Where To Eat › Barbecue › Barbecue Festivals
Short answer: North Carolina’s big barbecue festivals are The Barbecue Festival in uptown Lexington each October and BBQ Fest on the Neuse in Kinston each May, plus a year-round series of whole hog cook-offs sanctioned by the NC Pork Council that ends in a state championship in May. Dates below are only the ones organizers have published.
- 13Yearly festivalsfrom organizer pages
- 9Next date publishedas of November 4, 2026
- OctLexington festivalone of the last two Saturdays
- FreeTo listwe take no payment
How we checked: each festival’s own site, the NC Pork Council’s whole hog series schedule and state champions pages, and our own events calendar. All read on November 4, 2026. Hours, prices and dates change, so confirm with the place or organizer before you drive. Anything we could not read is marked Not confirmed where it appears. We rank nothing: no source we used ranks these places, and we did not taste, rate or compare them. Nobody paid to be listed.
Festivals by Month
Yearly Barbecue Festivals and Cook-Offs
Listed by the month they usually run. Organizer pages are linked; each date is as the organizer printed it.
- Pigs in the GroveBenson · usually NovemberA sanctioned whole hog cook-off run by Benson’s Veterans Helping Veterans; plate-sale money helps local veterans, per the schedule. Next date: November 6-7, 2026, per the NC Pork Council series schedule.
- Smoke on the SouthsideChocowinity · usually NovemberA yearly benefit cook with 10 to 15 whole hogs, per the schedule. Next date: November 13-14, 2026, per the NC Pork Council series schedule.
- Bill Gray Memorial Whole Hog Cook-OffDeep Run · usually DecemberA Deep Run Volunteer Fire Department fundraiser cook-off, limited to 10 teams, per the schedule. Next date: December 11-12, 2026, per the NC Pork Council series schedule.
- Pig on the PerquimansHertford · usually MarchA yearly whole hog and backyard competition at Camp Cale, per the schedule. Next date: March 19-20, 2027, per the NC Pork Council series schedule.
- Pigskin PigoutGreenville · usually AprilA whole hog cook-off at East Carolina’s Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium for the Pirates Club, per the schedule. Next date: April 2-3, 2027, per the NC Pork Council series schedule.
- Suds & SwineLaurinburg · usually AprilA 25-team sanctioned cook-off run with the Scotland County tourism office and Laurinburg Rotary, per the schedule. Next date: April 9-10, 2027, per the NC Pork Council series schedule.
- BBQ Fest on the NeuseKinston · usually May (first weekend)A free downtown festival built around the Wil King Hog Happenin’ whole hog cook-off, with a chop tent, car show, rides, live music and vendors. The FAQ lists Friday 5 to 10 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., rain or shine. Next date: May 7-8, 2027, per the festival’s own FAQ. Last held: May 1-2, 2026.
- Whole Hog Barbecue State ChampionshipRaleigh in 2025 and 2026 · usually MayThe NC Pork Council’s statewide final: cooks who win local series cook-offs qualify. The council says the first one was May 18, 1985, at the State Fairgrounds. Next date: May 14-15, 2027 (“Save the Date” on the series schedule; venue not listed Not confirmed).
- Got To Be NC Whole Hog Cookoff at the Mountain State FairFletcher · usually SeptemberA whole hog cook-off inside the NC Mountain State Fair at the WNC Ag Center, one of the few western stops on the series. Next date: September 10-12, 2027, per the series schedule.
- Hog DayHillsborough · usually SeptemberAn Orange County Optimist Club festival with a sanctioned whole hog cook-off, music and exhibitors, per the series schedule. Next date: date not yet announced Not confirmed. Last held: September 18-19, 2026.
- NC Barbecue Hall of Fame Induction Day CookoffGraham · usually OctoberA whole hog cook-off held with the Hall of Fame induction day, capped at 20 teams, per the series schedule. Next date: date not yet announced Not confirmed. Last held: October 9-10, 2026.
- Smoke on the WaterWashington · usually OctoberA waterfront festival with a sanctioned cook-off, car show, 5K, parade and live music for local non-profits, per the series schedule. Next date: date not yet announced Not confirmed. Last held: October 16-17, 2026.
- The Barbecue FestivalLexington (uptown Main Street) · usually October (one of the last two Saturdays)A one-day street festival for Lexington-style barbecue, first held October 27, 1984, per its history page. The city and county call October barbecue month, with a bike ride, golf tournament and 5K run leading up to it. Next date: date not yet announced Not confirmed. Last held: Saturday, October 24, 2026.
On Our Calendar Now
2 upcoming events on our calendar with barbecue in the name, soonest first. Each links to the organizer’s page.
| Event | When | Where | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fuquay-Varina Downtown Association's First Friday (meets BBQ Blues & Brews) | Fri, Nov 6 (5:00 PM-9:00 PM) | Fuquay-Varina · Triangle | Price not confirmed on the official page |
| BBQ, Blues & Brews | Sat, Nov 7 (12:00 PM-4:00 PM) | Fuquay-Varina · Triangle | Tasting tickets sold separately; price Not confirmed |
Festivals That Have Ended
The Newport Pig Cookin’ Contest held its 48th and final event on April 10-11, 2026, per WITN. The NC Pork Council schedule lists a separate Newport BBQ Fest for April 23-24, 2027; how it relates to the old contest is not stated Not confirmed The Blue Ridge BBQ and Music Festival in Tryon was cancelled in 2017 and we found no sign it returned.
What We Could Not Confirm
- 2027 dates for The Barbecue Festival, Hog Day, Smoke on the Water and the Hall of Fame cook-off: not published when we checked. Not confirmed
- The venue of the 2027 state championship. Not confirmed
- Organizer sites for the smaller cook-offs: dates come from the NC Pork Council schedule, not the organizers. Not confirmed
- A “Barbecue Summit” in Kinston on February 6, 2027 appears on the schedule with no details, so we left it off the list. Not confirmed
Frequently Asked Questions
When is the Lexington Barbecue Festival?
On one of the last two Saturdays in October in uptown Lexington, per its own site. The 2026 festival was October 24; 2027 was not announced when we checked.
What is a whole hog cook-off?
A contest where teams cook a whole hog. The NC Pork Council sanctions a series of them; local winners qualify for the state championship in May, per the council.
Are the festivals free?
BBQ Fest on the Neuse says admission is free. The other organizers’ pages we read did not state admission Not confirmed
More Barbecue Pages
Sources
- The Barbecue Festival, History, read November 4, 2026
- BBQ Fest on the Neuse, FAQ, read November 4, 2026
- NC Pork Council, Whole Hog Barbecue Series schedule, read November 4, 2026
- NC Pork Council, State Champions, read November 4, 2026
- WITN, Newport Pig Cookin’ Contest final event (April 3, 2026), read November 4, 2026
How we check: editorial standards. Spot a mistake or a closure? Tell us.
Cite this page: It's North Carolina, “North Carolina Barbecue Festivals and Cook-Offs”, itsnorthcarolina.com/barbecue/festivals/ (updated ). By the It's North Carolina editorial team. Free to quote with attribution and a link to this page; data and tables are licensed CC BY 4.0.