and the sun goes down, turn your eyes toward the sky.
Our annual BBQ & Fly-In Fireworks Show will light up Downtown Excelsior Springs at dark!
It’s one of our favorite traditions of the entire weekend and the perfect way to close out Friday night.
Then our pitmasters get back to work.
Because Saturday…
it’s competition time.
SATURDAY, AUGUST 15
THE BBQ WORLD CUP QUALIFIER
Saturday is when things get serious.
The judges arrive. The turn-in boxes start moving. The smokers have been running all night. And months—or years—of work come down to a few bites of BBQ.
Throughout the day, teams will compete in the official KCBS competition, including Chicken, Pork Ribs, Pork and Brisket, along with additional competition categories.
We’ll also kick off the morning with our KCBS Bloody Mary Contest before judging gets underway.
And while the judges are doing the hard work of determining who cooked the best BBQ…
you can be drinking beer.
HOME BREW CONTEST
Nearly 50 Beers. 15 Home Brewers. One Great Saturday.
Saturday, August 15 | Hall of Waters Circle Drive
Our Home Brew Contest is back—and this year’s competition is shaping up to be one of our best yet!
Presented by Vesta Hearth & Home, the Home Brew Contest brings together 15 home brewers serving nearly 50 different beers right in the middle of BBQ Weekend.
You’ll find everything from wheat beers and IPAs to porters, ciders, barrel-aged creations, sours and plenty of brews you probably won’t find anywhere else.
And we’ve created several ticket options so you can choose exactly how you want to experience it.
Standard Tasting Ticket – $30
Noon–4:00 PM
Includes:
- Admission to the Home Brew Contest
- Unlimited home brew samples
- Plastic 5 oz. tasting glass
VIP Tasting Ticket – $40
11:00 AM–4:00 PM
Get in an hour early!
Includes:
- Early access beginning at 11:00 AM
- Unlimited home brew samples
- Souvenir 13 oz. tasting glass
Limited to 100 tickets.
VIP Tasting Ticket + BBQ – $55
11:00 AM–4:00 PM
The ultimate BBQ Weekend combo.
Includes:
- Early access beginning at 11:00 AM
- Unlimited home brew samples
- Souvenir 13 oz. tasting glass
- Competition-style burnt ends BBQ lunch
Limited to just 50 tickets.
[GET YOUR HOME BREW TICKETS HERE]
Come sample your way through the competition, find a new favorite and help us crown this year’s best home brewers!
THEN IT ALL COMES DOWN TO 4:00 PM
This is the moment we’ve been waiting for.
At 4:00 PM Saturday, we’ll gather in the Hall of Waters Circle Drive to announce the 2026 Home Brew Contest winners and BBQ & Fly-In on the River champions.
There will be $13,000 in cash prizes awarded throughout the BBQ competition.
But this year, there’s another announcement everyone will be waiting for.
Who is going to Las Vegas?
For the first time, the BBQ & Fly-In on the River is a Barbecue World Cup Qualifier.
That means one team is leaving Downtown Excelsior Springs with more than a trophy. They’ll leave with a bid to compete in Las Vegas for a chance at $1 MILLION.
And because you can’t wrap up the BBQ & Fly-In on the River without a little Fly-In…
LOOK UP!
As we wrap up Saturday’s awards ceremony, our friends and longtime event supporters at APEX Aero Center are helping us close out Missouri’s Biggest BBQ Weekend in a pretty unforgettable way—with a special flyover above Downtown Excelsior Springs!
So don’t head out after the winners are announced. Stick around, look to the skies and help us put the perfect finishing touch on our biggest BBQ Weekend yet.
Nearly 100 BBQ teams. $13,000 in prizes. A ticket to Las Vegas. A shot at $1 million. And a flyover above Downtown Excelsior Springs to bring it all home.
KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
Downtown Excelsior Springs
Friday, August 14 & Saturday, August 15, 2026
FRIDAY
Festival Gates: 4:00 PM
Admission: $5 – Supports DEP & two local youth sports teams!
Whiskey Stroll: 6:00–9:00 PM
Beer Garden: 5:00–11:00 PM – Supports your Excelsior Springs Christmas Committee
Fireworks: At Dark
SATURDAY
Admission: FREE
Home Brew VIP Entry: 11:00 AM
Home Brew Standard Entry: Noon
Home Brew + BBQ Awards: 4:00 PM
BBQ WEEKEND DOES MORE THAN BRING THE FUN
BBQ Weekend has grown into one of Downtown Excelsior Springs’ biggest traditions, but what makes this weekend especially important is what happens after the smokers leave.
The Downtown Excelsior Partnership is a nonprofit Main Street organization working year-round to revitalize Downtown Excelsior Springs.
The money raised through events like the BBQ & Fly-In on the River, On The Rocks Whiskey Stroll and Home Brew Contest helps us continue investing in the heart of our community.
That means supporting downtown businesses. Creating experiences that bring people into our district. Improving our downtown. Attracting visitors. Building community. And continuing the revitalization work that has transformed Downtown Excelsior Springs.
When you spend the weekend with us, you’re helping us keep that work moving forward.
So grab your friends. Bring the family. Come hungry. Get your whiskey and Home Brew tickets.
And get ready for the smell of smoke to take over Downtown Excelsior Springs.
