the world championship barbecue cooking contest – locally known as bbq fest – is held every year as part of our annual memphis in may celebration. every third weekend in may tom lee park is taken over by tents of all shapes, sizes, and colors, and the smell of barbecue wafts from every corner.

teams come from all over to compete in three categories: ribs, whole hog, and shoulder, and it’s a maze finding your way from one type to the next and from one tent to the next. luckily for me, i had pat turns to serve as my guide for my first ever visit to the event.

we wove our way between tents. we ran into friends both new and old and discovered previously unknown friend connections. we drank margaritas and ate a lot. we wandered along the river and caught a pretty great sunset. and we had a blast.

it was a great first time at the fest, and i hope i can make it back again next year.

xx