A festival crowd gathered on the Moss Point riverfront at Riverfront Park

BBQ, Blues & Bourbon · Riverfront Park · Oct 10

Smokin’the Sip

Pitmasters fire up the riverfront, blues rolls off the stage, and the smoke drifts down the Escatawpa all day. Moss Point Main Street’s signature BBQ festival.

Free general admissionRiverfront ParkOct 10Live blues

What’s cooking Vendors, Volunteers & Info

What it is

Smoke on the water, blues in the air.

Grilling teams from across the South set up along the Moss Point riverfront and compete for cash and hand-cut trophies while the whole River City eats, listens, and gathers. It is a BBQ cook-off with a festival wrapped around it: live blues, a whole hog on the fire, and family activities all down the riverfront.

General admission is free. Tasting and VIP bands let you sample the competition and settle in for the show.

Oct 10on the riverfront

20+grilling teams

Freegeneral admission

Blueson the Mississippi Blues Trail

The birthplace of America’s music

Bourbon, blues, and a whole hog.

Moss Point sits on the Mississippi Blues Trail, and Smokin’ the Sip leans all the way into it. Expect a stage full of blues and soul, bourbon tastings for the VIP crowd, and smoke drifting down the river all day.

This year the night gets even bigger: the Levitt AMP Moss Point Music Series brings Grammy winners Tank & The Bangas to the same riverfront the same evening.

See the Levitt lineup

From the 2025 festival

Smoke, sauce, and the whole River City.

A whole roasted hog presented on a bed of greens and fruit at Smokin' the Sip — The whole hog

A pitmaster carving the whole hog — Carved on the spot

Festivalgoers walking toward the Smokin' the Sip main stage — To the stage

A tiger mascot greeting kids on the festival lawn — For the kids too

Serving barbecue samples under a vendor tent — Taste the competition

A team serving plates under the string lights of their booth — Teams at work

Crowds browsing the vendor tents on the festival grounds — Down the vendor row

Volunteers serving food from chafing trays under an American flag — Serving the River City

On the day

What to expect.

Championship BBQ

Teams compete across categories for cash and granite-cut trophies.

Live blues

A full stage of blues, soul, and Gulf Coast sound all day and night.

Whole hog and vendors

A whole-hog roast, food trucks, and cold drinks down the riverfront.

Family fun

Cornhole, mascots, and games on the lawn for the kids.

“Events like this are exactly what drive downtown development.”

The City of Moss Point

A crowd enjoying a festival on the Moss Point riverfront

The whole River City, gathered around the fire.

Vendors, Volunteers & Info

How it grew

From a backyard cook-off to a signature festival.

It started small, as Grillin’ in the River City, a handful of teams grilling downtown. It grew every year, and in 2025 it was reborn as Smokin’ the Sip: a bigger cook-off, a bigger stage, and a real festival on the riverfront, built by Moss Point Main Street and a committee of local business owners and BBQ veterans.

The city calls it a signature event, and for good reason. It brings thousands downtown, fills the restaurants and shops, and puts Moss Point’s riverfront on full display.

Plan your day

Come hungry.

Riverfront ParkDowntown Moss Point, on the Escatawpa.
October 10The festival on the riverfront. Watch our channels for the full schedule.
Free to get inGeneral admission is free. Tasting and VIP bands available.
Stay for the eveningBlues on the stage until the last plate is served.

Vendors, Volunteers & Info See all downtown events

While you’re downtown.

Levitt AMP Moss Point Music Series Cruisin’ the River City Smokin’ the River City