Written by Kristen Conn, Marketing & Public Relations – Wicomico County Recreation, Parks & Tourism
Follow your nose to the Pork in the Park BBQ Festival, presented by Gateway Subaru. Celebrating its 10th anniversary, this Eastern Shore staple will be served up April 19th – 21st in Salisbury, MD’s WinterPlace Park. The festival offers three days of family-friendly entertainment including live music, rides and games, unique craft vendors, delicious food and cold beverages. Admission is $5 daily for adults, and children under 12 are admitted free.
In celebration of its 10th anniversary, Pork in the Park has ramped up the action this year. National performers, the Marshall Tucker Band will headline the main stage on Saturday, April 20th from 8:00pm to 10:00pm. The southern rocker’s hit singles “Can’t You See” and “Heard It In a Love Song” helped earn them seven gold and three platinum albums during their career.
On Sunday, the Eastern Shore Wing War presented by Mountaire Farms pits area restaurants, amateur eaters and professional eating champions against one another in this trifecta challenge. 16 area restaurants will compete in a bracket-style contest, where attendees can vote for their favorite wing in the People’s Choice Wing Competition. Afterwards, local wing-eaters will take the Main Stage to compete in the Amateur Wing-Eating Competition. The Wing War culminates with a Major League Eating sanctioned Wing-Eating Competition. Current World Champion Joey Chestnut and fourth-ranked Sonya Thomas will take on other professional eaters in this challenge where a $5,000 purse is up for grabs. Sunday also marks the return of the annual Backyard BBQ Amateur Competition and Cornhole Tournament.
The Kansas City Barbeque Society, the world’s largest organization of barbecue and grilling enthusiasts with over 14,000 members worldwide, has once again selected Pork in the Park as a host to one of its 300+ sanctioned BBQ Cook-Off Competition. Over 120+ BBQ teams will converge behind the scenes of the festival, spending the weekend slicing, sizzling and seasoning for a chance to earn a portion of the $20,000 in cash prizes.
Because of its strong reputation on the grilling circuit, Pork in the Park has garnered national recognition. With that, it has been selected as one of only 15 competitions in the United States to host the Smithfield Rib Super Series. It is also an official qualifying event for the World Food Championships. Held in Las Vegas, this competition offers a $300,000 prize purse.
For more information, follow the link below:
Pork in the Park Admission & Hours:
- Admission $5 Daily / Children under 12 are free
- Friday, April 19th 4pm – 10pm
- Saturday, April 20th 10am – 10pm
- Sunday, April 21st 11am – 6pm
