Ribfest BBQ Vendors

Port Moody Ribfest is a three-day community festival that features live music, family-friendly activities and barbecued ribs in Rocky Point Park in Port Moody.

In 2025 the event took place on the weekend of July 18th to 20th. Next year’s event is planned for July 24th to 26th. It’s a fabulous festival, and admission is by donation. There’s also a 50/50 Draw that can reach up to around $240,000. Half of the jackpot goes to the winner, while the other half benefits great causes.

Visit portmoodyribfest.ca for the event’s official website.

TIP: Port Moody Ribfest is an awesome event to volunteer for. They’d love to hear from you if you would like to help. Click Volunteer at Port Moody Ribfest for details about volunteer opportunities.

This article contains the following information about Port Moody Ribfest:

Ribfest Festival in Port Moody

Hosted by the Rotary Club of Port Moody, Ribfest is a free event that takes place in July each year.

In most years as many as 40,000 people attend the weekend festival. That number is greater than the entire population of Port Moody! Ribfest is a fundraising event benefiting charitable projects. Up to around $100,000 is raised each year. Donations are appreciated and there’s usually also a 50/50 Draw.

Take your friends and family (and your appetite), and check it out.

Click portmoodyribfest.ca for the event’s official website.

Where is Port Moody Ribfest?

Port Moody Rotary Ribfest takes place at Rocky Point Park which is at 2800 Murray Street in Port Moody, a beautiful town of 34,000 people just east of both Vancouver and Burnaby. For a smaller community, Port Moody Ribfest is an impressive event and at a wonderful venue.

Rocky Point Park is a beautiful park on the waterfront with a pier, community stage, walking trails, outdoor swimming pool, and first-class children’s playground and waterpark.

When is Port Moody Ribfest?

Port Moody Rotary Ribfest usually takes place on the second-to-last weekend in July. In 2026 it happens on Friday, Saturday and Sunday of July 24th to 26th. Admission is by donation and activities usually run from 11:00 am until about 9:00 pm on all three days.

Click portmoodyribfest.ca for the event’s official website.

Ribfest Activities

At Port Moody Rotary Ribfest there is Live Music and lots of Barbecued Food for sale. There are also craft breweries on-site, a Family Zone, 50/50 Draw, and various forms of family entertainment.

Concerts and Entertainment at Port Moody Ribfest

Port Moody Ribfest features free live music on all three days of the festival. Below was the live music schedule for 2025. (Note: Times and performer details are subject to change.). 2026’s music schedule will likely be similar, with exact details to be confirmed.

Friday, July 18th, 2025

12:00 pm – Steve Sainas Trio
1:45 pm – Jason Lane Band
3:30 pm – Mr Boogie Woogie RM & Friends
5:30 pm – Perfectly Petty
7:30 pm – Blue Collar Overdrive

Saturday, July 19th, 2025

11:00 am – Blake Havard
12:30 pm – Sons of Stanley
2:15 pm – Los Meatballs
4:00 pm – Gift Shop
5:45 pm – Bad Medicine
7:30 pm – Bad Moon Riders

Sunday, July 20th, 2025

11:00 am – Generations
12:45 pm – The Heartland Levy Band
3:15 pm – Steve Sainas Trio
5:15 pm – Pop Junkies
6:45 pm – Truly Tina

Click portmoodyribfest.ca for the event’s official website.

BBQs, Food and Beverages at Ribfest

Being a “Ribfest,” a major part of the Port Moody event is the food. A variety of BBQ vendors serve beef ribs, barbecued chicken, corn on the cob and other tasty items.

Renowned barbecue vendors at Port Moody Ribfest most years (including 2025) are the following:

Rusty’s BBQ – a local, Port Moody company
Smoke Dem Bones – from Penticton
Boss Hog’s – a London Ontario-based rib vendor
Prairie Smoke & Spice – from Winnipeg (and 14-time Grand Champion winner)
Grizzly BBQ – from Greater Victoria on Vancouver Island
Gator BBQ – from Port Dover Ontario
Jack the Ribber – from St. Thomas Ontario

A vegetarian food truck is also at the event, in addition to the above vendors specializing in barbecued meats.

The biggest challenge at Port Moody Ribfest is deciding which vendor to get your ribs from. The second biggest challenge is choosing which craft beer to wash it down with (or root beer for the kids).

Local participating breweries in 2025 included Yellow Dog Brewing, Moody Ales, Twin Sails Brewing and The Parkside Brewery. There was also Lonetree Cider as well as wine and other drinks for sale. (Note: The event has a site-wide liquour license, so you don’t have to stay at the beer garden. You can wander around with your drink pretty much wherever you like within the festival grounds.)

Family Zone at Port Moody Ribfest

Port Moody Ribfest is definitely a family-friendly event. There is something for everyone, including for children at the Family Zone.

In the Family Zone you will likely find things such as miniature golf, a climbing wall, puppet show and more. Plus, if that’s not enough, right in Rocky Point Park is one of the Lower Mainland’s best outdoor children’s playgrounds and water parks, as well as an outdoor swimming pool.

