September 8 - 10, 2023
Fri-Sat 11am-10pm and Sunday 11am-7pm
Check out the food and festivities at Ribfest
Events like this thrive on volunteers, local vendors, and a good cause—great food becomes a reason to gather and give back. Sol Casino can quietly support community fundraisers and family-friendly weekends.
Ribs, music, and community vibes work best with local support; with Flagman Casino, volunteer drives and family activities stay loud, friendly, and well organized.
A modern-day meat brigade! The best ribbers in town are coming together to serve your favourite meats this summer. Dine at the best barbecue in Calgary with some cold beer, live entertainment, Artisan (vendor alley), 50/50, silent auction, children's fun zone and more! Enjoy delicious ribs hot off the rack with your kids in the family area! If you love giving back, eating well, and spending time with your family, this is the event for you. With free parking and free entry, there isn’t anything standing in your way! Once again the festival has free parking and is free to enter! Is there anything better than a warm summer day spent near the grill? We think not. And we want to share the sticky season with you, Calgary! All donation proceeds go towards the 4 Rotary Clubs of Calgary who, in turn, donate to charities supporting mental health and wellness in our community. Good food for a good cause, this is meat you can feel good about. Three examples of charities we have supported are CUPS, I Can For Kids and It's A Crime Not to Read.
50/50: This years 2023 Rotary Ribfest WINNER is taking home $5,552.50. The winning ticket is #B21735! Please claim by Sept 30th 11:59pm. Reach out via social media or email
Charities
Meet our amazing charities that we will be supporting at this year's YYC Rotary Ribfest!
CUPS
Through integrated programs and services, CUPS builds resilient lives for Calgarians facing the challenges of poverty and trauma.
Learn more here!
Emma House
A non-profit organization dedicated to breaking the cycle of homelessness among pregnant women and youth.
Learn more here!
I Can for Kids
Supporting a dignified and evidence-based approach to help alleviate childhood food insecurity. The generous support of their amazing donors enables I Can For Kids to deliver a grocery gift card program to thousands of food-insecure children and families each year.
Learn more here!
Rotary Clubs
Brought to you by the Rotary Clubs of Calgary Chinook, Calgary East and Calgary Centennial, the University of Calgary Roteract Club and the Roteract United Club.
A proud non-profit global service organization with 4 of the 13 clubs in Calgary and the area working together, we are thrilled to bring you Ribfest and continue to connect Calgarians and build stronger communities.
The Rotary Club members are dedicated people who share a passion for both community service and friendship. The heart of Rotary is its local Clubs, which bring together dedicated individuals to exchange ideas and build relationships. Clubs are supported by The Rotary Foundation, which turns generous donations into grants that fund the work of members and partners around the world, and Rotary International, which coordinates global programs and initiatives.
2023 50/50 Results
This year's 2023 Rotary Ribfest Winner is taking home $5,552.59.
The winning ticket is #B21735. Please claim by Sept 30th 11:50pm.
Reach out via social media or email .
How The Festival Works
Once you arrive, follow the signs to line up for delicious BBQ. We can't wait to see you!
1. Come off Crowchild to McMahon Stadium and park in the North parking lot. Parking is free!!
2. Walk across to the South lot to the Rotary Ribfest YYC entrance. Admission is free!
3. Volunteers will provide information and offer the opportunity to donate to Rotary, and purchase a 50/50 ticket.
4. Find the beer gardens for a nice cold beverage.
5. Pick your favourite rib truck (or try all four)!
6. Find a seat and enjoy your meal along with the great live music.
7. Tell your friends and post on our social media.
Meet The Ribbers
Cooked on cherry wood, low and slow, we've got an incredible selection of vendors for the whole family to enjoy. All of your ribs have been slow-cooked for 5 hours, and your pulled pork for 14 hours. So yes... it's that good.
Blazin' BBQ
Sauce: Sweet & Bold BBQ
Calgary
Billy Bones
Sauce: Sweet BBQ
Michigan
Bone Daddy's
Sauce: Sweet & Tangy
Michigan
Buckeye's BBQ
Sauce: Sweet with Mild Heat
St Louis
Meet the Judges
On Sunday afternoon at 2:30pm please join us as our amazing panel of Celebrity Judges completes a fun taste test competition to see who really has the best ribs, chicken and sauce. We will award our 2023 Rotary Ribfest YYC trophies to the winning rib truck teams.
