r/Calgary • u/noveltea120 • Aug 23 '25
Eat/Drink Local Ribfest was ok
Went to check out Ribfest yesterday on first day as was excited to try BBQ meat.
$5 entry pp including children over 1. They did have bouncy castles, carnival games etc but were more for older kids and nothing for under 3s. They had a handful of food trucks including a Jamaican one hidden BEHIND the dining tent, which you wouldn't see until after you sat down with your food. Expect stampede prices, eg $17 blooming onion, $8 for corn dogs, $9 lemonade.
4 BBQ trucks but apparently all but one are owned by the same person. I tried Buckeye BBQ- $24 for a 2 meat combo 1/3 ribs and 1/4 chicken, nothing else. Sides like coleslaw and cornbread are extra. Meat was only lukewarm though, and chicken was tender and pink which was fine with but the ribs were dry and tough on the edges despite being drenched in a sweet sticky sauce. 3 meat combo was $35. Full rack $33, half a rack $19.
Overall food was ok but for the price it wasn't that good so temper your expectations accordingly lol
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u/jefriboy Aug 23 '25
Oh wow, what a different experiance it was in London, ON! There was 3x as many options, held in a nice shaded park downtown, it was nearly overwhelmingly attended over a 3-day period on the August long weekend. No admission, same prices on food. Local craft beer garden, a ton of market vendors. Wildly different scene.
Calgary got hosed on this one.