You will smell it before you see it. For two days in October, Riverfront Park disappears under BBQ smoke, and everything good about a Mississippi fall gathers underneath it: championship cooking, live blues, and the whole River City in one park. October 9 and 10. Smokin' the Sip is back, and the gate is free.

This is a real competition with real money on the table. Grilling teams come from across the South to cook for judges who take it seriously, and the payouts run ten deep in the big categories:

Place Chicken, Ribs, Brisket (each) Wings, Margarita, Kids Que (each)
1st $500 $200
2nd $400 $125
3rd $300 $75
4th $150 $50
5th $125 $50
6th to 10th $125

Friday night lights the fires with live entertainment and gets the first plates moving. Saturday is the main event: the full competition, family activities down the riverfront, and music all day. And somewhere in the middle of it, a whole hog comes off the fire looking like the centerpiece of a feast, because that is exactly what it is.

A competition team presents a whole smoked hog at Smokin' the Sip

The wristband math is simple. Walking in costs nothing. A General Admission wristband is your pass into the tasting, plate after plate from the region's top BBQ talent. Wristbands are on sale now at Go Coast Events.

Then Saturday night happens. Moss Point sits on the Mississippi Blues Trail, and October 10 is Festival Night for the Levitt AMP Moss Point Music Series, which means Grammy winners Tank & The Bangas step onto a stage in the middle of a BBQ festival, free, like that is just a normal thing a town gets to have. The full concert series lives on the Levitt AMP page.

The main stage at Smokin' the Sip in Riverfront Park

Think your team can cook? Prove it. Entry is open by category: chicken, ribs, and brisket for the serious hardware, plus wings, margarita, and a Kids Que for the young pitmasters. Sign your team up, or grab a food or merchandise booth for one day or both, all in the same place. Everything else about the weekend lives on the Smokin' the Sip page.

October 9 and 10. Riverfront Park. Free gate, real stakes, smoke on the water.