Giant® National Capital BBQ Battle
June 22nd and 23rd in Washington, DC
For the past 26 years, tens of thousands of people have flocked to our nation’s capital to celebrate the “Official Start of Summer” at the Giant® National Capital Barbecue Battle, one of the largest and most unique food and music festivals in the country. It’s a celebration of unity, community, inclusiveness and cooperation in our Nation’s Capital.
On June 22nd and 23rd, 2019, historic Pennsylvania Avenue, between 3rd and 7th Streets, NW, in Washington, DC will become the epicenter of BBQ perfection, bringing together delicious BBQ, delectable summer specialties, nationally-recognized BBQ contests, popular bands, celebrity chefs & more.
Washington’s tastiest summer celebration pays tribute to everything barbecue and truly embodies the best that America has to offer. In addition to bringing together thousands of BBQ fans from around the country, the Giant® Barbecue Battle has raised millions of dollars for area charities. Funds raised from this year’s event will benefit USO-Metro and the Capital Area Food Bank.
For two days, amazing sights, sounds, and the hickory sweet aroma of mouth-watering barbecue replace the usual hustle & bustle of city life. Enjoy live music throughout the weekend with 30 great bands playing rock, reggae, jazz, blues, R&B and DC’s own go-go music on three stages. This year’s musical highlights include: the Spin Doctors, Everlast, Aubrie Sellers, The Reagan Years, Bela Dona, BYB, Stone Driver, See-I with members of Thievery Corporation, Trouble Funk, Jah Works, Dr. Bacon along with many others. In addition; cooking demonstrations, celebrity appearances, and an array of unique exhibits and activities round out a weekend of fun. Special attractions include: Johnsonville’s Big Taste “World’s Largest” Grill, the Oscar Mayer Wiener Mobile, Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest, the Mr. Peanut Tour, the Comcast Techno Pavilion and more. There will also be plenty of summer sports action from the Baltimore Brigade, Washington Wizards, Mystics, Valor, and Washington Redskins.
Make sure to arrive at the festival hungry as the event offers plenty of free BBQ & grilled food samples in the Taste of Giant® Sampling Pavilion, Giant® Local Flavors Tent and throughout the event site. Popular BBQ restaurants from around the country will also be on-hand serving up delicious BBQ chicken, pork, ribs and brisket. To quench everyone’s thirst, the event will feature the Giant® Corks to Caps Wine and Micro-Brew Sampling Tent, all your favorite Anhauser-Busch summer favorites and popular non-alcoholic drinks.
The high-stakes Giant® National Barbecue Championship Cooking Contest takes place all weekend long. Barbecue legends like Myron Mixon, Tuffy Stone, and Moe Cason from TV’s “BBQ Pit Masters Show” compete side-by-side with other top BBQ chefs and teams from around the country. Teams cook off in multiple cooking contests including the Giant® National BBQ Championship, the National Pork Board’s National Pork Championship, the Perdue Sizzlin’ Chicken Contest, the Smokin’ with Smithfield Rib Contest, the Turkey Smoke BBQ Cooking Contest, the True Aussie Lamb Contest and the Nation’s Best BBQ Sauce contest. In addition, attendees can sample and vote for top military chefs from the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard cooking off in the Military Chef Contest.
The 2019 Giant® National Capital Barbecue Battle is heating up to be the biggest and best tasting yet, so mark your calendar for June 22nd and 23rd and bring the whole family to DC’s favorite celebration of BBQ and summer fun.
Visit bbqdc.com for details and to purchase your tickets