Carolina BBQ Festival 2024: Pitmasters Collaborate for Charity

The Carolina BBQ Festival 2024 celebrates whole hog barbecue and the Carolinas’ rich barbecue traditions. It’s also an opportunity for the region’s tight-knit family of pitmasters to collaborate and support charity.

The third annual installment is April 5-6 at Victoria Yards. This year’s festival promises more flavor diversity, fanfare, and excitement than ever before. Included in the 17-day Charlotte Shout, Carolina BBQ Festival is a perfect addition to the spotlight on art, music, food, and ideas in Queen City’s uptown.

And if last year was any indication, expect the Carolina BBQ Festival 2024 to be a lively mix of yesterday and today. It is a combination of classically trained cookery and daring entrepreneurs alongside families with traditions passed down generations. Whole hog, pulled pork shoulder, Texas brisket, smoaked pastrami … beef birria tacos? Smoked shrimp ceviche?

All those flavors tickled festival-goers’ tastebuds a year ago. Expect just as much variety in a bigger location for 2024. Stay tuned to The Low & Slow Barbecue Show Blog and Instagram page for event announcements.

Carolina BBQ Festival 2024 music Performers

• Wildwood, MO, native FILMORE. FILMORE’s catchy hooks and clever lyrics have since caught the attention of The New York Times, NBC’s “TODAY” show, The Bobby Bones Show, and Sirius XM’s “The Highway,” among other high-profile outlets.
• Charlotte Bluegrass All Stars. This unique collaboration brings together a diverse ensemble of musicians, each drawing from distinct musical backgrounds, including rock, blues, classical,  jazz, and jam band influences.
• Todd Johnson & The Revolvers. To quote Music critic Alejandro Alfonso, “Todd Johnson’s ability to blend gritty confidence with vulnerability brings the swagger and romance of Rod Stewart and the American cool of Springsteen. With power vocals, TJ&R paints portraits of longing, redemption, regret, and love with an edge of southern soul from his Carolina roots.”
• Carolina Gator Gumbo, a well seasoned Cajun & Creole band bringing festive music from southwest Louisiana to the Carolinas since the early ’90s.
• Justin Fedor. Justin Fedor started the now defunct Americana-rock outfit, The New Familiars. Since then, Fedor has toured the US sharing the bill with many artists including Gregg Allman, Levon Helm, Taj Mahal, Del McCoury, Sam Bush, Bob Margolin, Tim O’Brien, The Infamous Stringdusters, & more. 
• DJ That Guy Smitty. Professional purveyor of all things groovin’, he has played alongside some of the top DJ’s in the world.

Want to attend – at a discount? Visit the Carolina BBQ Festival’s ticket site, and use promo code lowslowbbq to save money on festival passes.

Ringleaders of the Carolina BBQ Event

Like the gamut of samples on the festival menu, festival pitmasters each bring a unique flavor to the Carolinas’ culinary landscape. That’s why The Low and Slow Barbecue Show partnered with the Carolina BBQ Festival to create the Pitmasters Series of podcasts in 2023. It spotlights the men and women who make the barbecue happen

We’re excited to partner with the festival for the second year to share the stories of the pitmasters behind the best barbecue in the U.S. Leading up to this year’s festival, we’ll be publishing podcasts with this year’s participants. Tune in to hear their stories and get a glimpse into their barbecue world.

Listen to The Low & Slow Barbecue Show’s 2023 interviews for a festival warm-up. Start at the beginning with Episode 1 of the 2023 Pitmasters series for a festival overview from its founder, Lewis Donald. He’s the owner and pitmaster at Sweet Lew’s BBQ in Charlotte’s Belmont neighbohood. Keep reading for links to our 2023 on-the-scene interviews with other pitmasters.

First, let’s highlight the pitmasters on the menu for Carolina BBQ Festival 2024 and the charities this year’s festival will support.

Pitmasters for Carolina Barbecue Festival 2024

This year’s pitmaster line-up features familiar faces from the event’s first two years. Some newcomers to the scene promise to bring their unique angle.  

Follows is a list of this year’s participating pitmasters. Click their names to access more information about their business. You’ll find out when and where you can go to sample their full menu of barbecue goodness.

“These are people that I met along the way who are like-minded,” festival founder Lewis Donald told me last year. “They are all special in their own way to me as a person. Some of them are smaller businesses that need a good platform. Carolina BBQ Festival gives you that.”

Among them are some of the best chefs in the United States – at least according to the James Beard Foundation, Texas Monthly, and others who know about food.

Carolina BBQ Festival 2024 Pitmasters

• Matthew Register, Southern Smoke BBQ
• Elliott Moss, Moss and Moore
• Robbie Robinson, City Limits Barbecue
• Brandon Shepard, Shepard Barbecue
• Dylan Cooke, Fork Grove Barbecue
• Tank Jackson, Holy City Hogs
• Jake Wood, Lawrence Barbecue
• Keith Henning, Black Powder Smokehouse
• Lewis Donald, Sweet Lew’s BBQ
• Garren Kirkman, Jon G’s Barbecue
• Ken & Jess Hess, County Smoak
• Joel Easton, Easton Barbecue Co.
• Ronald Simmons, Master Blend Family Farms

Plus, this year’s festival welcomes Crystal Coast Oysters in case mouth-watering barbecue isn’t for you.

