Events involving live music and barbecued food in the Vancouver region include Port Moody Ribfest, Ribfest Langley, Mission Ribfest and Chilliwack Ribfest.
The first two are hosted by local Rotary Clubs with funds raised benefitting both local and international Rotary-related charitable projects. The other two events are hosted by the Greater Vancouver Food Truck Festival. The Port Moody and Langley events with the Rotary Clubs are unrelated to the events in Chilliwack and Mission (although they do all have some of the same rib vendors).
In addition to the above ribfest events, the PNE Fair is also famous for its barbecued rib vendors (several of which participate in the Lower Mainland ribfest events.
Ribfest Events in Port Moody, Langley, Mission and Chilliwack (and at the PNE in Vancouver)
The Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley host four big events in the summer featuring lots of barbecued ribs. There’s Port Moody Ribfest and Chilliwack Ribfest in July followed by Mission Ribfest and Ribfest Langley in August. There are other meat-related events at other times too, like Brewery & the Beast in June (for which you have to pay admission). There are also barbecued rib vendors at the PNE Fair in the summer.
The four ribfest events in Port Moody, Langley, Chilliwack and Mission are fun, free to attend (or by donation) and well worth checking out. Even if you don’t like ribs, there are live performances, beer gardens, activities for children and vegetarian options as well. 2024 dates and details about all four events are below.
Port Moody Ribfest
Port Moody Ribfest takes place over three days at Rocky Point Park each year. The venue is located at 2800 Murray Street. In 2024 the festival runs from Friday, July 19th, until Sunday, July 21st. This event is hosted by the Rotary Club of Port Moody which is a non-profit service club that does wonderful work in the community. Funds raised from Port Moody Ribfest benefit lots of great causes!
Entry to Port Moody Ribfest is by donation. Up to about 40,000 people attend over the weekend most years. In addition to all of the food and live music, there’s a Family Zone with a climbing wall, puppet show, crafts, virtual reality experiences, and other activities. Admission to the event is by donation to the Rotary Club of Port Moody. The event also has a 50/50 Draw where funds raised also benefit lots of great charitable organizations.
For more information about this event, see our article about Port Moody Ribfest or visit portmoodyribfest.ca. To learn about the organization behind the event, see the Rotary Club of Port Moody‘s website.
(NOTE: This is a fabulous event to volunteer at. If you’d like to help out, click Port Moody Ribfest Volunteer Opportunities.)
Chilliwack Ribfest
Chilliwack Ribfest debuted in 2023 and it takes place again in 2024. The event is part of the Greater Vancouver Food Truck Festival series. Last year it was co-hosted with the Rotary Club of Chilliwack, but not this year.
Chilliwack Ribfest happens at Vedder Park at 45450 Petawawa Road in Chilliwack. This year’s festival opens on Friday, July 26th, and continues until Sunday, July 28th.
Entry to the 2024 event is free each day, but attendees are welcome to donate at the gate. Partial proceeds benefit the Chilliwack Salvation Army. This year’s event features bounce houses. In 2023 there were also stations for face painting and airbrush tattoos (which may or may not be there again this year).
To learn more about this event, see our article about Chilliwack Ribfest or visit chilliwackribfest.ca.
Mission Ribfest
Mission Ribfest is a new Greater Vancouver Food Truck Festival event. The first edition takes place on the four days of the 2024 BC Day Long Weekend, so from Friday, August 2nd, until Monday, August 5th. Festivities happen at Mission’s Fraser River Heritage Park at 7494 Mary Street.
Similar to the other three events, expect to see rib vendors, live music and a beer garden. The festival in Mission also features an artisan market with products ranging from snacks and bath products to clothes and jewellery.
This event is also hosted by the Greater Vancouver Food Truck Festival which is a for-profit organization that puts on various food-related events around the Lower Mainland.
For more information about this event, see our article about Mission Ribfest or click missionribfest.ca.
Ribfest Langley
Ribfest Langley takes place at McLeod Athletic Park each year. Located at the corner of 216th Street and 56th Avenue, the venue hosts Ribfest Langley on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of August 16th to 18th in 2024.
The same as with Port Moody Ribfest, this event is hosted by local Rotary Clubs, in this case clubs from Langley. Funds raised from the event benefit great charitable causes. Attending the event means you’ll have fun, but also help Rotary Clubs do good things in both the local community and abroad.
Ribfest Langley is free to attend but donations to the Langley Rotary Clubs are greatly appreciated at the gate. There’s a 50/50 Draw with several prizes to be won. Ribfest Langley also features a KidZone with activities such as face painting, carnival games, miniature golf, inflatable structures, and a swing ride.
To learn more about this event, check out our article about Ribfest Langley or visit the ribfestlangley.com website.
PNE Fair
The PNE Fair is one of the biggest events in Vancouver. There’s plenty of great food to be had there and that includes ribs! Vendors like Gator BBQ and Truckin BBQ can be found at the PNE so those who crave ribs can get their filling while enjoying all of what the fair has to offer.
The PNE runs from August 17th to September 2nd in 2024. It’s closed on Mondays but open the other six days of the week throughout the day.
For more details click PNE Fair or go to the PNE website.
Other Information
For more information about the above events, visit the Port Moody Ribfest, Chilliwack Ribfest, Mission Ribfest or Ribfest Langley websites, or the Greater Vancouver Food Truck Festival website.
To learn about Rotary Clubs (which are the organizations that host the Port Moody and Langley events), visit rotary.org, the Rotary Club of Port Moody website, or the Langley Rotary Clubs Facebook page.
Other articles that might be of interest include the following:
- Lower Mainland Food Truck Festivals
- Best Bars and Restaurants in Metro Vancouver
- July and August Event Calendars
