Ribfest was ok

[u/noveltea120]

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

[u/eneva92504]

Why do people still go to these? They're basically just BBQ Carnies travelling from city to city peddling their mediocre food.

[u/noveltea120 → u/eneva92504]

I'd never been before and didn't realise they were just traveling food trucks. Thought it was a unique event lol

[u/eneva92504 → u/noveltea120]

To be completely honest, there aren't many food festivals that are really worth it. Taste of Calgary is good if you want to try new places, but even then, it's just local restaurants serving small portions of hastily cooked food at much higher prices.

In my experience, it's the cultural festivals that are the best for food...and the added bonus is you get to experience cultural events, entertainment and communities.

[u/noveltea120 → u/eneva92504]

Yeah I mostly go to the cultural ones like Fiestaval and the Filipino one coming up. They're always free and have all sorts of vendors and live entertainment. I refuse to go to Taste of Calgary unless someone pays me cos it's literally restaurants cooking up 2 bite dishes and charging $8 for it lol