If you’re a barbecue lover in the Carolinas, there’s one date you’ll want to circle on your 2026 calendar: April 17–18. That’s when the Carolina BBQ Festival returns to Victoria Yards in Uptown Charlotte for its fifth year. Carolina BBQ Festival 2026 is shaping up to be the biggest one yet.
We planned an episode of The Low and Slow Barbecue Show to get an inside look at what’s coming. Festival co-founders Lewis Donald (pitmaster at Sweet Lew’s BBQ) and Erin Hunter (event planner and founder of Let’s Meet Charlotte) joined the show to talk growth, community, and what makes this festival one-of-a-kind.
Listen to the complete episode here. Click below to watch on YouTube.
Save the Dates: April 17–18, 2026
The festival officially kicks off Friday, April 17, with a Charlotte BBQ showcase spotlighting local talent—many of whom are new to the festival. Then, on Saturday, April 18, the full event takes over with more than 25 pitmasters from across the Carolinas and beyond.
Reflecting on Carolina BBQ Festival’s Big Wins in 2025
Lewis and Erin said the 2025 festival was their largest and most successful to date, drawing around 3,000 attendees.
- The weather cooperated.
- Pitmasters delivered unforgettable flavors.
- Energy from the crowd proved Charlotte’s growing love for barbecue culture.
One of the most exciting parts? Giving local fans a chance to try smoked specialties from rural spots like Matthew Register’s Southern Smoke BBQ and Dylan Cooke’s Fork Grove BBQ — places that might not be easy to visit without traveling.
We chronicled our favorite bites from Carolina BBQ Festival in this blog.
BBQ For a Cause: A Festival with Heart
The Carolina BBQ Festival isn’t just about pulled pork and brisket.
At its core, it’s a community-first, charity-driven event. One major partner, Operation BBQ Relief, is a nonprofit that delivers meals during natural disasters. As Erin put it, “If we keep this momentum, we’re going to raise a lot of money for a lot of good.”
Read more about the Operation BBQ Relief mission and its history in this Low & Slow Barbecue Show blog.
Scaling Up for Carolina BBQ Festival 2026
With a goal of welcoming 5,000 guests next year, the team is focused on logistics—more entry points, more registration lines, and a bigger team to handle the growing demand. As Lewis joked, this means everything from shoveling sand for pits to wiping down tables — true pitmaster grit.
Bonus Carolina BBQ Festival Events on the Horizon
The festival is no longer a single-weekend affair.
New events are being added to the calendar, including:
- The Pig Pickin’ on October 19, 2025, hosted in partnership with Mac’s Speed Shop.
- A thank-you brunch for sponsors and fans — now growing into a full-blown public event.
- A dream idea: a Carolina BBQ camp or “dinner under the stars” for those craving a deeper experience.
A Pandemic Partnership That Sparked a Movement
The festival’s origins trace back to the early days of COVID. Erin, passionate about supporting local business, connected with Lewis, a pitmaster focused on his craft. That collaboration grew into a shared vision: a BBQ festival that would showcase Charlotte’s underappreciated smoke scene and lift up small businesses.
Charlotte’s Food Scene Is Finding Its Flavor
Both Carolina BBQ Festival founders agree that Charlotte’s culinary landscape is becoming more diverse and culturally rich. From Filipino street fairs to Asian night markets, food events are thriving — but Charlotte BBQ still has room to grow.
What’s missing? According to Lewis: more whole hog offerings, more smokehouse-style ambiance, and less of the “hostess and wine list” model that dominates some BBQ joints.
The goal is to make Charlotte’s BBQ scene feel like a true Southern smoke experience.
Looking Ahead: Pork Cheeks, Pitmaster Passion & a Growing BBQ Legacy
As the team continues to experiment — hinting at a new pork cheek signature dish at Sweet Lew’s — they stay grounded in the values that launched the event: consistency, community, and creating meaningful experiences.
As Lewis puts it, “This isn’t just an event. It’s who we are.”
Stay in the Carolina BBQ Festival 2026 Loop
Follow Carolina BBQ Festival on Instagram and Sweet Lew’s BBQ and Let’s Meet Charlotte for festival updates, event announcements, and mouthwatering previews as April 2026 approaches.
And don’t forget: the Carolina BBQ Festival isn’t just a party — it’s a movement to put Charlotte BBQ firmly on the map.
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