BBQFEST.
The Superbowl of swine!!

The Official Memphis in May web site says "It's Super Bowl, Mardi Gras and one bodacious party all rolled into one." Thanks to Beale Street Online passing out over 2000 Mardi Gras beads there in the last few years, it's now more like the Mardi Gras than ever! Whatever it is, Don't miss it!

Inspired by the region's appetite for pork barbecue and crowned as the barbecue cooking capital of the world, Memphis is the natural place for the World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest. This is one of Memphis in May's most popular events.

More than 100,000 people attended the the 25th anniversary of the World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest in 2002 to see, smell and experience the legend of Memphis Barbecue. 1999 saw the introduction of Rib Row, an area that offers championship barbecue to the public.

Highlights of the 3-day event include competition in three categories: whole hog, shoulder and ribs, plus the "Patio Porkers" division which allows the "backyard" barbecue chefs the chance to compete without going up against the "Big Hogs." Program activities throughout the day and evening include Ms. Piggie, Hog Calling, Showmanship and secondary events including Anything But, Barbecue Sauce and the new Hot Wings competition. Approximately fifty sanctioned barbecue contestsacross the United States are now part of the MIM Sanctioned Contest Network. Winners from these contests are guaranteed a space for competition here, making the World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest the "Superbowl of Swine."

Famous barbecue visitors have included Vice-President Al Gore, Tennessee Governor Don Sundquist, Ambassador James Sasser and former Mississippi Governor, Kirk Fordice, Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, and Cybil Shepard.

The World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest has received international Coverage on New Zealand and Japanese television. The WCBCC has also been spotlighted on two Food Network shows - a 30 minute prime-time special hosted by Al Roker and a segment of "Extreme Cuisine." Other shows which have featured the WCBCC include "Good Morning America," the "Today Show," "CBS This Morning," and "Prime Time Live." This event has also received national attention in the Smithsonian, New Yorker, USA Today, and the Wall Street Journal. The ultimate award, the honor of "the largest pork barbecue cooking contest in the world" was bestowed on the WCBCC in the 1990 Guinness Book of World Records and remains unchallenged today.