#BBQforaCause Fuels the Festival

Festival founder Lewis Donald started the event to support his community.

“One of my biggest goals has always been to give back, and that is not always easy as a small business owner,” he told me before last year’s Carolina BBQ Festival. “What I’ve done is try to enlist a bunch of friends to help me give back to our communities.”

Over the past two years, the festival has raised more than $22,000, donated to various charities that feed and support our communities. The 2024 charities make sure food is available during times of need or provide life-changing scholarships to families of fallen or disabled U.S. military members and first responders.

Support these charities by attending the 2024 Carolina Barbecue Festival April 5-6 at Victoria Yards in Charlotte. Use promo code lowslowbbq for a discount on one- and two-day festival passes.

Festival Features Two Days of Food & Entertainment

The menu of activities on April 5-6 offers food, fun, and an opportunity to support #BBQforaCause at an affordable rate. Be advised: the festival sells out each year as organizers limit attendance to avoid long wait lines at tasting stations.

Festival on Friday

Friday, April 5, starts the festival with a charity dinner and concert. Operation BBQ Relief and Hungry Heroes will feed the audience. So will a live crawfish boil. Expect craft beer, cocktails, and wine for purchase. A surprise music headliner ensures the night is a festive atmosphere around the barbecue pitmasters while they prepare their entrees for Saturday’s unlimited food tastings.

Show up on Saturday

Saturday, April 6, is the day-long affair that offers a chance to visit and enjoy 15 pitmasters serving whole hog, brisket, chicken, Lexington-style chopped pork BBQ hash, and seafood. Look for a few surprises, too, including unique sides with the tastings. Live music fills the air throughout the day, while vendor activities promise plenty of action away from the food tastings.

Get BBQ Festival Tickets

Single-day tickets are available, while VIP options offer extra perks for Saturday: early admission, a $20 merch voucher, designated VIP area and VIP bar, two drink tickets, oysters on the half shell, and complimentary bottled water. Get the full VIP experience to enjoy both days and special pricing.

Visit CarolinaBBQFest.org for pricing and to reserve your tickets. The festival is family-friendly, and children under age 10 are admitted free.

Appetizers Before the BBQ Festival Main Course

The Low & Slow Barbecue Show partners with the Carolina BBQ Festival to share the stories of the men and women who stoke the barbecue fire. Last year, we joined the festival on-site and talked with several participants.

Click the links below to hear their stories.

• Ronald Simmons, Keith Henning, and Michael Letchworth
• Ken and Jess Hess
• Tank Jackson
• Lewis Donald, Garren Kirkman, and Matthew Register

Listen to our 2024 Carolina Pitmasters series featuring Brandon Shepard, Dylan Cooke, Joel Easton, Keith Henning, Ronald Simmons, and others. Get every episode delivered to you starting in February. Follow The Low & Slow Barbecue Show on your favorite place for streaming, including Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, and Amazon Music.

If you like what you hear? Please give us a five-star rating and share The Low & Slow Barbecue Show with your friends. Be sure to follow The Low & Slow Barbecue Show on Instagram for photos of the people and the food that make Charlotte’s best annual barbecue festival a success.

FAQs: Carolina BBQ Festival

What are the top highlights of the Carolina BBQ Festival 2024?

The Carolina BBQ Festival 2024 promises to be an exciting event, featuring whole hog barbecue and showcasing the rich barbecue traditions of the Carolinas. Attendees can expect a diverse range of flavors, entertainment, and opportunities to support charities like Operation BBQ Relief. Country music artist Fillmore performs Friday night. To learn more about the highlights of the festival, including its dates and location, visit reputable event websites or the official Carolina BBQ Festival 2024 website.

How can attendees save money on Carolina BBQ Festival 2024 tickets?

Attendees looking to save money on Carolina BBQ Festival 2024 tickets can use promotional codes available through various channels. These codes, such as “lowslowbbq,” can be applied during the ticket purchase process to receive discounts on festival passes. Stay updated on promotions by following official festival social media accounts or subscribing to newsletters from event organizers. Look for ticket giveaways, too.

Which pitmasters are participating in the Carolina BBQ Festival 2024, and where can I find more information about their businesses?

The Carolina BBQ Festival 2024 boasts an impressive lineup of pitmasters, each bringing their unique flavors and expertise to the event. To discover more about the participating pitmasters and their businesses, interested individuals can visit the official festival website or check out profiles and our Carolina Pitmasters series of interviews. These resources offer insights into the pitmasters’ backgrounds, specialties, and contributions to the Carolina barbecue scene.