BBQ Cook-Off

The History

Produced by the City of Mauldin, the annual festival is a showcase of the heritage of our community, from its food to its music.

The Mauldin BBQ Cook-off features more than 20 cookers from all over the Southeast, competing to bring the best BBQ to Mauldin. The festival opens Friday night with our Anything Butt competition, where Participating Cookers serve anything BUTT their BBQ to pique your tastebuds. Sliders, grilled chicken, smoked cobbler—the only way to know what’s cooking is to come try it for yourself.

Saturday features the main event, a BBQ Cook-off competition with a panel of certified BBQ Tasters from the South Carolina Barbeque Association. The public will also have a chance to cast their vote for the best BBQ and the winner of the People’s Choice Award.

Paired with live music and family fun, this can’t-miss festival is the perfect pig-out.

DOWNLOAD THE EVENT MAP HERE!

The Scoop

General InfoFoodMusicKids ZoneDog ZoneSponsors & VendorsVolunteer2023 Team Registration2022 Winners

GENERAL INFO

Want to know what to expect before you get here?

Lawn chairs and/or blankets are welcome at the outdoor amphitheater.
Outside food and beverages are prohibited. Food and beverage vendors will be on-site.
Attendees must be age 21+ to consume alcohol. An ID and wristband will be required. Wristbands may be obtained at the ticket tents and are free of charge.
Dogs are allowed on leash. Please carry disposable bags to pick up any pet droppings.
Smoking, skateboards, and bicycles are not allowed at this event.

Schedule

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2023

*Note: Food is served only while supplies last.

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SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2023

*Note: Food is served only while supplies last.

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Pricing

Admission, parking, live music, and kids zone are all free – you only have to pay to eat and drink!

TASTE TICKETS

$5 for sheet of 5 tickets
1 ticket = $1

FRIDAY – Anything Butt Competition

Food Items | 2-6 Tickets each

SATURDAY – BBQ Cook-Off

1 ticket = 1 bbq sample. Each sample is 2 oz. of pulled pork.

ALL WEEKEND

Tickets/Cash/Cards are accepted at non-competing food vendors
ALCOHOL VENDOR IS CASH/CARD ONLY
Soft Drinks / Water | $1
Beer / Wine | $4-6

*prices subject to change
*Tickets are non-refundable
*Food from bbq cookers served while supplies last

Directions & Parking

This event is located at the Outdoor Amphitheater behind the Mauldin Cultural Center at 101 E Butler Rd, Mauldin, SC 29662.

ALL PARKING IS FREE

We recommend parking at the following locations:

Mauldin Cultural Center – 101 East Butler Road

Mauldin City Hall – 5 East Butler Road

Mauldin Sports Center – 10 City Center Drive

Mauldin United Methodist Church – 100 East Butler Road

THE FOOD

Friday | Anything Butt Competition

ANYTHING BUTT COMPETITION

Friday, September 15, 2023 | 6 – 9 p.m.

To get the Cookers warmed up, we kick off with an “Anything Butt” competition! Participating Cookers will serve a dish/item of their choosing to pique your tastebuds. Everything is on the table with this competition – everything BUT their BBQ. Sliders? Maybe. Grilled Vegetable Medley? Why not. Grilled Chicken? Sounds good. Smoked Cobbler? Now we’re talking.

Food will be available from 6 p.m. until it runs out. Our panel of guest judges will pick their favorite item and give them a special award during Saturday’s award ceremony!

All food is served while supplies last!

All items are priced $2-6/serving. BBQ Teams set their own price.
Teams may only accept event taste tickets. Tickets can be purchased at one of the Ticket Booths.
Tickets purchased for Anything Butt on Friday are also valid for Saturday’s BBQ Cook-Off and may be used at food trucks.
Drinks and alcohol are $1-5 – paid directly to beverage provider, they do not accept tickets

Items may contain certain allergens (nuts, wheat products, milk, etc). Check with each Team before purchasing.
Pace yourself! Every BBQ Team participates, so there is a lot of food to sample!

Other vendors

Kona Ice • Crave Cookies • Chocolate Artworks • Daddy’s Cookout

Saturday | Mauldin BBQ Cook-off

Saturday, September 16, 2023 | 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.

