Groove and grub this weekend at Piggyback BBQ Fest in Pontiac

Calling themselves the "ultimate BBQ festival in Oakland County," the Piggyback BBQ Festival in downtown Pontiac will surely be one for the books. 

This festival is so packed with festivities, it's a shame it's only one day long. Events include cooking demos and competitions, Motown and blues music, a free Piggyback photo booth, face painting, and still more. 

Get your bibs and napkins ready for the McLaren BBQ competition. Featuring a professional and amateur BBQ rib cook off, there will be cash prizes for winners decided by five celebrity judges. Bring your notebooks for cooking demos on wet and dry rubs, as well as veggie side dishes and a general safety lesson ON hygienic and sanitary grilling practices. And because BBQ, beer, and blues go so well together, live music will include Roschelle Laugh, a tribute to Motown, the Dale Robertson Blues Band, and Blues Lady Champagne and the Motor City Blues Band. 

Metro Times is a co-sponsor of the Pontiac festival.


This festival also provides a unique opportunity to discuss the roles summer festivals play in community engagement and Detroit's resurgence with Pontiac leadership in the Community Center Tent, hosted by Veterans Life USA and the Pontiac Holonomy Incubator. 

"It's the rebirth of festivals in Pontiac (and) the rebirth of downtown," says Piggyback organizer and founder Ron Berger. "The community is really coming together as one to support not only this festival and I, but all of Pontiac. I want the whole city to come out and enjoy, 'cause this is for them."

Also, Slow's Bar-B-Q is sponsoring the event, for anyone still holding doubts about the quality of the barbecue, and Berger says he and Slow's chef Brian Perrone will be cooking and serving food, and locals will battle for barbecue bragging rights. With close to 20 amateurs entered in the competition, the stakes (and ribs) will be running high. 

The Piggyback BBQ Festival is from 2 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Saturday, July 30, at Pontiac City Square, on the corner of Saginaw and Pike; general admission is $5; visit piggybackfest.org for more information.