Kids, don’t forget your swimsuits! Also, don’t forget to point out to your parents the Rocky Point Ice Cream Store that’s located close by.

50/50 Draw

Another exciting component of Port Moody Ribfest is the Colossal 50/50 Draw. This year’s jackpot had the potential to reach up to $240,000! Half of the total goes to the winner, while the other half goes directly to the SHARE Food Bank and the Starfish food program. They are both great causes that address food insecurity in the community.

Festival attendees can buy one ticket for $10, five tickets for $25, 20 tickets for $50, or 100 tickets for $100. The jackpot in 2024 reached $56,070. This year’s draw took place on August 6th at Port Moody Recreation Complex at 300 Ioco Road.

Visit the Port Moody Ribfest website for the 2025 50/50 draw.

Tips & Advice

Below are some tips and advice on how to have an enjoyable time at the Port Moody Ribfest.

Suggestions for Getting There

TIP #1: Take public transit if you can as parking on the day can challenging. If you can’t, another option is to put your bikes on the back of your car and then cycle part way to the venue (including from far away along the beautiful, forested paths). An alternative option is to wear good shoes and just plan to walk. The SkyTrain Station is just 800 metres away. However you get there, it’s worth the journey.

TIP #2: If you must take a vehicle, go early to improve your chances of finding a spot. There is a bit of parking available for early birds at Rocky Point Park, at the Port Moody Soccer Field on Murray Street just east of the park, and at Port Moody’s West Coast Express Train Station.

TIP #3: You might also find parking at the Community Recreation Complex at 300 Ioco Road in town (although you might not technically be allowed to park there). Otherwise, try your luck wherever you can find it, but be sure wherever you park is a permitted place and not limited to too short of a time.

TIP #4: Another transportation option is to take a taxi or Uber, either from your home or from a place you can get to close by (like the train station).

Other Tips

TIP #1: Rocky Point Park is a beautiful park to visit any time of the year. While you’re already there for Ribfest, take some time to explore. Also, return another day when it’s a little less crowded.

TIP #2: On hot days kids will love the playground, water park and outdoor swimming pool. The walking and cycling trails are beautiful and go on for miles. The pier is also very pleasant for a short stroll out into the water.

TIP #3: And finally, if you like outdoor live music, go back any Sunday in July or August for Summer Sundays when there is a free outdoor concert in the park.

Important Notes

ACCESSIBILITY: Port Moody Ribfest is fairly stroller and wheelchair accessible. Just be patient getting around, however, as there will be thousands of people. There are a lot of lawns (which aren’t easy to get around on after a heavy rainfall), but there are also lots of paved pathways throughout Rocky Point Park.
PET POLICY: Only on-duty service dogs are welcome at Port Moody Ribfest. Other pets are not allowed. That’s okay, though, as Fido will probably appreciate being left at home anyway as he’ll likely hate the crowds and go insane with all the tantalizing BBQ smells!
PARKING: There isn’t a lot of parking along Murray Street or at Rocky Point Park, at least nowhere near enough for thousands of people. Moody Centre Station is less than a 15-minute walk away. There are also 400 parking spots at that SkyTrain Station, and another 1,000 by Coquitlam Station.

About Rotary

Rotary International is a volunteer service organization with members around the world. The Rotary Club of Port Moody is one of many Rotary clubs comprised of professionals, business people and folks who want to make a difference in their community.

The Rotary Club of Port Moody meets for breakfast on Wednesday at 7:15 am at St. James’s Well Pub in Newport Village at 248 Newport Drive in Port Moody.

Another fundraising event put on by the same organization is Search for the Perfect Pint which is a beer-tasting event at Port Moody’s City Hall. It too is a fundraising event.

See the Rotary Club of Port Moody website for more information on the fundraising group behind Port Moody Ribfest. It’s an exceptional organization to be a part of.

Other Information

See the Port Moody Ribfest website for more information about the July event at Rocky Point Park.

See our articles about Rocky Point Park or Port Moody to learn more about the venue and surrounding area. See Vancouver’s July Calendar for ideas on other things to do at other times this month.

See our article about Ribfest Langley to learn about a similar festival that’s also a fundraising event for Rotary Clubs and their charitable projects.

Click the Festivals & Events Calendar for a list of other major events throughout the year in the Lower Mainland.

Events hosted by other Lower Mainland Rotary Clubs include the following:

Search for the Perfect Pint – a beer-themed event in Port Moody.
Rotary Ride for Rescue – a bike race up Cypress Mountain that raises money for North Shore Rescue.
North Vancouver Canada Day Celebrations – an event on July 1st on the North Shore.
Langley Ribfest – a barbecue-themed community event in the summer.
Rotary Ride for Hearing – a cycling ride that benefits people who are deaf and hard of hearing in BC.
White Rock Polar Bear Swim – a January 1st icy swim in the ocean on New Year’s Day.