It’s almost that time of year again, and InsuranceHub could not be more excited! We’re gearing up for the fourth annual Sip & Swine BBQ Festival on March 1st & 2nd at Lawrenceville’s Coolray Field. InsuranceHub is proud to be a Que Crew sponsor for the event. This festival may just look like just a fun barbecue outing for the family, but it holds a lot more importance to a lot more people than you would think.
What is the Sip & Swine Barbecue Festival?
Sip & Swine is a barbecue competition and festival where chefs from all over come together to put their best barbecue foot forward. It benefits the Home of Hope at Gwinnett Children’s Shelter, a local nonprofit that helps homeless children and their mothers. This is the 4th year that the festival is being held, and it’s officially sanctioned by the Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS). So, you can bet that it’s not your average backyard cook-out or competition.
The competition.
Competing teams are divided into two categories: Backyard (for amateur cooks) and Pro (for professional BBQ competitors, restaurant groups, and members of the KCBS). Each type of team will compete for Best Chicken, Best Pork Ribs, and Best Pork dish. However, the Pro teams will also compete for Best Beef Brisket.
While there are professional judges for the dishes, these groups will also compete for the Sip & Swine People’s Choice award (like there was at last year’s Sip & Swine.) On Saturday, all the competing teams must make their entries available to the public for tasting and judging. So, everyone has the power to vote for who they think is the best of the best barbecue around!
Live music.
Sip & Swine BBQ Festival also loves to bring out amazing local talent to play the soundtrack to your weekend barbecue experience. This year’s band lineup features bands such as Chainsaw Hunnie and Georgia Red Clay.
The food.
What’s a barbecue without the sides? We don’t want you to fill up on just meat. Every year, we put out the call for area vendors to bring by their tasty treats as well. The vendors that will be scattered around the festival aren’t in competition with each other. They just want to share their passion for food with you. Try everything from snow cones to boiled peanuts to specialty beverages!
The vendors.
While you’re walking off your full stomach, check out some of our craft vendors as well! Bring a little extra spending cash to stop by a crafter’s tent and let amazing finds can catch your eye.
So, even if you don’t want to spend a full day eating barbecue, there’s plenty of other tasty treats and wonderful wares to try!
When and Where is Sip & Swine BBQ Festival?
The Sip & Swine BBQ Festival is a two-day festival beginning on Friday, March 1st from 3:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., and it continues on Saturday, March 2nd from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. So, it’s two full days of fun and festivities for the whole family to enjoy!
The official venue for Sip & Swine BBQ Festival is:
Coolray Field
2500 Buford Dr. NE
Lawrenceville, GA 30043
How much is admission for the event?
Admission and parking for the event are absolutely free! However, if you want to vote for your favorite barbecue team in the competition, a People’s Choice Taster Kit is $10 per person. They can be purchased on Saturday, March 2nd from 11:30 am – 1:30 pm. The Taster Kit fee doesn’t go to the event or the cooks present. Sip & Swine is, above all, a great way to raise money for a great cause (more on this in a minute).
Why is Sip & Swine important?
Sip & Swine didn’t just start as a whim to start a huge barbecue competition. The main goal of Sip & Swine is to benefit Home of Hope @ Gwinnett Children’s Shelter in their mission to help mothers and their children.
Home of Hope at Gwinnett Children’s Shelter works year-round to provide not only food and shelter to homeless moms and their children but also resources for the mothers so that they can get back on their feet. Their mission is to help homeless moms become independent through customized life plans that will help them maintain steady jobs and home lives well after they leave the shelter.
Their efforts to build up the lives of families is one we are proud and excited to support every year. So, all proceeds from the Taster Kits will go directly to Home of Hope at Gwinnett Children’s Shelter.
We hope to see you there!
If you’re in the area, we hope to see you at the event! We’re looking forward to another Sip & Swine this year with the barbeque, the yummy snacks, and the live music – but most importantly, seeing the community come together to benefit a great cause.