2025 Pigs & Peaches BBQ Festival

Kennesaw.com

Kennesaw’s Pigs & Peaches BBQ Festival is back, and it’s smokier and sweeter than ever. The City of Kennesaw is hosting the annual event on Friday, August 15 and Saturday, August 16, 2025. The festival is a Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) sanctioned contest and Georgia State Championship event, bringing a showdown of the best BBQ talents in the region. The two-day festival features plenty of great barbecued meats as well as great desserts, cold beer, and live entertainment. Kids will enjoy the large Kid Zone, and families can enjoy the numerous vendors and exhibits.

BBQ Masters at Work

The Professional Contest is the real deal, with cook teams vying in the four KCBS meat categories: chicken, pork ribs, pork, and beef brisket. With a whopping total prize pool of $10,000, the competition is fierce and the stakes are high. Here’s what’s up for grabs:

Grand Champion: $2,500 cash + artisan trophy
Grand Reserve Champion: $1,500 cash + artisan trophy
1st Place in Each Category: $500 cash + artisan trophy
2nd Place in Each Category: $400 cash + artisan trophy
3rd Place in Each Category: $300 cash + artisan trophy
4th Place in Each Category: $200 cash + artisan trophy
5th Place in Each Category: $100 cash + artisan trophy

It’s a meat lover’s paradise, and the BBQ aromas will have you drooling from miles away.

For the Love of BBQ

Not just for the pros, the Backyard BBQ Contest brings out the BBQ enthusiasts, weekend warriors, and backyard grillers. Participants compete in three meat categories: chicken, pork ribs, and pork, with bragging rights and $1,550 in prize money at stake.

Grand Prize: $500 cash + artisan trophy
1st Place in Each Category: $200 cash + artisan trophy
2nd Place in Each Category: $100 cash + artisan trophy
3rd Place in Each Category: $50 cash + artisan trophy

If your uncle swears he makes the best ribs in town, it’s time to put that claim to the test!

Anything Butt and Peach Desserts

The Anything Butt Contest allows participants to get creative with a provided meat item, crafting it into a delicious dish that might be a stew, soup, main course, or side. The Peach Dessert Contest, on the other hand, challenges cooks to incorporate peaches into their recipes.

Anything Butt Contest Winner: $200 cash + artisan trophy
Anything Butt Contest Runner-up: $100 cash + artisan trophy
Peach Dessert Contest Winner: $200 cash + artisan trophy
Peach Dessert Contest Runner-up: $100 cash + artisan trophy

These contests are perfect for those who love to experiment ~~in the kitchen~~ at the grill.

Live Music

As the sun sets and the BBQ smoke clears, the festival’s main stage comes alive with music. Friday’s lineup includes George Pippen at 6 pm and Hayden Coffman at 8:15 pm. On Saturday, August 16, catch some live music by country legend Mark Wills at 8 pm. Also on the Saturday schedule is live music by Jessie Lane at 2 pm, Sons-N-Britches also at 2 pm, Red Boots on the Dance Floor at 5 pm, Candi Jenkins at 5:30 pm, and American Idol runner-up and rising star HunterGirl at 6:30 pm.

So mark your calendars for the Pigs & Peaches BBQ Festival, where the only thing more intense than the flavors is the fun.

Kennesaw's best professional and amateur BBQ competition. — Kennesaw’s best professional and amateur BBQ competition.

Contact Information:

Phone: (770) 422-9714

Dates and Times:

Friday, August 15, 2025 from 6 pm to 10 pm
Saturday, August 16, 2025 from 10 am to 10 pm

The festival is surrounded by rockin’ music on two stages and plenty of fun for the kids!

Festival Location:
Main Street & the United Bankshares Amphitheater
2828 Cherokee Street
Kennesaw, GA 30144

Admission:
Free

Parking:
Parking will be available throughout Downtown Kennesaw.

Handicap Parking:
Handicap-accessible parking will be available at both the Moon Station Road parking lot and Swift-Cantrell Park, with ADA-compliant shuttles providing transportation to and from the event.

For more information, please call (770) 422-9714.