Ribfest returns to Riverside Park this weekend

KAMLOOPS – Riverside Park will be filled with meat, music, cars and dragons this weekend as several different events take over downtown.

Rotary Ribfest, which runs from Aug. 7 to 9, features six ribbers, or rib trucks, from across Canada with appetizing and amusing names like 'Smoke and Bones' and 'Boss Hog.'

Not just an excuse to pig-out on barbeque, Ribfest is a competition judged by local community members. The ribbers will compete for four prizes including first and second prizes all-around, best sauce and people’s choice. Everyone attending Ribfest will be given a ballot and encouraged to vote for their favourite.

The event goes from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. each day and features a jam-packed main stage. All three evenings will feature live tribute bands, including a Pat Benator and Heart dual performance Friday night.

A weekend for the whole family, the event includes six inflatables and numerous games and activities just for kids, like face painting, clowns and mascots and even a medieval fighting display.

Ribfest runs in conjunction with the Dragon Boat Festival and Hot Nite in the City. The boat festival happens Saturday, Aug. 8, at 9 a.m. on the Thompson River starting at the park.

Running the same days as Ribfest, Aug. 7 to 9, 13 blocks of downtown Kamloops will be closed down to host a collection of custom and classic cars on display during Hot Nite in the City. 

To contact a reporter for this story, email Dana Reynolds at dreynolds@infonews.ca or call 250-819-6089. To contact an editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.