The third annual Sip & Swine BBQ Festival is on its way!

The third annual Sip & Swine BBQ Festival is rapidly approaching, and here at the Home of Hope @ GCS we’re getting very excited. This year’s BBQ Festival will take place on Friday, March 2nd to Saturday, March 3rd at Coolray Field in Lawrenceville. (The event will open to the public at 3 p.m. on Friday the 2nd.) Admission is free.

What is Sip & Swine?

As the name suggests, Sip & Swine is a BBQ festival where the guests get to taste delicious BBQ and enjoy a relaxed, fun-filled atmosphere. But it’s not just a BBQ tasting festival. It’s also a BBQ competition sanctioned by the KCBS (Kansas City Barbeque Society), so it’s very official – the KCBS sanctions more than 400 BBQ competitions across the country.

Teams, both professional and amateur, come to compete to see who creates the best dishes. The teams compete in four categories: Chicken, Pork, Beef Brisket, and Pork Ribs. The pros compete in the Professional Team Division and the amateur teams compete in the Backyard Division. This year we have over 90 teams competing!

What else happens at Sip & Swine?

There will be live music performances throughout Friday and Saturday for the attendees and competitors alike to enjoy. Last year featured bands like Red Georgia Clay and McLaughlin. Along with the live music, there will be lots of vendors with different snacks and refreshments, so even if you or someone in your family isn’t a huge BBQ fan, you’ll be able to find something tasty.

There will also be the People’s Choice contest. Attendees can purchase a Taster Kit that has nine samples from different teams. After you buy your Taster Kit and enjoy the BBQ, you can vote on which sample you thought was best. That way everyone gets a say in who brought the best BBQ! Taster Kits will be available from 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. on Saturday and cost $10 each.

How does Home of Hope at Gwinnett Children’s Shelter fit in with Sip & Swine?

Home of Hope at Gwinnett Children’s Shelter receives all of the profits from the Sip & Swine BBQ Festival. We are so grateful for the support we receive from the event because it helps us to further our goal of helping homeless mothers and their children. We provide a warm, nurturing home to local families in need. We also strive to develop customized life plans for the mothers and give them the tools they need to become independent. But we couldn’t do it without the support we receive. It very much warms our hearts to see our community come together at such a wonderful festival, and we greatly appreciate everyone who helps support Home of Hope at Gwinnett Children’s Shelter.

Enjoying Sip & Swine 2017We welcome you to come out to this year’s Sip & Swine BBQ Festival! Get the family together and come on over to see what’s going on at Coolray Field and, of course, sample some delicious food! We would love to see you there. If last year’s Sip & Swine is anything to go by, it’s going to be a great time.

Want to find out more about Sip & Swine? You can check out their website for more details.