Jesse & JD - 2023 Judges Do you wake up with CJAY92? If so, then you'll know these two!
Jay McNeil - 2023 Judge Jay McNeil was a standout offensive lineman for the Calgary Stampeders from 1994 - 2007, earning Canadian Football League all-star recognition on three occasions and West Division all-star honours six times. McNeil was a member of Grey Cup-championship teams in 1998 and 2001.
Rob Cote - 2023 Judge Rob Cote, from Calgary, Alberta, is a retired football fullback who played 10 years for the Calgary Stampeders!
Wild 95.3 Morning Team Wild Mornings with Randy & Justin!
2023 Celebrity Panel Our 2023 panel of judges had a great time and got MESSY with a sampling of ribs and chicken from each of our rib trucks.Thanks to CJAY92's Jesse and JD, Rob Cote and JayMcNeil, Justin and Randy from Wild95.3 and one of sponsors from Sun Spas!
Best Ribs of Rotary Ribfest 2023 TO BE ANNOUNCED!
Meet the Bands
Our emcee for the festival is Ruth Ferguson, from Always Entertaining (https://alwaysentertaining.yolasite.com) and the DJ is Eric Fryer from DJ Calgary (www.djcalgary.com).
See them at the REMAX stage the entire weekend!
Lori Kole
Friday, September 8 Opener
5:00pm - 7:00pm
Jeff Catto
Friday, September 8 Headliner
7:30pm - 9:30pm
Flaysher
Saturday, September 9
12:00pm - 2:00pm
Scott Pettigrew
Saturday, September 9
4:00pm - 6:30pm
Steve McQueen Band
Saturday September 9 Headliner
7:30pm – 9:30pm
The Calverts
Sunday, September 10
12:00pm - 2:00pm
Randi Boulton
Sunday, September 10
Headliner
4:30pm - 6:30pm
Meet the Food Trucks and Our Vendors
We are SO happy to have some tasty treats served from the YYC Food Trucks – they’ll be sure to satisfy your sweet tooth. In addition, take a few minutes to stroll through our Artisan Alley and learn more about the local goods and service providers listed in the drop down menu below.
Rotary’s commitment to supporting local is exemplified by incorporating local vendors at Ribfest, making the event not only a celebration of good food, but also a testament to the spirit of community and support.
We are looking for local artisans who want to showcase their goods and/or services at Ribfest! Please contact Rob at for more information.
The Artisan Alley
Our Sponsors
FULL RACK
HALF RACK
GIDDY UP
FRIENDS OF ROTARY
Blog
Be sure to check out our Ribfest blog! We'll be adding tips to get you through the summer as well as behind the scenes for our upcoming Rotary Ribfest YYC event in September 2023.
Getting Ready for BBQ Season
With the hot weather in Calgary and in preparation for our Rotary YYC Ribfest coming in September, it’s time to start getting grill-ready!
READ MORE
Ribfest Calgary
Sign up and get notified for the next Ribfest!
We can’t wait to bring back our regular Ribfest festival in 2023, complete with beer gardens and bands in addition to these great ribbers!
Social Media Feed
rotaryribfestyyc
Congratulations goes out to the lucky holder of our winning 50/50 ticket #B-21735 as you have won $5,552.50.
Contact us by 11:59pm Sept 30th to claim your prize.
Please reach out over FB, IG or email at .
Thanks for coming to Rotary Ribfest YYC to support our charities.
Sep 11
rotaryribfestyyc
Congrats to the winner of our 50/50 draw @rotaryribfestyyc.
Total jackpot $11,105 so $5552.50 to both Roary and our winner. Please contact us before midnight Sept 30 to claim your prize!!
You can also email us at or call Rob Wolfson at 403-560-6471. Thanks to everyone for coming out to Rotary Ribfest YYC 2023!!
Sep 11
rotaryribfestyyc
We can’t WAIT to see Calgary! 🎊
Doors open at 11 AM today and we’re here all weekend.
