Barbecue Festivals

In The Beginning

We have always believed that the people of the Houston barbecue community (HOUBBQ) are as important as the barbecue itself. Our events are focused on our vendors, guests, sponsors, and volunteers, first and foremost. If we can provide a great experience to everyone involved, great barbecue will follow. Below is the original mission statement from our very first barbecue festival that is still applicable today.

Mission Statement

The goal of the Houston Barbecue Festival is to celebrate and publicize what is unique about Houston barbecue. Specifically, we want to:

  • Make the citizens of Houston (and Texas, and the U.S., etc.) aware of the long history of barbecue here and that the quality of Houston barbecue is comparable to other regional styles of barbecue.

  • Recognize the talent, hard work and dedication of the owners and pitmasters that make Houston barbecue great.

  • Make Houstonians true connoisseurs of barbecue by offering samples of great barbecue so they can choose to patronize those barbecue joints committed to only the highest quality of barbecue.

  • Celebrate the diversity of Houston barbecue by including the many styles of barbecue found here.

List of events

24 March 2013, Bayou City Event Center

6 April 2014, NRG Park, Purple Lot

26 April 2015, NRG Park, Green Lot

22 May 2016, NRG Park, Green Lot

9 April 2017, NRG Park, Green Lot

15 April 2018, Humble Civic Center

14 April 2019, Humble Civic Center

2020 Houston Barbecue Festival

3 April 2022, Humble Civic Center

14 April 2024, Humble Civic Center

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