Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest and SmokeSlam organizers both say they had ‘successful’ weekends
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The smoke has finally cleared over Memphis after a week filled with tastes, sauces and different sights from not one, but two barbecue competitions.
The Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest (WCBCC) at the Fairgrounds at Liberty Park and the new SmokeSlam BBQ Festival in Tome Lee Park are now in the history books.
“Right in the heart of Memphis at Liberty Park became the city’s biggest backyard,” Memphis in May Vice President of Marketing, Randy Blevins said. “It was quite a celebration and we considered this year’s event a success.”
Memphis in May says they attracted 129 teams from the United States and four other countries and a lot of people passed through their gates.
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“Of course, we’re still tabulating the final numbers now, but early indications are we had extremely strong attendance,” Blevins said.
At Tom Lee Park, SmokeSlam was billed as the “World’s Ultimate Barbecue Festival” with the richest prize and 57 teams competing.
“It was like the fireworks that went off every night,” SmokeSlam organizer, Melzie Wilson said. “It exceeded our expectations. The teams were very happy.”
Organizers say their event attracted 16,697 visitors, not including teams.
“You could tell as the word spread our numbers by Saturday were off the roof,” Wilson said. “In fact, some of our live fire guys had to go buy more meat to feed the crowds.”
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There were also no damages to Tom Lee Park this year, SmokeSlam officials said.
Memphis in May moved this year’s contest to Liberty Park after last year’s event in Tom Lee Park led to a $1.4 million bill for damages from Memphis River Parks Partnership, which operates the park for the city.
Organizers with Memphis in May say they’re happy with their new home.
“So, we had a lot of great feedback from the teams,” Blevins said. “It’s easier in and out – all and all – a lot of thumbs up from the teams so far.”
As for damage at Tom Lee Park, this year with a new festival, SmokeSlam organizers say the park looks great.
“I pretty much hit all of the three quadrants in the last few days, of course, and it all looks good. It all looks great,” Wilson said.
Both barbecue festivals say they will be back next year to bring the heat.
“(The) Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest will be back in Liberty Park next year for 2025. That’s something we’re excited about,” Blevins said.
“So, we’ve already booked and set dates for not only RiverBeats (music festival) but SmokeSlam as well. That’ll be May 15 through 17 in 2025 in Tom Lee Park,” Wilson said.
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