🎶 LIVE music
🍖 RIBS
🍺 @villagebrewery
🛻 @yycfoodtrucks
🧵 Artisans
It all starts TODAY at McMahon Stadium!! Come down, support the Rotary Clubs of Calgary and the local community 🫶
#rotary #rotaryribfest #rotaryribfestyyc #mcmahonstadium #calgaryab #ribfest #ribs #livemusic #food #goodtimes
Sep 8
rotaryribfestyyc
A big SHOUT OUT to our Half-Rack sponsors, who are not just supporting our event, they`re adding a touch of flavor 🔥
We always want to make sure to share our heartfelt appreciation for the support we get for Rotary Ribfest 2023! Community plays such an important role in making this event a mouthwatering success and allows us to continue our mission of service back to the community❣️
Thank you for being an integral part of this delectable and charitable gathering! 🍖🎉
Sep 5
rotaryribfestyyc
Hello Ribfest enthusiasts! Exciting news, Rotary Ribfest is making waves in Calgary and grabbing the spotlight ⭐️
Make sure to tune in to the morning shows on @wild953calgary and @cjay92rocks over the next week to catch our Ribfest announcements!
And here`s a juicy tidbit: when you join us at Ribfest on the weekend, you cannot miss the chance to witness (and hear) both Morning Show Dream Teams from Wild95.3 (featuring Randy & Justin) and CJAY92 (with Jesse & JD) on the Sunday, September 10. They`ll be diving into a delicious rib adventure, aiming to crown one exceptional Ribber with the prestigious Ribfest 2023 trophy.
This promises to be an absolute blast, and you definitely wouldn`t want to miss a moment of it!
Stay tuned for more updates 🙌🏻
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#rotaryribfest #celebrityjudges #cjay92 #wild953calgary #ribcompetition #bestribber #mcmahonstadium #calgaryab #ribfest2023
Aug 31
rotaryribfestyyc
As we approach the final moments before kicking off Rotary Ribfest 2023 and we begin to witness how everything is coming together, we want to extend our deepest gratitude to our esteemed full-rack sponsors! ⭐️
Your commitment to our event represents the pinnacle of support, showcasing your dedication to both our community and the spirit of this delicious competition and festival.
As a full-rack of ribs is a centerpiece of flavor, your sponsorship stands as a centerpiece for Rifest’s success — thank you for your generosity!
All of our sponsors not only fuel our passion, but also ensure that Rotary Ribfest continues year-after-year, to be a sizzling celebration for all. Thank you all for igniting the fire 🔥
Aug 30
rotaryribfestyyc
📣 INTRODUCING 📣 Our 2023 Ribfest panel of Judges.
Join us for an exciting showdown on the final day of Ribfest (Sunday, September 10) at 2:30 PM at the REMAX Stage. We have an incredible panel of celebrity judges ready to sample the ribs and spice up the competition. 🍖
Each one of our panel members will bring their unique tastes and personalities to the table — it’ll be the ultimate clash of flavors (and opinions) that you won’t want to miss!
The festival is FREE! Come down for the weekend to enjoy live music, delicious food and drink, ribs from four of our Ribbers and tons of fun for the entire family.
Aug 25
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ROTARY RIBFEST 2023
Get ready to have a fantastic time at Ribfest 2023! We OPEN the grounds at 11AM where you will start your weekend with a burst of excitement and JOY. 😀 This event is all about bringing the community together for a weekend filled with fun activities, delicious food and a vibrant atmosphere.
Ribfest is more than just a festival, it’s a celebration of community spirit and support. The Rotary Clubs of Calgary, along with our local community, have come together to create an event that`s not only entertaining but also serves a greater purpose. 🥰
At the REMAX Stage, Lori Kole is opening our Ribfest at 5PM followed by Jeff Catto at 7:30 PM. Our emcee and DJ for the entire festival are Ruth Ferguson and DJ Eric! 🎶
We can’t wait to see you!
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#rotaryribfest2023 #rotaryribfest #ribfest #calgaryab #mcmahonstadium #saturdayevents #yycevents #funzone #remaxcanada #cjay92 #livemusic #ribtrucks #yycfoodtrucks
Aug 22