The main event takes place all day on Saturday. Tasting Tickets allow you to sample pulled pork from the cookers of your choosing (each taste is 2 oz. of pure pork goodness, 1 ticket=1 sample). Remember to vote for your favorite — the Cooker who wins “People’s Choice” receives a special prize!

This event is judged by the SC BBQ Association. Awards are presented at 2:15 p.m. For more about the BBQ Cook-off (rules, specific information, and awards) click here.

All food is served while supplies last!

$5 for sheet of (5) tickets
1 ticket = 1 BBQ tasting (or $1 at food trucks)
Drinks and alcohol are $1-5 – paid directly to beverage provider, they do not accept tickets
Tickets can be used for tastings and food trucks on Saturday.

Other vendors

Kona Ice • Crave Cookies • Chocolate Artworks • The Dog House

MUSIC

Music and BBQ go together like…well, music and BBQ. All performances are free of charge and will be held in the Mauldin Cultural Center’s Outdoor Amphitheater right on the festival grounds. Bring your lawn chair and blankets to relax, digest, and enjoy the music! Remember — outside food and beverages are prohibited, and this is a smoke-free event.

Friday, September 15, 6-9pm | James Radford Band

Saturday, September 16, 11am-2pm | West End String Band

KIDS ZONE

The Kids Zone is open Friday and Saturday. All activities are FREE!

Face Painting by LouLouMooShu

Balloon Twisting by The Charming Balloon
Inflatables
Lego Build Station with Bricks & Minifigs

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Bark-B-Q DOG ZONE

We are excited to feature an area just for our furry friends at this year’s festival, sponsored by WOW! Fiber Internet.

Splash Pads & Sprinklers

Giveaways with WOW! Fiber Internet

Photo Booth

Specialty Dog Vendors

Adoptions with Dog Squad (Saturday Only)

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*Pups must remain on leash!*

SPONSORS AND VENDORS

Thank you to our 2023 sponsors!

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OTHER VENDORS

Blood Drive on Saturday 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. Donors get a $60 e-gift card and (5) free SOOIE. tasting tickets. Sign up in advance here!

Kona Ice • Crave Cookies • Chocolate Artworks • Castillo Mobile Cigar Lounge • Young’s Backyard BBQ Sauce • Daddy’s Cookout (Friday Only) • The Dog House (Saturday Only) • Freshly Squeezed Lemonade

Be a Sponsor

2023 SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

This weekend event brings more than 2,000 attendees to the Mauldin Outdoor Amphitheater. Depending on your sponsorship level, you could be earning $40K+ in media presence, brand recognition at events, and complimentary tasting tickets by sponsoring the Sooie. BBQ Cook-off.

Interested? Drop us a line at [email protected] or call us at 864.335.4862.

VOLUNTEER

We have plenty of opportunities for you or your group to volunteer at this year’s BBQ Cook-Off. Volunteers are needed both Friday and Saturday.

Just a few rules/regulations:

Each date has one shift – Please sign up for only one position as you can only do one job at a time. If you want to volunteer for both Friday and Saturday, make sure to sign up for your desired position both dates.
Volunteers must be high school age or older. Some positions are only for those age 16+ or 21+. Middle school students may partner with a parent/adult to volunteer.
Please read the position descriptions to ensure you are comfortable with the position requirements (ie: operating iPad, cash handling, etc.)

Volunteers will receive a bbq volunteer t-shirt to wear and 10 tasting tickets each!

2023 TEAM REGISTRATION

TEAM REGISTRATION IS NOW CLOSED

Only 30 BBQ Team slots are open this year. The event is sanctioned, and judged by the SC BBQ Association, and will award cash prizes to 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, & 5th places. Teams are required to participate in Friday’s “Anything Butt” competition and showcase their non-BBQ skills (as well as give our lovely guests something to chow down on).

A $175 registration fee is REQUIRED and due for each team at the time of application. The fee is non-refundable for accepted Teams. The City of Mauldin reserves the right to reject any registration. If for some reason your registration is denied, you will receive a full refund. If for some reason you cancel after your registration has been received, accepted, and processed, you will be issued a refund if and only if the Event Coordinators can fill the empty slot with another cook team.

2023 Cooker Packet